Engineering Process Director

At Polaris Inc., we have fun doing what we love by driving change and innovation. We empower employees to take on challenging assignments and roles with an elevated level of responsibility in our agile working environment. Our people make us who we are, and we create incredible products and experiences that empower us to THINK OUTSIDE.

Position Overview:

You will serve as an enterprise Business Process Owner (BPO) for Product Development and Engineering at Polaris, leading the vision, strategy, governance, and execution of core PLM processes across a multi-brand portfolio. In this role, you will own end-to-end product development process architecture, including: product definition, configuration management, and change control / release management. You will work cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Digital teams to ensure scalable, standardized, and high-quality processes that drive business performance.

You will also lead and develop a team focused on delivering enterprise process excellence and continuous improvement.

This role offers the opportunity to directly influence enterprise-wide product development effectiveness, quality, and speed through impactful process ownership.

Key Responsibilities:

* Own and evolve the enterprise-wide Product Development and Engineering process vision aligned to business strategy and Lean Product and Process Development principles

* Lead end-to-end process architecture across product definition, configuration management, and change control and release management

* Define, govern, and maintain standardized processes, operating cadences, and integration points across engineering disciplines and lifecycle phases

* Establish and lead process governance mechanisms, including change control, deviation management, and continuous improvement cycles

* Define and govern product definition standards, including part, BOM, and document management within PLM systems

* Drive enterprise configuration management practices ensuring consistency, reuse, and accurate product structures across platforms and programs

* Own change control and release management processes, including ECR, ECO, and ECN governance, approvals, and traceability

* Ensure alignment and integration between PLM (PTC Windchill) and ERP systems (SAP) to support accurate data, releases, and downstream execution

* Define and monitor process performance metrics that drive development speed, product quality, and knowledge reuse

* Lead continuous improvement initiatives, including experimentation, benchmarking, and deployment of AI and automation opportunities

* Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure successful adoption, alignment, and sustainment of processes

* Develop, coach, and lead a team while building organizational capability in systems thinking and structured problem solving

Desired

Competencies:

* Enterprise thinker with strong value-stream orientation

* Influential, credible, and respected across engineering and operations

* Disciplined, systems-oriented, and learning-driven

Qualifications:

* Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical field; advanced degree strongly preferred

* Minimum of 10 years of experience in product development and PLM process leadership within complex, multi-product organizations

* Proven experience in product definition (parts, CAD driven, integrated BOMs including downstream variations, documents), configuration management, and change control /release management

* Demonstrated success as an Engineering Process Owner or equivalent role governing enterprise-scale processes

* Deep working knowledge of Lean Product and Process Development (LPPD) and business process design principles

* Strong experience with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems, including hands-on use of PTC Windchill and integration with SAP ERP

* Proven ability to lead through influence, governance, and expertise rather than direct authority

* Experience identifying, leading, and implementing process improvements, including AI-enabled solutions

* This position is not eligible for sponsorship

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The starting pay range for Minnesota is $152,500 to $200,200 per year.…