Role Purpose:

The Engineering Director owns the people side of engineering organization, including talent acquisition & retention, professional development, performance management, and external talent development programs. This role ensures the company builds and gets the best performance out of the engineering and technical workforce needed to deliver on its mission. This role is deliberately complementary to the Launch Program Director and Systems Engineering Lead: where the Program Director owns program delivery (scope, budget, schedule, external
stakeholders) and the Systems Engineering Lead owns technical coordination (requirements, interfaces, verification), the Engineering Director ensures the engineering organization has the right people, in the right roles, performing at the right level, and growing in their careers.

The Engineering Director:
Reports to: CEO.

Works closely with: Launch Program Director, Systems Engineering Lead, individual engineers and technical staff, Finance, and Operations. Accountability: Engineering workforce planning, recruiting, performance management, professional development, team health, and organizational effectiveness across all engineering and technical staff.

Core Responsibilities

Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning:

Own the engineering and technical recruiting pipeline end-to-end, defining headcount plans, writing role requirements with engineering leads, driving recruitment strategies, and ensuring hiring decisions meet both technical and organizational needs. Partner with People Operations on recruiting operations (postings, screening, offer management) while maintaining direct ownership of technical hiring standards, interview processes, and candidate evaluation for engineering and technical roles.

• Develop workforce plans that align with program milestones and production ramp-up, anticipating hiring needs 6–12 months ahead and ensuring the organization is staffed to meet the company’s schedule commitments.
• Build employer brand within the Canadian and international aerospace talent market, leveraging industry networks, university partnerships, co-op programs, and conference presence to attract top engineering and technical talent.

Performance Management:

Own the engineering organization & performance management cycle, including goal setting, ongoing feedback, regular 1-1 meetings, performance reviews, and calibration, to ensure performance expectations are clear, fair, and tied to program outcomes. Coach and support engineering leads in delivering effective performance feedback, managing underperformance constructively, and recognizing high contributors. Partner with the Launch Program Director and Systems Engineering Lead to ensure individual and team performance objectives are aligned with program milestones, technical deliverables, and organizational priorities.

• Use performance data to inform decisions on promotions, compensation adjustments, role changes, and succession planning across the engineering and technical workforce.

Professional Development & Career Growth:

Establish and maintain clear career ladders and leveling frameworks for both the engineering technical track (Engineer through Principal Engineer) and the technician track (Technician through Lead Technician), with defined expectations, competencies, and progression criteria at each level.

• Design and implement professional development programs, including mentorship, technical training, skills assessments, and stretch assignments—that grow individual capability and support retention.
• Work with engineering leads and the Systems Engineering Lead to identify technical skill gaps across the organization and develop targeted training plans, whether through internal knowledge transfer, external courses, or certification programs.
• Support engineers and technicians in developing career paths that align their growth interests with the company & evolving needs, including lateral moves across disciplines where it strengthens both the individual and the team.

Organizational Health & Culture:

Monitor and actively manage team health, engagement, and retention across the engineering organization, identifying early warning signs of burnout, attrition risk, or cultural issues and intervening proactively.

• Foster an engineering culture that balances urgency and execution discipline with psychological safety, technical curiosity, and professional respect.
• Facilitate constructive resolution of interpersonal and team-level conflicts, working closely with People Operations on sensitive matters while maintaining trust with the engineering team.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Program Support:

Participate in program-level planning and reviews alongside the Launch Program Director and Systems Engineering Lead, providing the people and organizational perspective on execution risk, team capacity, and resourcing trade-offs.

• Coordinate with the Director of Operations on shared workforce topics, including manufacturing and launch operations staffing, technician development, and facility- related safety and training requirements.
• Partner with Finance on engineering headcount budgeting, compensation benchmarking, and workforce cost forecasting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, or related field) from an accredited institution; Master degree or MBA is an asset.
• 15+ years of engineering experience, with 7+ years in progressive people management roles, rising through Engineering Manager and Senior Engineering Manager levels with direct responsibility for hiring, performance management, and team development.
• Experience managing both engineering and technical/operator staff, with an understanding of the distinct career development needs, motivations, and working cultures of each group.
• Background in aerospace, defence, launch systems, or heavy industry manufacturing, with firsthand understanding of the technical environment, safety culture, and workforce dynamics in hardware-intensive development programs.
• Proven track record building engineering teams through growth phases in a competitive talent market.
• Demonstrated experience designing or managing career ladders, levelling frameworks, and performance management systems for technical organizations.
• Strong coaching and mentorship capability, with the ability to develop engineering leads and managers into effective people leaders in their own right.
• Excellent interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, with the judgment to navigate sensitive personnel situations with fairness, discretion, and empathy.
• Effective communicator who can represent the engineering organization's needs and health to executive leadership, and translate company strategy into people and organizational priorities for the engineering team.
• Results-oriented leader who thrives in a fast-paced, scaling environment and brings both structure and adaptability to building an engineering organization from the ground up.

Salary Range: $170k-190k range plus equity incentive plan.
 
***Only qualified candidates who meet all of the requirements will be contacted for interviews. Thank you and good luck with your search.