Vice President Engineering Operations

Our client is seeking a visionary and execution-oriented Vice President of Engineering Operations to lead our growing Engineering presence in India. This role will serve as the regional leader for all Hardware and Systems Engineering activities in India and have direct leadership of core engineering operations functions including CAD Design, BOM Management, and Technical Documentation.

This is a critical leadership role responsible for shaping engineering operations, scaling high-performing teams, and ensuring effective collaboration across global functions. The successful candidate will be an inspiring people leader, a strong operational thinker, and a strategic partner to our global engineering organization.

About the Role

Responsibilities

• Act as a senior engineering operations leader in India, representing the global Hardware and Systems Engineering organization in the region.
• Provide dotted-line leadership for all engineering staff in India across mechanical, electrical, power and system domains.
• Ensure high alignment between India-based engineers, and their global functional leaders.
• Foster a strong local engineering culture centered on quality, accountability, innovation, and speed.
• Drive operational rigor and continuous improvement in engineering documentation, drawing standards, and release processes.
• Hire, mentor, and grow top engineering talent in India.
• Establish clear roles, goals, and career paths within the Engineering Operations team.
• Create a cohesive and collaborative team environment across India and global sites.
• Collaborate with global teams to implement and maintain world-class tools for CAD, PLM, BOM, and document management.
• Champion design governance, configuration control, and change management best practices.
• Use metrics and KPIs to drive operational performance and accountability.
• Partner with Product, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and product development teams to align priorities and deliver high-quality, production-ready designs.
• Ensure seamless integration of India-based teams into global product development workflows.

Directly lead the following India-based functions:

• CAD Designers & Engineers

  : Own design creation and control of 2D drawings, 3D models, and manufacturing documentation.

• Bill of Materials (BOM) Management Team

  : Ensure structured, accurate, and scalable BOMs across product lines.

• Technical Documentation Team

  : Oversee creation and control of engineering documentation and change processes across product lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, or related).
• 10+ years of experience working in global companies, having at least one international assignment outside of India.
• 15+ years of experience in hardware product development or engineering operations in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience managing engineering teams in India for a multinational company, with proven ability to work in a matrixed functional environment.
• Strong understanding of PLM systems, configuration management, and design release processes.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-cultural collaboration skills.

Preferred Skills

• Industry background in Electrical systems/products, Power Systems, Automotive, or Aerospace.
• Experience scaling engineering teams in fast-paced product development environments.
• Familiarity with Agile or Modified Agile principles.