VP Engineering & Innovation at Ultra Global Business Services in Austin, Texas

Job Description:

Ultra's Command Control and Intelligence (C2I) Operating Business Unit (OBU) is seeking a VP of Engineering and Innovation (E&I) to be responsible for the innovation, technology, and engineering strategic direction of the OBU and ensure that our C2I products, services, capabilities, and skills are leading edge and best in class. The VP of E&I will be responsible for maintaining and leading the technology vision, responsible for R&D direction, developing strategic technology partnerships and relationships and working with the SBU CTO and Engineering Director in ensuring best practice engineering and production processes.

The VP of E&I should have deep expertise and relevant examples of developing disruptive solutions, capabilities and technologies in one or more of the following areas:

• Command and Control Solutions: Real-time, network centric C2 and integrated intelligence capabilities for situational awareness and integration to battlespace network and data link network management


• Multi-domain Intelligence Systems: Multi-domain AI/ML processing and distribution for National and Tactical users to deliver information advantage across multiple security levels


• Communication and Airborne Pods: Flexible external pods for manned and unmanned aircraft delivering tactical data links, BLOS C2, communications bridging and ISTAR capabilities


• Specialized Datalinks: High bandwidth datalinks for delivery of full motion video and communications.

The VP of E&I role requires technology vision and thought leadership, with the ability to effectively engage with customers and industry, to further the C2I OBU's and Ultra's overall strategic intent and objectives. The VP of E&I shall provide the technical vision for the C2I OBU, leading the development of transformational capabilities and disruptive technologies and engineering best practices to prevent and create technological surprise for our business and customers ensure strategic growth of the OBU. The VP of E&I shall have extensive knowledge and experience in applying AL and ML algorithms and methods, such as reinforcement and deep learning, for C2I missions and capabilities. Additional responsibilities include leading the OBU in technology transfer and collaboration between the OBU and other parts of the SBU and Ultra. You will hold a significant leadership position within the OBU, exhibit role model and collaborative and inclusive behaviors, have a mindset of continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

• Joint Leadership Team responsibility for the OBU Strategic Objectives of Operational Excellence, Customer Focus, Employee Engagement, Technology Innovation, Transparency, Scalability, Profitability and Strategic Growth.


• Lead the development of the C2I OBU technology strategy, ensuring that we maintain an appropriate investment mix between near-, mid-, and long-term investments to support our near-, mid- and long-term growth strategies.
  
  
  • Partner with the SBU CTO to ensure the OBU technology and engineering vision and strategy aligns with and supports the SBU and Group strategies
  
  
  • Work with stakeholders to gather technology requirements and identify technology gaps
  
  
  • Own and champion OBU technology roadmaps to support key offerings
    
    
    • Evaluating and making recommendations on complementary businesses or technologies that we could access through partnership or acquisition
    
    
    • Identifying and defending against disruptive technologies
    
    
    • Identify opportunities for intellectual property development and production
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Joint Leadership Team responsibility for all KPI's with accountability for revenue from IRAD, IRAD milestones, budgeted IRAD spend achieved.


• Guide OBU IRAD program to align with technology vision and critical user needs
  
  
  • Inspire and drive innovation across the OBU
  
  
  • Facilitate the generation of quality OBU IRAD proposals
  
  
  • Partner with SBU senior technology and BD to shape IRAD portfolio
  
  
  
  


• Execute and deliver on OBU IRAD programs
  
  
  • Ensure all IRAD programs are resourced appropriately
  
  
  • Hire and supervise subject matter experts critical to the execution of the IRAD portfolio
  
  
  • Identify risks and mitigations as early as possible
  
  
  • Lead key IRAD programs within the OBU to ensure that we meet our performance requirements to time and cost
  
  
  
  


• Ensure that the OBU is positioned to deliver its strategy by
  
  
  • Ensuring we have the appropriate engineering resource, skills, processes, tools, and training across the OBU
    • Hire and supervise specialist subject matter experts critical to the execution of customer work
    
    
  
  
  • Reviewing the competitiveness of our key offerings and identifying technology / product gaps.
  
  
  
  


• Participate in initiatives across the SBU to support collaboration through:
  
  
  • SBU Technology and Innovation Conferences
  
  
  • Knowledge, resource, and technology sharing
  
  
  • Support major bid and proposal activities, including:
    
    
    • Gate Reviews
    
    
    • Technology related risk assessments
    
    
    • Partnering recommendations
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Provide engineering best practice - full lifecycle optimization and transformation of business processes, continuous improvement of Business Management system, keep ahead of rapidly changing markets, industry disrupters, new business models and the competition.


• Drive industry leading engineering practices in technology, produce development assembly and test,


• Accountability for the process and procedures and tool employed by the team in executing the work assigned to them to ensure quality, safety delivery and performance are in line with customer requirements.


• Oversee and sign off all aspects of design to ensure fitness for purpose, anticipate identify and resolve technical issues that pose a risk to safety, quality schedule or performance.


• In collaboration with stakeholders, develop and deploy engineering processes, tools, and best practices across the OBU


• Develop and deploy and effective and successful technology strategy through development, leadership and execution of technology aligned with OBU strategy and goals.


• Oversee intellectual property strategies that protect the company's proprietary design, processes, and invention.


• Produce development roadmaps that align with the strategy.


• Develop relationships at senior levels with key customers, partners, and universities through innovation ad partnering.


• Develop and deploy and effective workforce plan including skills and capabilities that support the strategy in the short term and longer term.


• Represent the OBU at technical conferences and select tradeshows


• Provide mentoring, guidance, and performance assessment of technology leadership in the OBU, reskills and upskill where required to address short term and longer-term capacity and capability gaps. Own these plans to ensure gaps are addressed.

Required Skills:

• BS degree in STEM or closely related field or relevant capability and experience


• 10+ years of experience leading a diverse set of Engineering, Technology, and Innovation teams in one or more of the following areas: Command and Control Solutions, Multi-domain Intelligence Systems, Communication Pods, and Military Datalinks Ability to travel domestically and internationally


• Ability to obtain a US Government security clearance. Security clearances are granted to U.S. citizens.

Desired Skills:

• Experience and technical depth one or more of the following areas: Command and Control Solutions, Multi-domain Intelligence Systems, Communication Pods, and Military Datalinks


• Ph.D. or master's degree in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, or Statistics or related STEM field


• Active Top Secret US Security Clearance


• Understanding of compliance to standards and regulations as required in and/or by contract including ISO 9001, DAOS, MAA Regulatory Articles Def-Stans, Mil- Standards.


• A strong leader with the ability to create a culture of innovation through his/her team.


• A customer-centric individual with previous experience in being responsive to customer demands through 'best in class' technical expertise and strategic oversight.


• Extensive experience in software development.


• BS degree in STEM or closely related field or relevant capability and experience


• Strong engineering/systems engineering background.


• Experience in leading multi-disciplined engineering teams (Systems Engineering, Firmware, Software).


• Track record of making successful technology investments and delivering sustainable returns.


• Experience tracking and understanding latest technology trends and emerging technologies


• Experienced in utilizing business fundamentals and financial metrics to assist in decision making and executing market driven decisions quickly with follow-up on action items.


• Strong written and verbal skills with the ability to translate thoughts and concepts in easy-to-understand graphics.


• Experience managing and running large meetings and experience in interfacing with Senior Leadership teams.


• Experience in translating strategy into actionable projects with demonstrated ability to make decisions quickly and follow through with actions.


• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability leading collaborative groups with ability to provide clear, concise, and candid feedback.


• Willing to achieve and maintain the required security clearance for the role

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Mindset - able to anticipate future trends and implications accurately. Readily puts forward future scenarios. Articulates a credible picture and vision of possibilities that create sustainable value. Creates competitive and breakthrough strategies that show a clear connection between vision and action


• Customer Focus - gains insight into customer needs. Identifies opportunities that benefit the customer. Builds and delivers solutions that meet customer expectations. Establishes and maintains effective customer relationships.


• Decision Quality - makes sound decisions, even in the absence of complete information. Relies on a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement when making decisions. Considers all relevant factors and uses appropriate decision-making criteria and principles. Recognizes when a quick 80% solution will suffice.


• Cultivates Innovation - comes up with useful ideas that are new, better, or unique. Introduces new ways of looking at problems. Can take a creative idea and put it into practice. Encourages diverse thinking to promote and nurture innovation.


• Drives Results - has a strong bottom-line orientation. Persists in accomplishing objectives despite obstacles and setbacks. Has a track record or exceeding goals successfully. Pushes self and helps others achieve results.


• Ensures Accountability - follows through on commitments and makes sure that others do the same. Acts with a clear sense of ownership. Takes personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures. Establishes clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results. Designs feedback loops into work.


• Collaborates - works cooperatively with others across the organization to achieve shared objectives. Represents own interests while being fair to others and their areas. Partners with others to get work done. Credits others for their contributions and accomplishments. Gains trust and support of others.


• Develops Talent - places a high priority on developing others. Develops others through coaching, feedback, exposure and stretch assignments. Aligns employee career development goals with organizational objectives. Encourages people to accept developmental moves.


• Drives Vision and Purpose - talks about future possibilities in a positive way. Creates milestones and symbols to rally support behind the vision. Articulates the vision in a way everyone can relate to. Creates organization wide energy and optimism for the future. Shows personal commitment to the vision.


• Builds Effective Teams - forms teams with appropriate and diverse mix of styles, perspectives, and experience. Establishes common objectives and a shared mindset. Creates a feeling of belonging and strong team morale. Shares wins and reward team efforts. Fosters open dialogue and collaboration among the team.


• Manages Ambiguity - deals comfortably with the uncertainty of change. Effectively handles risk. Can decide and act without the total picture. Is calm and productive, even when things are up in the air. Deals constructively with problems that do not have clear solutions or outcomes.


• Instills Trust - follows through on commitments. Is seen as direct and truthful. Keeps confidences. Practices what he/she preaches. Shows consistency between words and actions.

Values:

• Agile - Creates a nimble and agile organization where decision making is made at the right level. Empowers others to act. Establishes clear decision rights at the right place in the organization. Assumes positive intent. Discusses, decides, then supports decisions.


• Sharing - believes that through teamwork and collaboration, when applied to a common vision, we can achieve great things. Proactively seeks opportunities to work across our businesses and with our partners. Share's information and engages with others. Trust's others to play their part. Recognizes the power of One Ultra.


• Performing - believes we are responsible in meeting and exceeding our commitments by taking ownership with determination and passion. Performs in an ethical and safe way. Has the passion to commit and the passion to live up to commitments. Goes the extra mile. Works openly to solve problems. Balances long and short-term impacts of decisions.


• Innovating - believes in creating value in everything we do and to leave a legacy to be proud of. Embraces change and seeks to create solutions via constructive challenge. Encourages and value innovation, seeking inspiration from outside. Works across the Group to identify creative outcomes. Challenges the way things have been done previously. Values and learns from failure and being open to possibilities.


• Rewarding- strives to love what we do and actively celebrates our successes and learns from our failures. Nurture's individuals and teams so they can develop and succeed. Recognizes and communicates achievements. Appreciates the whole person.


• Empowering - trusts and empowers our people and our partners. Hold's self and others to the highest standards of integrity and ethics. Empowers, respects, trusts, and supports individuals. Shares ownership. Creates openness within a safe environment. Gives confidence and freedom to act.

Ultra specialises in providing application-engineered bespoke solutions. We focus on our customers' mission critical and intelligent systems in defence, security, critical detection & control markets. Our capabilities and technologies can be found on many of the world's long-term military programmes. We employ over 4,500 employees across the globe and are listed on the London Stock Exchange. Ultra operates mainly as a Tier 3 (sub-system) and occasionally a Tier 2 systems provider, in the Maritime, C3 (Communications, Command and Control) and Cyber, military and commercial aerospace, nuclear and industrial sensors markets. We use both research and development , to provide innovative, mission specific bespoke technological solutions to our customer's most complex problems. Learn more by visiting our website; https://www.ultra.group/

We offer medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, health savings accounts, paid time off, and a 401(k) plan with a Company match.

This contractor and subcontractor shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all indibiduals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and for inquiring about, discussing or disclosing compensation. Moreover, these regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

Reasonable accommodation statement: if you need an accommodation for any part of the application process, please email careers@ultra-us-gbs.com