Director of Engineering (Hardware & Photonics

Director of Engineering (Hardware & Photonics) Hybrid in Pasadena, CA

Our client is an innovative advanced technology company developing highly specialized hardware and photonics based solutions for demanding commercial and government aligned applications. They are seeking a strong engineering leader who can bring structure, urgency, and operational excellence to a multidisciplinary team working on sophisticated products that move from concept through delivery. This is an opportunity to step into a visible leadership role, help shape how engineering executes, and make a direct impact on product quality, team performance, and business growth.

• A high impact leadership position with broad influence across engineering execution, manufacturing support, and organizational development.
• The chance to lead a skilled cross functional team working on complex technologies in a fast moving, highly technical environment.
• A collaborative setting where leadership will have the autonomy to strengthen processes, improve prioritization, and build a more scalable engineering function.
• Meaningful exposure to custom programs, product delivery, and technical planning in a smaller company where results are highly visible.

• Lead a multidisciplinary engineering organization across hardware, optics, RF, mechanical, test, and related technical disciplines.
• Lead day‑to‑day engineering operations, balancing customer deliverables, product development initiatives, and manufacturing support.
• Partner closely with operations and manufacturing personnel to improve product flow, build quality, troubleshooting responsiveness, and handoff from development into repeatable production.
• Build a stronger management cadence across the engineering function, including prioritization, accountability, staffing alignment, and performance development.
• Hire, coach, and develop engineering talent, while creating a more effective structure for both emerging leaders and experienced individual contributors.
• Support proposal activity, technical planning, budgeting input, and resource forecasting for customer programs and product deliveries.
• Improve engineering processes related to design reviews, change control, risk management, documentation, and schedule visibility.
• Collaborate with executive leadership and cross functional stakeholders to increase execution consistency inside a smaller, technically sophisticated organization.

• Proven success leading multidisciplinary engineering teams in a product based technical environment.
• Experience balancing new product development with manufacturing or production support responsibilities.
• Strong project execution skills, including prioritization, staffing, resource planning, and organizational leadership.
• Track record of hiring, mentoring, and developing engineers.
• Background in aerospace, defense, photonics, RF, optics, precision instrumentation, or a comparable advanced technology setting.
• Ability to improve engineering processes and team effectiveness within a smaller company environment.

• Master’s degree in engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• A minimum of eight years of professional experience in an engineering environment is required.
• At least five years of experience leading engineering teams or technical functions is required.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Strong communication, organizational, and project management skills.
• Must be authorized to work in a position subject to U.S. export control regulations.

• PhD in a relevant engineering or physics discipline.
• Experience with photonics, RF, lasers, optics, or related precision technologies.
• Experience supporting custom-engineered solutions, proposal development, and specialized manufacturing environments is preferred.
• Experience thriving in a dynamic organization where adaptability and a collaborative leadership style are valued.