Director of Engineering - Industrial Systems & Product Platform Development at Pacific Search Firm - United, Pennsylvania

Pacific Search Firm has been retained by our client, a growing leader in the green industrial gas space, to find their first Director of Engineering — Industrial Systems it's owning the system architecture, requirements, and technical baseline that turn best-in-class components into one coherent, continuously-improving product. The company’s initial facilities provide the operating data; now the job is separating what should stay standard from what should evolve, and building the internal ownership to do that systematically as our client scales to dozens of sites. Key Responsibilities: Systems Engineering optimizes the whole system, not the parts. Product Mindset — builds repeatable platforms, not one-off projects. Technical Depth — deep expertise in one discipline, broadened into systems leadership. Builder’s Ownership — creates what doesn’t yet exist; takes initiative without waiting for structure. Player-Coach Leadership — moves between architecture and people leadership; leads through credibility, not hierarchy. Experience and Qualifications: 12-15+ years of progressive product design engineering experience, including meaningful time at a Director, Chief Engineer, or Principal Engineer level of technical ownership over complex industrial, process, or multidisciplinary physical systems (which could include: packaged equipment, or other multidisciplinary physical systems integrating technologies such as mechanical equipment, compression, thermal/refrigeration systems, process equipment, electrical systems, instrumentation, and industrial automation/controls.) 3+ years in a direct people-leadership role— hiring, developing, and managing engineers across multiple disciplines and technical staff, not just leading projects or coordinating contractors. Full ownership of the technical architecture of a physical product or industrial platform for a complex industrial product or platform — final technical authority over design requirements, design architecture, and design tradeoffs from concept through commercial deployment. Experience taking a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) product to a repeatable, multi-site platform — translating lessons from one working commercial unit into a standardized design and a playbook others can execute against. Experience building or scaling an engineering function — determining what to hire, contract, or outsource, and standing up the team, process, and technical governance from a low base. Direct experience leading through ambiguity at an early-stage or resource-constrained company, defining the technical roadmap without an established organization behind you. Experience leading contractors, suppliers, and engineering partners through technical credibility, including full accountability for their output. Comfort communicating technical strategy, risk, and tradeoffs to a COO, CEO, or board-level audience. Experience owning technical scope and budget for multi-million-dollar capital programs, including direct negotiation with equipment vendors and OEMs. A bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or hard physical sciences; advanced degrees valued but not required. Nice to haves: Controls and industrial automation engineering, including controls architecture, functional requirements, PLC/HMI systems, instrumentation, or commissioning. Experience selecting or implementing engineering infrastructure such as requirements-management, PLM/PDM, configuration-management, or document-control systems. Experience with modular industrial systems, packaged equipment, industrial gases, or refrigeration technologies. Position Details: Start: Q4 2026 Location: Remote within the United States, with some travel to company facilities, suppliers, engineering partners, and future project sites. Compensation: $180,000 - $250,000, full benefits, equity Reporting: Reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer (COO). Travel: Approximately 30% travel during the first 12–18 months.