VP of Engineering, E&A

About Us:

Afinitas, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a global leader in equipment, forming systems, and essential accessory products that support transportation, water, and utility precast concrete infrastructure worldwide. We provide industry-leading production equipment; highly engineered formwork; and a broad portfolio of precast concrete, electrical, and construction accessories, along with structural products and systems designed for bridge, highway, and heavy construction applications.

Afinitas is part of BW Forsyth Partners, LLC, the investment group of global manufacturing and engineering consulting firm Barry-Wehmiller, a $3 billion organization with nearly 12,000 team members, united by a common belief: to use the power of business to build a better world.

The Vice President, Global Engineering will be responsible for building a globally aligned engineering team across all Equipment & Automation (E&A) division sites. This leader will analyze the current state of engineering and lead a change management effort to drive standard global design philosophy, tools, methods, and metrics to enable consistency and quality of designs for the global manufacture of E&A products.

This leader will lead the Engineering function for the division; both for the sold-work engineering cycle from customer product requirements through final production; and for the product development cycle from new product conception through production. The role will define and implement a global engineering team structure in a way that creates technical career paths while leveraging competencies across all levels of the engineering organization.

Assess the current state of Mechanical and Controls engineering within E&A’s multisite network and plan, develop, organize, implement, and execute a holistic framework, systems and structure for the engineering team Lead, motivate, and develop the functional team (whether direct or indirect reporting) on an ongoing basis, and provide direct feedback and coaching to ensure a culture where team members feel cared for and perform with excellence Define optimal engineering organization structure to support growth and career development, while promoting global flexibility of the group Spearhead the development, communication, and implementation of global engineering standards for software used, design principles, drafting standards, BOM structure, part numbering, use of standard parts, HMI design, programming languages, etc.

Instill a generational product development approach to balance product line improvement and innovation with standardization and consistent manufacturability Manage team members in project planning and priority setting to ensure operational objectives are obtained Work in partnership with the VP, Global Operations and VP, Global Service & Aftermarket to ensure Engineering organizational structure and resources are aligned and supported to drive division-wide project management and E&A operation needs.

Submit thoughtful investment analysis (aligned with step-change) for any required technology or tools that expedite the engineering department’s progress Create and drive tools and metrics that inform and improve performance, including analysis around shared capacity, reduced engineering content, and efficient team utilization Drive an environment of continuous improvement and provide organizational support and structure to lead sustainable changes within the engineering function Engage with multi-functional partners and business leaders, including those in operations, supply chain, service, sales, marketing, and the executive leadership team Provide leadership and management…