Director of Engineering

Director of Engineering Job Description

The Director of Engineering leads and develops a multidisciplinary engineering organization spanning Mechanical, Electrical, and Software Engineering within a regulated life sciences environment. This role is accountable for people leadership, technical excellence, and execution across the full product lifecycle—from concept and design through verification, validation, and commercialization.

The ideal candidate is a hands‑on leader who leads through others, builds strong engineering managers and technical leads, and partners cross‑functionally with Quality, Product, Production, and Commercial teams to bring innovative products to market. This position will be an integral part of Bio Dot’s Senior Leadership Team.

• Lead, mentor, and develop engineering managers and senior technical contributors across mechanical, electrical, and software disciplines
• Build a high‑performance, inclusive engineering culture focused on accountability, continuous learning, and collaboration
• Own workforce planning, hiring strategy, succession planning, performance management, and career pathing
• Set clear expectations and empower teams to make sound technical decisions while maintaining alignment to business goals
• Provide strategic oversight of system architecture and design across hardware and software platforms
• Identify emerging trends, tools, and technologies, particularly in the AI space that can create competitive advantage
• Drive the design, development, and validation of new technologies, applications, and workflows
• Ensure disciplined execution of engineering projects, balancing scope, schedule, cost, and risk
• Guide trade‑off decisions and remove obstacles that impact delivery, quality, or scalability
• Support technical problem‑solving at the system level without micromanaging implementation details
• Champion intellectual property development and ensure effective knowledge transfer across teams
• Partner closely with Quality and Production teams to support design controls, risk management, design reviews, and audits
• Foster a culture where compliance and documentation are viewed as enablers of product quality and safety
• Serve as a key engineering partner to Product, Production, Supply Chain, Quality, Applications, and Service teams
• Support manufacturing readiness, scalability, and design for manufacturability
• Provide engineering input into product roadmaps, timelines, and investment decisions
• Translate company strategy into engineering priorities, roadmaps, and investment plans
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering processes, tools, and development methodologies
• Monitor engineering metrics and proactively address risks related to delivery, quality, or resource constraints
• Other duties as assigned

• Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred)
• 10+ years of progressive engineering experience, including 5+ years in people management roles
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary engineering teams in a regulated life sciences, medical device, diagnostics, or biotech environment
• Experience managing managers and senior technical leaders
• Strong understanding of translational research, product development, and customer applications in life sciences
• Strong understanding of laboratory workflows and customer needs across research, diagnostics, or biomanufacturing environments

• Experience overseeing systems that integrate hardware, embedded software, and application software
• Background in capital equipment, medical devices, laboratory instruments, or automation platforms
• Experience with microfluidic and low volume dispensing
• Proven ability to scale teams and processes in a growing organization
• Familiarity with global product development and manufacturing environments

The salary range for this role is $175,000-$200,000 and is eligible for a discretionary management bonus of 20% based on invidividual and company performance factors.

• Competitive compensation package
• Comprehensive benefits (including health, dental vision and employee assistance program)
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan Eligibility
• 401k with employer match
• Tuition reimbursement
• Wellness reimbursement
• Paid time off
• Annual paid volunteer day off
• Fully climate‑controlled environment
• Professional growth opportunities
• And more!

Nearest Major Market: Irvine California

Nearest Secondary Market: Los Angeles