- Location
- Atascosa County, Texas, US
- Workplace
- Remote
- Type
- Full-time
- Department
- Engineering
- Seniority
- Director
- Education
- Master
- Source
- BetterTeam
Description
APC Director of Engineering & Quality
Position Summary:
The Director of Engineering & Quality is responsible for leading APC's engineering, quality assurance, and environmental health & safety (EHS) functions. This executive role oversees product engineering, manufacturing engineering, quality management, product compliance, continuous improvement, research and development, and workplace safety.
The Director partners closely with Operations, Sales, Supply Chain, and Executive Leadership to ensure APC delivers innovative products that meet the highest standards for quality, safety, manufacturability,
and customer satisfaction while driving operational excellence across the organization. The ideal candidate combines strong engineering expertise with strategic leadership, project management, and a passion for innovation while ensuring engineering solutions support APC's growth, operational excellence, and customer-first culture. At American Polymer Company (APC), we manufacture innovative underground utility enclosure solutions that protect critical infrastructure across North America. We believe we are only as good as our last production shift, and we continually strive to improve every aspect of our business.
Essential Responsibilities:
Engineering Leadership:
- Lead Product Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, CAD Design, and R&D.
- Establish engineering standards, design procedures, and technical documentation.
- Develop new products while improving existing designs for manufacturability and cost.
- Support manufacturing through tooling, automation, process improvements, and technical expertise.
- Lead engineering project management and capital improvement initiatives.
Quality Leadership:
- Lead the company's Quality Management System (QMS).
- Develop and maintain quality standards across all manufacturing operations.
- Ensure products consistently meet customer specifications and regulatory requirements.
- Oversee incoming, in-process, and final product inspections.
- Lead root cause analysis, corrective actions (CAPA), and preventive actions.
- Monitor customer complaints, warranty claims, and quality metrics.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce scrap, rework, and defects.
- Partner with Operations to improve first-pass yield and overall product quality.
- Prepare for and manage customer and third-party quality audits. Environmental Health & Safety (EHS).
- Develop and lead APC's safety strategy and culture.
- Ensure compliance with OSHA and all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
- Lead safety training, audits, inspections, and incident investigations.
- Develop corrective actions following safety incidents or near misses.
- Maintain required safety documentation and reporting.
- Ensure all manufacturing processes are performed safely.
- Promote employee engagement through proactive safety initiatives.
- Lead continuous improvement of workplace ergonomics and risk reduction.
Compliance & Product Testing:
- Ensure products comply with ASTM, ANSI, AASHTO, DOT, utility, municipal, and customer specifications.
- Oversee product validation and certification testing.
- Maintain engineering change control and technical documentation.
- Manage relationships with third-party testing laboratories and certification agencies.
Leadership Responsibilities:
- Lead Engineering, Quality, and Safety teams.
- Recruit, mentor, and develop department managers and technical staff.
- Establish annual department objectives and budgets.
- Promote cross-functional collaboration between Engineering, Operations, Sales, and Supply Chain.
- Build a culture focused on accountability, innovation, quality, and employee safety.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Area KPI:
- Safety Zero lost-time incidents; continuous reduction in recordable incidents.
- Quality Customer complaints, warranty claims, first-pass yield, scrap rate.
- Compliance Successful regulatory and customer audits.
- Engineering On-time project completion; new product launches.
- Manufacturing Support Downtime reduction; process improvements implemented.
- Product Cost Annual cost reduction through value engineering.
- Innovation New product development milestones.
- Continuous Improvement Lean/Six Sigma projects completed.
- Customer Satisfaction Product quality and technical support metrics
Required Qualifications:
Education:
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related discipline.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred but not required.
- Master's degree is a plus.
Experience:
- 10+ years of engineering experience within manufacturing.
- 5+ years leading engineering teams.
- Experience with product development from concept through production.
- Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes including composites, polymers, fiberglass, precast concrete, plastics, or similar materials.
- Experience supporting manufacturing operations.
- Experience managing multiple engineering projects simultaneously.
Technical Skills:
- CAD software (SolidWorks or Inventor preferred).
- ERP/MRP systems.
- Product lifecycle management (PLM).
- Design for Manufacturing (DFM).
- Finite Element Analysis (FEA) preferred.
- Root Cause Analysis/
- Lean Manufacturing.
- Six Sigma principles.
- Project management software.
- Engineering documentation control
Core Competencies:
- Executive Leadership
- Product Engineering
- Manufacturing Engineering
- Quality Management Systems (QMS)
- OSHA & Environmental Health & Safety
- Lean Manufacturing
- Six Sigma / Continuous Improvement
- Regulatory Compliance
- Product Development
- Risk Management
- Strategic Planning
- Cross-functional Leadership
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to work in a manufacturing environment.
- Frequent walking throughout the facility.
- Ability to lift up to 40 pounds occasionally.
- Ability to stand for extended periods.
- Occasional travel to APC manufacturing facilities or customer locations.
Why Join APC:
American Polymer Company is a growing American manufacturer of innovative underground utility enclosure products serving the water, telecommunications, electrical, gas, irrigation, transportation, and
infrastructure markets. We are committed to delivering exceptional quality, innovative solutions, and outstanding customer service while investing in our employees, manufacturing capabilities, and the communities we serve.
Skills
Risk ManagementSolidWorksLean ManufacturingComplianceOSHACustomer ServiceERPProject ManagementStrategic PlanningSix Sigma
