Director, Engineering, Agriculture

VES-Artex was formed in early 2021 after the merger of VES and Artex Barn Solutions. VES-Artex is the premier global technology solutions provider for environmental systems in agricultural facilities.

Based in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, the home of the organization's new Global Headquarters and Innovation Center, VES-Artex also leverages operations throughout the US, Canada, Latin America and the rest of the world.

VES-Artex is focused on animal well-being as the foundation for agricultural success while strengthening its capabilities to impact agricultural operational performance through connected technologies. This research-driven approach brings veterinarians, designers, product experts and dairies together to innovate intelligent barn systems that optimize animal well-being and drive sustainability for farms worldwide.

The Job

We’re looking for someone who is passionate about developing people and products, and has remained a master of their technical craft. You will be leading engineers in design and in the lab to create and develop products that provide strategic ventilation.

You are a leader - you evaluate the competency and capacity of your team and compare it to what is required to meet our objectives. You then create and implement a strategy to close any gaps and look to create and implement strategies for continuous improvement. Your success is based on how your team promotes the delivery of programs. You exhibit servant leadership, growing nurturing, and providing support to each member in the team so that they can deliver on program goals and are enabled to reach their own aspirations.

You are respected and trusted for your technical views and understanding, naturally using a “first principles” approach, which invites questions and creates clarity. As the Director of Engineering, you will be responsible for leading the engineering departments priorities. The position will manage the department’s budget and approve changes to organization including personnel changes along with capital investments to support the development of new products and sustainment of existing products.

NOTE: This is NOT a remote position where qualified candidate will be required to work onsite at minimum 80% of the time in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

At this point, we hope you're feeling excited about the job description you’re reading. Even if you don't feel that you meet every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply. We're eager to meet people that believe in our mission and can contribute to our team in a variety of ways - not just candidates who check all the boxes. We want people to feel comfortable expressing their true selves and to come, stay, and do their best work here.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide vision and executions strategies for the technical team to support company directives.
• Coordinate the execution of quarterly and annual department performance goals
• Work with engineers and other personnel to implement operating procedures, resolve system failures, and provide in-depth technical feedback
• Lead research and evaluate mechanical principles and their application to the VES-Artex system
• Define and outline product requirements
• Support multi-function teams with technical requirements and standards
• Produce FEA and FFT reports for component validation
• Actively participate in engineering brainstorming sessions
• Provide professional feedback to sales and support for product specifics.
• Understand airflow effect of surface shapes and speeds
• Assign material application suggestions for products
• Up to 20% International and Domestic travel anticipated

The Requirements

• 10 or more years of professional engineering experience combined with cross functional diversified engineering skills (mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, manufacturing, industrial)
• Five or more years effective leadership experience, combined with experience implementing engineering best practices, with proven ability to establish KPIs and operate utilizing metrics
• Strong project management experience, working closely with functional departments to achieve defined goals and objectives
• Ability to drive organization within the department, with prior experience operating within a budget and proven ability to achieve desired ROI
• Strong sense of urgency and operational understanding of manufacturing principles and techniques
• Experience building a team, mentoring others and creating an overall strong cohesive team

Bonus Points

• Professional Engineer (PE) License or Certification
• Previous experience working on product control, network design and integration, and/or agricultural product design
• Previous experience working in agricultural industry

The Upside

• Competitive salary
• 75% company paid family health insurance (medical, dental, vision)
• Retirement contribution match 50%
• HSA & FSA
• Generous Paid-Time-Off policy
• Autonomy and flexibility to build green tech from the ground up
• Incredible growth potential - we are revolutionizing the dairy industry

VES-Artex is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity, or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Please note: Direct applications only. No unsolicited Staffing Recruitment Firm submissions will be accepted. Any unsolicited CVs received will be treated as the property of VES-Artex.

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