VP of Engineering, Protection and Control Solutions

About the Role

Reporting to the President of Protection and Control Solutions (PCS), the Vice President of Engineering leads the PCS Engineering function, providing overall innovation leadership and strategic direction for the organization and its engineering community. The role focuses on talent development and advancing the company’s growth agenda. The VP directs, leads, and executes engineering priorities such as designing, piloting, developing, and continuously improving circuit protection and control offerings to meet customer needs and comply with regulatory requirements. These efforts span technologies including sensing, embedded electronics, protective algorithms, solid‑state devices, AC & DC arc interruption, and LV/MV systems. A key focus is creating a customer‑centric culture by actively learning customers’ applications, understanding the business value they generate, and enhancing the commercial positioning of PCS solutions and technologies. The leader will build a future‑looking, globally aligned organization, improving capability through tools, processes, staffing, and experience creation, while engaging external bodies to influence codes and policies such as NEC and industry associations like NEMA. The position is ultimately responsible for developing and implementing a circuit protection innovation strategy across the Americas and globally through the Global Product Lines (GPLs), driving new technologies across component and distribution businesses that together generate over $3.7 billion in revenue. The VP will establish and execute an engineering strategy that creates differentiation, intelligence, digitalization, and supports the energy transition, leveraging corporate innovation centers, government labs, universities, consultants, and venture‑backed entities. Innovation events are run in an agile manner to capture the voice of the customer, and a prioritized view of all PCS investments (the ‘Waterline’) is created to guide planning and resource allocation. Talent strategy is a core responsibility: the VP attracts, coaches, mentors, and develops strong leaders, building a robust pipeline for future growth. Transformation efforts aim to reduce time‑to‑market through simulation and iterative design, while leveraging codes and standards and engaging bodies such as UL, NEMA, and IEC to proactively address business objectives. The role oversees compliance management—including IP, design‑for‑environment, export, and UL/CE marking—by establishing review processes, metrics, and training to ensure legal and community standing. Collaboration with manufacturing, supply chain, customers, and suppliers ensures smooth introduction of new products, materials, and manufacturing technologies, and the VP partners with business leaders and product management in VOC/ideation while regularly reporting engineering alignment. • Lead PCS Engineering function, setting innovation direction and growth agenda. • Design, pilot, and continuously improve circuit protection and control products across LV, MV, AC & DC technologies. • Foster a customer‑centric culture by deepening understanding of applications and business value. • Build a globally aligned organization with effective tools, processes, staffing, and experience creation. • Influence codes and policies through engagement with regulatory agencies and industry associations. • Develop and execute a global circuit protection innovation strategy spanning Americas and GPLs. • Drive differentiation, digitalization, and energy‑transition solutions through engineering strategy. • Leverage corporate innovation centers, labs, universities, and venture‑backed entities for breakthrough technologies. • Prioritize investments (Waterline) and allocate resources to meet strategic objectives. • Attract, coach, and mentor engineering leaders, building a robust talent pipeline. • Implement project execution model with wall‑to‑wall management, lean reviews, metrics, and collaboration tools. • Reduce time‑to‑market using simulation, iterative design, and agile development practices. • Ensure compliance with IP, environmental, export, UL/CE, and relevant standards through processes and training. • Coordinate with manufacturing, supply chain, customers, and suppliers for seamless product launches. • Partner with business leaders and product management in VOC/ideation and report engineering alignment. • Apply a global mindset to align functions regionally and drive consistent innovation direction.

Key Responsibilities

• ▸circuit design
• ▸innovation strategy
• ▸agile development
• ▸compliance management
• ▸talent development
• ▸cross‑functional collaboration

What You Bring

Continuous improvement of engineering processes and tools is pursued, with firm usage of the internal ProLaunch system and an end‑to‑end project execution model that includes lean review routines, metrics, global staffing, and collaboration tools. A global mindset is required to ensure consistent deployment of primary functions across regions, enhance network effectiveness, and maintain a unified innovation direction within divisional and regional organizations. The candidate should have experience in large, complex global R&D organizations, a solid understanding of contemporary engineering practices, at least 15 years of engineering experience (power engineering background desirable), and a minimum of 7 years in direct management. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution is required, with a master’s preferred; expertise in electrical components/systems design, new product development, program management, power electronics, automation, and circuit protection is essential. Proven ability to build organizational capability and talent through recruiting, training, coaching, and structure optimization, combined with ethical, collaborative, and globally astute leadership, is expected. The role demands strong strategic thinking, result orientation, managerial courage, excellent written and verbal English communication, and up to 25 % travel (international and domestic). • Possess 15+ years of engineering experience (power engineering preferred) and 7+ years of management experience. • Hold a bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) and expertise in electrical components, power electronics, and circuit protection. • Demonstrate ethical leadership, collaborative orientation, strategic thinking, and strong communication skills. • Travel up to 25% internationally and domestically as required.

Requirements

• ▸power engineering
• ▸management
• ▸bachelor's
• ▸power electronics
• ▸prolaunch
• ▸strategic thinking

Work Environment

Remote