VP of Engineering

Eleven Recruiting is searching for a VP of Engineering to join one of our largest aerospace manufacturing clients sitting onsite in Rockford, IL.The ideal candidate will provide strategic and technical leadership across systems, electrical, mechanical, firmware, software, and test engineering. This executive will drive innovation, operational excellence, and successful product execution from concept through production, with a focus on complex, high-reliability products.ResponsibilitiesLead all engineering disciplines and establish strategic direction across product lines.Develop engineering roadmaps aligned with company strategy, customer requirements, and emerging technologies.Drive innovation in linear and rotary electromechanical actuation and ball screw technology.Oversee the full product lifecycle, including architecture, design, analysis, prototyping, verification, qualification, and transition to manufacturing.Establish engineering standards, best practices, documentation processes, and quality systems.Partner with Product Management, Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Executive Leadership.Ensure engineering programs meet performance, quality, schedule, cost, and compliance objectives.Build, mentor, and develop high-performing engineering teams and leaders.Manage engineering budgets, resources, staffing plans, and organizational structure.Provide senior technical leadership for customer engagements, proposals, technical reviews, and program strategy.Promote accountability, continuous improvement, innovation, and technical excellence.QualificationsBachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.15+ years of engineering experience, including 7+ years in senior engineering leadership.Proven success leading multidisciplinary engineering teams developing complex hardware and software systems.Experience developing high-reliability aerospace, defense, medical, or other regulated products from concept through production.Strong knowledge of systems engineering, requirements decomposition, verification/validation, configuration management, and product development processes.Experience with electromechanical actuation, flight controls, autopilots, flight control computers, or ball screw technology is highly desirable.Knowledge of Agile/Jira, model-based design, digital engineering, embedded software, mixed-signal hardware, mechanical design, and system-level integration.Experience with manufacturing engineering, DFM/DFA, reliability engineering, or environmental qualification is a plus.Experience scaling engineering organizations and implementing modern development processes.Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, negotiation, and organizational skills.Experience with ERP/MRP systems and advanced Microsoft Excel.Ability to effectively manage supplier relationships and cross-functional projects.Salary: $200,000 – $240,000Your safety matters to us. To protect yourself from potential scams, remember that Eleven recruiters only contact you from @elevenrecruiting.com email addresses. Be cautious of emails from other domains. Legitimate Eleven recruiters will never ask for money, fees, or banking information before your first day. If you're ever unsure about a communication, don't click any links—visit https://jobs.elevenrecruiting.com/directly for confirmed position openings