Engineering Section Leader

Job Description SummaryThe Engineering Section Leader will provide overall leadership for the Electrical Products Engineering business segment located in Jacksonville, FL. This individual will ensure that the team has the resources, tools and technical competencies required to support the business objectives and that it is delivering on its commitments. He or she will work closely with the cross functional business leadership team to develop the technical product strategy, support production, and the customer.

The role is guided by operating policy and has autonomy within the operational area and business segment. High levels of evaluative judgment and operational acumen are required to achieve outcomes.Job Description

Roles and Responsibilities

Direct Engineering Team

• Lead the Unison Electrical Business (U1) Engineering team.  This consists of ~80 engineers in Jacksonville FL, interfacing with the partner team in Norwich, NY and global teams at GEIQ in Queretaro, MX.
• Supervises a management team consisting of sub-section managers (organized by product type and/or discipline), CTHs (controlled title holders), operations, and administrative assistant.
• Leadership and oversight for quality engineering design, execution and product safety for the portfolio of Unison electrical products and services.
• Provide overall leadership and administrative management for assigned personnel which includes: establishing the local strategy, defining roles and responsibilities, conducting performance appraisals, participating in salary planning, promoting professional growth through timely performance feedback, coaching, and counseling, among other leadership responsibilities
• Provide leadership with high integrity and oversight of processes protecting Intellectual Property, Export Controlled and Strategic Technology, protecting GE, Unison and 3rd party data.
• Build the technical abilities of the teams, including developing a pipeline of controlled title holders.  Provide leadership, guidance, coaching, and technical direction to assigned personnel.
• Drive the development and application of consistent design practices and sharing of design best practices.  This includes ensuring rigorous process is followed in the execution of LEAN, Problem Solving, Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action of product and process issues.
• Responsible for the multi-generational technology plan and oversight of the related advanced technology programs.
• Developing expertise in own function. May include roles that are experts in their discipline, providing professional or thought leadership . Influences policy and ensures delivery within area of responsibility, linking with other parts of the organization.

Support Unison Engineering Leader

• Key member of the engineering and business staff, providing guidance, leadership, mentoring and intervention, as necessary, to strengthen the discipline, quality, reliability, and rigor of our engineering work.
• Serve as the site focal point for all engineering items (i.e. operations, quality, facilities, among others)
• Communicate with management on technical, organizational, resource, and personnel issues.
• Ensure operational plan is met by establishing and monitoring budgets, programs and plans. Assure technical excellence, timely completion of work and reviews, appropriate use of resources and consistency of methods across programs. 

Support the Matrix

• Develop and maintain a productive working climate, promoting teamwork and cross-functional efforts to achieve and maintain excellence.  Lead collaboration and drive synergy between Unison, GE, and External Customers.
• Partner with Unison commercial business teams and Manufacturing to grow both vertical integration with GE engines and market share externally with 3rd party customers.
• Responsive to customer and program needs.
• Facilitate communication of technical and business information between organizations and within group.
• Interprets internal and external business challenges and recommends best practices to improve products, processes or services. Utilizes understanding of industry trends to inform decision making process.
• Leads others to find creative solutions within complex manufacturing processes with technical variety and/or interdependent production cycles. Employs sophisticated operational/product management, manufacturing, or engineering techniques. Interaction with adjacent functions needed to solve issues. Has the ability to evaluate quality of information received and questions conflicting data for analysis. Uses multiple internal and external resources outside of own function to help arrive at a decision.
• May lead functional teams or projects with moderate resource requirements, risk, and/or complexity. Presents business or technical discipline solutions to leaders. Communicates complex messages and negotiates mainly internally with others to adopt a different point of view. Influences peers to take action and may negotiate with external partners, vendors, or customers.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an accredited university or college (or a high school diploma / GED with at least 9 years of experience in Aerospace Design Engineering and experience in an organizational leadership role).
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in Aerospace Design Engineering and experience in an organizational leadership role.  
• This role requires use of technical data subject to U.S. Government contract restrictions and this posting is only for U.S. Citizens.  GE will require proof of status prior to employment.

Desired Characteristics

• Advanced Technical Degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace or Systems Engineering is preferred
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills with demonstrated ability to work across a matrix organization.
• Experience in manufacturing to facilitate ability to drive Design for Manufacturing in Design Engineering.
• Experience operating within or interfacing with the GE Aerospace and its Engineering Divisions.
• Technical expertise in component design, systems design, and strong knowledge of electrical and electro-mechanical design fundamentals.
• Experience with FAA certification of components for Part 33/25.
• LEAN, Six Sigma and TOPS8D training
• Ability to document, plan, market, execute, control, close and manage programs, projects, orders, activities and systems
• Strong customer mind-set
• Ability to provide guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge / skill areas needed to accomplish a task or solve a problem
• Strong business acumen

This role requires access to U.S. export-controlled information. If applicable, final offers will be contingent on ability to obtain authorization for access to U.S. export-controlled information from the U.S. Government.

Additional Information