COE Head/Director

ROLE PURPOSE

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Director, COE will define, build, and execute the company's long-term technology and capability roadmap for precision tooling, mould design, and advanced manufacturing. This role exists to transform technical expertise into business value: enabling faster time-to-market, superior product reliability, and structural cost efficiency.

As the senior-most technical leader in the organization, the position will act as a bridge between engineering depth and commercial strategy. This position will build a world-class technical community, institutionalize innovation, and position the company as an industry leader in precision engineering and high-complexity molding.

Key technical skill required in Plastic Injection molding, Die casting, Machining and Tool fabrication

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (STRATEGIC PILLARS)

A. Technology & Innovation Strategy

• Define and own the 3–5-year technology roadmap for tooling, molding, and precision manufacturing.

• Identify, evaluate, and operationalize emerging technologies - including additive manufacturing, conformal cooling, advanced materials, and intelligent process control.

• Champion R&D initiatives that lead to differentiated manufacturing capabilities, including potential IP creation and proprietary processes.

B. Engineering & Program Governance

• Oversee the end-to-end engineering project portfolio, ensuring disciplined stage-gate execution, resource optimization, and risk mitigation.

• Drive on-time, on-budget, on-spec delivery of all mechanical design and tooling programs.

• Establish and enforce global design standards, simulation protocols, and validation methodologies.

• Personally govern high-risk, high-complexity programs with direct impact on business continuity or strategic customers.

C. Organizational Capability & Technical Leadership

• Develop technical competency frameworks, career pathways, and structured mentorship programs to attract, retain, and grow top-tier talent.

• Act as coach-in-chief to senior engineers and people managers - elevating both technical depth and leadership capability across the function.

• Foster a learning organization: systematically capture, codify, and leverage institutional knowledge from past projects and failures.

D. Operational Excellence & Quality Assurance

• Drive a zero-defect manufacturing culture through advanced metrology, statistical process control, and root-cause discipline.

• Lead the transformation of mould fabrication and validation processes toward world-class precision and repeatability.

• Partner with Operations and Quality leaders to institutionalize best practices and eliminate variability across the manufacturing value chain.

• Champion cycle time reduction without compromise to reliability or safety.

E. Commercial & Financial Stewardship

• Own the COE operating budget, capital expenditure planning, and investment justification.

• Develop business cases for new equipment, technology pilots, and strategic hires—linking technical investment directly to commercial return.

• Partner with Commercial and Program teams to align COE priorities with customer roadmaps and revenue targets.

• Track and report COE productivity gains, cost avoidance, and contribution to margin improvement to the CEO and Board as required.

F. Change & Cultural Leadership

• Lead the transformation of the tooling function from a reactive support unit to a proactive, innovation-led Centre of Excellence.

• Drive adoption of new technologies, methodologies, and mindsets across engineering, operations, and quality teams.

• Influence without authority: build consensus across functions and geographies to elevate manufacturing excellence as a company-wide priority.

Qualification and Experience & Skills:

• Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• MBA is preferable
• 10-15 years in the industry
• Capable to handle high profile customers
• Analytical skills to understand financials