Head of Product Development

Key Responsibilities:

Providing leadership and direction for the Product Development Team to achieve effective and efficient development of seating products in line with the Product Roadmap and customer program commitments
Driving industry-leading best practice, technical standards, and methods within the Product Development Team to optimise the development process and deliver competitive benefits
Collaborating and negotiating with the Principal Engineering Project Lead to achieve program targets such as weight, cost, quality, schedule, budget, feature compliance, and regulatory compliance
Supporting the Principal Engineers in finding solutions to resource conflicts to support multiple programs
Resource planning and tracking to enable efficient and effective use of the functional resource group to deliver all programs
Developing and delivering the Product Roadmap that achieves business goals, in conjunction with the Commercial team
Developing and implementing performance and development goals and objectives for the department aligned to business objectives
Providing input into the business planning budget cycle within the area of accountability for engineering, including third-party spend and team sizing
Supporting the Sales Team and bid process by providing technical steer and an assessment of risk, engineering cost, and timing for the introduction of new products or features
Acting as a change catalyst within the business, driving functional and business excellence for Engineering, and implementing process improvement initiatives

Job Requirements:

Strong Mechanical Engineering related degree
Significant track record of engineering achievement associated with the technical development of safe and reliable technical products
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to challenge and influence at a senior management level
Strong negotiating and decision-making skills
Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple, complex projects and associated resources
A flexible mindset, with the ability to respond positively and creatively to changing priorities
Ability to operate under pressure and tight deadlines
Focus on results, driving actions to reach challenging goals, and proactively overcoming obstacles
Resilient, with a positive approach to achieving results
Willingness to engage in occasional UK and worldwide travel, or to support extended working hours when necessary

If you are an experienced Head of Product Development looking for a new opportunity to further develop your career in the aerospace sector, we would love to hear from you. Apply now to join our client's dynamic and talented team