Director, Product Development Engineering (CNC Machining)
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Devens, MA
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 10+ years
- Category
- Manufacturing
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 10+ years of progressive engineering and technical leadership experience in advanced subtractive manufacturing, with a proven track record of building and managing high-performing engineering teams in
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Aerospace, or Systems Engineering; Master’s degree is preferred.
- Demonstrated executive presence with a track record of driving cross-functional alignment across R&D, Operations, Quality, and Commercial teams while serving as a trusted technical partner to C-suite
- Deep mastery of precision subtractive manufacturing fundamentals, including advanced multi-axis CNC machining, fixture design, tool path optimization, metallurgy, complex GD&T (ASME Y14.5), inspection
- Proven experience leading phase-gated medical device product development, through design transfer, process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), and formal handover to Operations for full-rate serial production, und
- Strong expertise in manufacturing workflow optimization (lean, value stream mapping, cycle-time and setup reduction) and integrated manufacturing workflows, including hybrid manufacturing (additive-to
- Practical, hands-on manufacturing skills, including medical device cleaning and cleaning validation, cleanroom packaging and sterile barrier systems, and QC inspection (receiving, in-process, and fina
Nice to have
- Prior experience building or scaling product development or application engineering departments within high-growth medical device or advanced manufacturing technology companies.
- Experience processing 3D-printed metal substrates (e.g., LPBF parts), including datum establishment on as-built geometry, support removal, stock allowance management, and machining of near-net-shape f
- Experience with enterprise-level CAD/CAM software, machining simulation tools, and digital manufacturing suites (e.g., Siemens NX CAM, Mastercam, Esprit, Vericut).
- Hands-on familiarity with medical-grade materials (Titanium Ti-6Al-4V ELI, CoCr, Stainless Steel 316L/17-4PH, PEEK) and associated cutting tool physics/coolant delivery methodologies.
- Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or Six Sigma Black Belt credentials.
Full description
Job Purpose
As the Director, Product Development Engineering (CNC Machining) at VulcanForms, you will serve as the strategic technical executive responsible for leading, scaling, and unifying our medical device product development engineering organization for precision subtractive manufacturing. In this high-visibility role, you will architect the overarching engineering strategy for multi-axis CNC machining platforms (5-axis milling, Swiss turning, EDM), advanced CAM workflows, fixture design, and post-processing integration specifically tailored for high-consequence medical device applications. Products in this portfolio are manufactured through laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), with CNC machining performed on 3D-printed, near-net-shape substrates to achieve final geometry, tolerances, and surface finish. You will own the phase-gated pathway from medical device design input through process validation and a formal handover to Operations for full-rate serial production—translating customer requirements into scalable engineering frameworks that set industry standards for dimensional accuracy, surface finish, system reliability, and yield across our commercial medical programs. You will manage and grow a multidisciplinary team of senior, principal, and product development engineers while acting as a key technical authority across hardware, software, tooling, quality, and operations. By establishing rigorous engineering governance, driving Design for Manufacturability (DFM) methodologies, building robust inspection strategies, optimizing manufacturing workflows, and expanding customer technical partnerships, you will ensure VulcanForms delivers production-ready, implantable, and surgical-grade components for our most strategic medical device customers.
Key Responsibilities
- Executive Engineering Leadership & Strategy: Define and execute the long-term roadmap for medical device product development engineering for subtractive (CNC) manufacturing, from customer design input through production release; establish organizational KPIs, engineering governance, and resource loading models to support rapid company scaling.
- Phase-Gated Development & Transfer to Operations: Govern the end-to-end framework for transitioning complex multi-axis CNC machining processes, fixture architectures, and digital CAM workflows through a phase-gated development process (feasibility, process development, verification and validation via IQ/OQ/PQ, and pilot production) into high-volume serial production; define gate entry/exit criteria and lead a formal handover to Operations covering released process documentation, control plans, trained operators, and demonstrated process capability (Cpk), with defined post-transfer sustaining support.
- Team Building & Talent Development: Build, mentor, and retain a world-class team of product development engineers, CAM programmers, tooling specialists, and technical leads; cultivate a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.