Director of Research & Development at Compressor Controls in Des Moines, Iowa

Job Description:

CCC (Compressor Controls Corporation) is the leader in Turbomachinery Train Optimization Services for the upstream, midstream and downstream Oil & Gas industry.  CCC’s technology aids in optimizing plant efficiency through a comprehensive platform of hardware, software and consulting services. Our services are focused on improving process performance, increasing yield, saving energy, reducing downtime and enhancing plant safety & security. 

The R&D Director will play a crucial role in the organization, leading the direction for continued innovation to support our overall solutions. This leader will challenge the team to continually grow capabilities and move quickly in the market and build our technology to gain a strong competitive advantage.  The R&D Director must have proven ability to consistently meet and/or exceed goals, make commitments, set priorities, and deliver results on time and on budget. The R&D Director will report to the Chief Technology Officer with dotted line reporting to the VP of Marketing and Product Development.

The R&D Director will exhibit genuine interest in solving problems through proactive leadership, clearly communicating and collaborating both internally and externally to grow the business. In addition, the R&D Director is responsible for partnering with product management to understand our competition, customers. The R&D Director is showing initiative to learn and continuously improve company processes.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Listed in order of relevance:

• Leads R&D team to deliver new products, on time and budget and meeting the agreed product requirements.


• Manage the product lifecycle support with both enhancements and bug fixes. Ensure product defects are resolved timely and in a sustainable manner, while minimizing complexity, effort and lifecycle cost.


• Develop technical benchmarks against key competitors and identify emerging or advanced technologies to improve competitive position. Research and deploy new technologies in new and existing product lines. Manage technology obsolescence by planning migration to new technologies or End of Life/End of Support of concerned products in coordination with Product Management team.


• Work closely with Product Owners and Marketing to develop long-range product plans. Collaborates with executive leadership in the strategic planning process, owns and identifies investment requirements. Manage budget, resources and schedule.


• Design and implement changes in organization structures to support the product strategy. Create and implement resource plans to account for succession and new skills development. Manage, hire and externally contract (as necessary) development resources with responsibility for new product development/delivery.


• Drive the evolution of our product development process to optimize productivity, quality and agility. Co-owner of the New Product Introduction and Development Processes. Ensure adherence to established product development processes.


• Execute and monitor the product roadmap strategy supported by agreed technologies, methods and tools, as well as their proper application.


• Demonstrate the strategic vision for the team to motivate, lead and empower the team to achieve organizational goals.  Continuously engaging with the team and providing leadership to retain and develop top talent. Mentor and guide the professional and technical development of engineers on your team to continuously improve our capabilities.

• Build and foster a high-performance culture, where you provide your team with the tools and motivation to make things happen.


• Facilitate regular team stand-ups, resource planning, and code reviews.


• Follow all company safety policies and procedures.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s Degree in a technical area or equivalent required


• MBA or other higher-level business degree preferred or related experience and/or equivalent combination of education and experience


• 10+ years of related experience, with 5+ years’ experience managing an engineering team


• Proven success in leading a technical team to achieve on time delivery and quality goals


• Knowledge of Engineering or controls preferred


• Experience working in a global organization preferred

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Ability to collaborate with business stakeholders and translate marketing requirements into technology solutions


• Strong Business Acumen and experience with management of technology investments


• Knowledge and experience with project management and Scrum & Agile methodologies


• Control system engineering background or significant relevant experience


• Strong engineering leadership & ability to attract top talent, motivate people, instill accountability and get the best out of people.


• Ability to learn and adapt quickly in a dynamic environment. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.


• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.


• Ability to read, speak, and write in English required.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Limited travel may be required.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands to manipulate computer input devices, finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.  The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.  The employee must have sufficient mobility to enable travel to industrial sites, offices, and facilities. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Disclaimer  The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

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