Director, Advanced Engineering (NPDI Technology Development)

Job Summary

As the Director, Advanced Engineering (NPDI Technology Development), you will support strategic planning and help drive the coordination and execution of advanced engineering and technology-related initiatives within Vertiv. You will be responsible for helping drive the culture of innovation and ensuring new technology development aligns with business objectives – creating and managing technology roadmaps. Your role will involve collaborating with cross-functional teams across the defined Vertiv Centers of Excellence (COEs) to identify and score technological opportunities for priority, maturity, and value while supporting the GPMO / CTO office and the front end of the product development lifecycle. Helping to foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement are key elements.

Responsibilities:

• Technology Strategy: Develop and execute a comprehensive technology roadmap aligned with the company's goals and objectives. Work with the Vertiv Centers of Excellence (COEs) to continuously evaluate emerging technologies and trends to identify opportunities for innovation. Activities include scouting university research and working with advanced technology partners.
• Team Leadership: Lead a multidisciplinary team of engineers, developers, and researchers. Provide guidance, mentorship, and support to foster a collaborative and high-performing work environment.
• Process Development: Ability to develop and manage complex business processes relating to program management, product development, innovation, and engineering/R&D across the complete product lifecycle.
• Process Solutions: Demonstrated experience in creating and managing solutions to help automate and streamline the engineering and advanced development processes. Examples include Smartsheet, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Visio, Lucid Chart, and Microsoft Project for planning and scheduling.
• Program Management: Relating to the CTO office and Vertiv’s new product development process (NPDI), help with coordinating key aspects of technology roadmap development, including planning, scheduling, and tracking of internal and external technology maturity levels.
• Research and Development: Support research initiatives to explore new technologies, methodologies, and solutions that can enhance the company's products or services and overall customer experience. Foster a culture of experimentation and knowledge sharing. Internal R&D and advanced development combined with university scouting and advanced technology partners.
• Collaboration: Work closely with stakeholders across all the defined product COEs including functions like offering management, marketing, legal, procurement, manufacturing, and operations, to understand their needs and priorities. Collaborate with universities, consortiums, external partners, vendors, and industry experts as needed.
• Commercial Readiness and Quality Assurance: Maintain visibility of new technologies for existing processes for testing, validation, and quality assurance to ensure the reliability, scalability, and security of technology solutions.
• Budgeting and Resource Management: Assist engineering teams and the global PMO with estimating technology development timing and budgets.
• Performance Monitoring: Define key performance indicators and metrics (KPIs & OKRs) to track the effectiveness of technology initiatives: Priority, Technology Readiness Level (TRL), Commercial Readiness Level (CRL), and Strategic Value (SV). Regularly assess performance, identify areas for improvement, and implement corrective actions as needed.
• Continuous Learning: Stay abreast of industry trends, technology advancements, and best practices in technology development. Encourage ongoing learning and professional development for yourself and your team members.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years combined experience in product development, engineering, or program management.
• Experience working with the processes and concepts related to program management, agile, and lean.  Certifications in those disciplines are desired but not required.
• Proven track record of successfully leading complex programs, project teams, and process development initiatives. 
• Strong technical expertise in areas such as product development, innovation, portfolio management, program management, technology development, and software development.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal ski