Director of Product Engineering

Head of Product Engineering (Automotive & Electrical Engineering Plastic Components) Objective of the role :

The primary objective of this role is to lead, develop, and strengthen the entire product engineering function for Automotive and Electrical Engineering Plastic Components by driving innovation, ensuring robust design and validation, and delivering technically sound, cost-effective, and manufacturable products that meet customer, regulatory, and quality requirements.

Roles & Responsibilities :

Product Development Leadership

Lead end-to-end product engineering for Automotive and Electrical Engineering Plastic Components —from concept design to prototyping, validation, and SOP.

Evaluate customer RFQs, define technical specifications, and ensure feasibility for automotive and electrical applications.

Drive New Product Introduction (NPI) ensuring cost, performance, safety, and timeline targets.

Design & Engineering Excellence

Oversee CAD design (2D / 3D), design reviews, tolerance stack-up, DFMEA, GD&T, and engineering documentation.

Ensure robust DFM / DFA practices and part manufacturability for injection moulding, compression moulding, and hybrid plastic systems.

Approve engineering drawings, BOMs, ECNs / ECOs, and design validation standards.

Engineering Plastics & Material Expertise

Select suitable engineering plastics for automotive and electrical applications (PA, PBT, PC-ABS, LCP, PPS, PEEK, FR-grade materials, etc.).

Ensure compliance with electrical insulation, thermal resistance, CTI, flame retardancy (UL94), and application-specific standards.

Collaborate with resin suppliers for material trials, substitution opportunities, and failure analysis

Tooling, Mould Development & Manufacturing Interface

Lead mould design reviews, injection flow analysis, cooling layout optimisation, and mould qualification for complex engineering plastics.

Work closely with tooling, Supplier Development, and Production teams to ensure smooth trial, debugging, and tool validation.

Ensure manufacturability, cycle time optimisation, and stable mass-production capability for high-precision plastic parts

Automotive & Electrical Compliance & Validation

Ensure products meet regulatory and customer requirements such as :

Automotive : IATF 16949, APQP, PPAP, IMDS, DV / PV, REACH, ELV

Electrical : UL, IP ratings, IEC standards, dielectric tests, glow wire tests

Lead product testing (environmental, thermal, mechanical, electrical safety, EMC where applicable).

Drive root cause analysis using 8D, 5-Why, DOE, Fishbone, and corrective action systems.

Program Management & Customer Interaction

Act as the technical Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for OEMs, Tier-1s, and electrical product customers.

Manage APQP gateways, project timelines, resource planning, and cross-functional coordination.

Lead technical meetings, customer reviews, and design validation discussions.

Innovation, Technology & VA / VE

Drive innovation in materials, design concepts, lightweighting, and cost optimisation.

Evaluate new technologies such as 2K / 3K moulding, insert moulding, metal-to-plastic conversion, high-temperature plastics, flame-retardant materials, and automated assembly solutions.

Lead VA / VE initiatives to reduce cost while improving performance and manufacturability.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

Lead and mentor teams across Design, CAE, Tooling, Testing, and Program Management.

Establish engineering best practices, standard work, and competency development frameworks.

Create a culture of engineering discipline, accountability, continuous improvement, and innovation.

Strategic & Business Alignment

Support Business Development teams in technical proposals, customer acquisition, design concepts, and feasibility studies.

Provide strategic input for capability expansion in Automotive and Electrical plastic components.

Align engineering initiatives with long-term organizational goals related to technology, capacity, and diversification.

Candidate Criteria :

Experience & Domain Expertise

15–20+ years of experience in Product Engineering / NPD / Design & Development of Automotive and / or Electrical Engineering Plastic Components .

Strong exposure to injection moulding , tooling / mould development , DFM / DFA , and engineering plastics.

Experience in print-to-build, build-to-print, or core engineering environments is acceptable, with strong engineering fundamentals.

Hands-on experience in transforming organizations across multiple product segments and driving portfolio expansion is highly preferred.

Prior experience with OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, or leading electrical component manufacturers preferred.

Technical Competencies

Thorough understanding of engineering plastics (PA, PBT, PC-ABS, LCP, PPS, FR-grade materials, etc.).

Strong capabilities in CAD (2D / 3D), DFMEA, GD&T, tolerance stack-up, DVP, CAE / FEA interpretation, and engineering documentation.

Familiarity with automotive standards (IATF 16949, APQP, PPAP, IMDS) and electrical component standards (UL, IEC, Glow Wire, CTI, IP ratings).

Ability to lead validation activities and advanced problem-solving (8D, 5-Why, DOE).

Leadership & Program Management

Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams (Design, CAE, Tooling, Testing, Program Management).

Strong project and stakeholder management skills with experience handling APQP, milestone reviews, and customer technical meetings.

Demonstrated ability to lead engineering change management, product launches, and cross-functional coordination.

Innovation & Value Engineering

Experience in VA / VE, cost optimisation, lightweighting, material substitution, and feature enhancement.

Exposure to advanced technologies like 2K / 3K moulding, insert moulding, high-temperature plastics, automated assembly, and metal-to-plastic conversion.

Educational Background

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Polymer, Automotive, or related engineering fields.

Additional certifications in CAD / CAE tools, plastics engineering, or project management are an advantage.

Behavioral & Leadership Traits

Strong leadership qualities with the ability to mentor and develop technical teams.

High ownership, decision-making capability, and a problem-solving mindset.

Strong communication, customer-facing capabilities, and stakeholder management.

Ability to work in a dynamic, multi-product, multi-segment environment.