Product Development & Engineering Director

Status: Closed

Client: Sealine International Ltd

Job Title: Product Development & Engineering Director

Reports To: Managing Director, Sealine International Ltd

Job Location: Kidderminster, West Midlands, UK

Remuneration: £100k package (relocation assistance available)

Company Profile: Sealine is currently one of Europe's largest luxury boat builders with over 400 emplyees and annual revenues of c. £40 million.  Founded in 1972, the company is one fo the few boat builders who run an entirely in-house operation.  Their model range spans 35 to 60 feet, from sports boats and Flybridge cruisers through to luxury motor yachts in the price range of £200,000 to £1 million.

Over the past three decades, Sealine has been recognised for its many unique innovations which have revolutionised boating industry standards.  in January 2011 the Sealine F42, (launched September 2010) won Best Flybridge Motor Boat under 55 feet from the IPC Motor Boat of the Year Awards.  Sealine recently announced the forthcoming launch of the SC42 and C48 at the Southampton Boat Show 2011, part of its strategy of creating eight new boats in three years.

Sealine HQ is Kidderminster, West Midlands (30 minutes drive from Birmingham).  It has representation across the globe, with international sales and dealer networks comprising over 40 dealers and it is continually seeking to expand into new areas.

The Role: The immediate challenges for the Product Development and Engineering Director will be to oversee the design and development of eight new models over the next three years.  This will require the successful candidate to have exceptional creative, inter-personal, project management and conceptual skills.

Purpose: The Product Development and Engineering Director leads the PD&E function to design, develop and engineer new product to facilitate the manufacture and sale of Sealine products across the globe, which deliver the sales revenue and profitable growth objectives of the Company.

Accountabilities:

  • Company Direction (PD&E)
  • Strategy & Planning
  • Business Development & Sales
  • Manufacturing Collaboration
  • Networking
  • Team Leadership

Candidate Profile:

Job Skills:

  • Qualified Engineer with a proven track record in successfully developing a luxury, high value product to market.
  • A strong planner and developer of supporting action plans. The candidate must have excellent execution abilities, which implies sufficient monitoring / controlling / adjusting structure to ensure programmes are on target.
  • Establishing a culture of delivering on our commitments; finding offsets for the shortfalls; looking ahead and taking action to head off issues before they become problems.
  • Strong financial acumen, with focus on gross margin; natural relationship builder and influential negotiator.

Experience:

  • A broad design / engineering background within manufacturing businesses (small to medium volume), involving technical product design aspect or within the luxury / premium branded sector. 
  • International experience preferred.
  • A genuine interest in and understanding of boats is advantageous.

Leadership:

  • Ability to lead a team; gauge individual team's abilities, identify development needs and develop people. 
  • Recognising, rewarding, motivating high performance and driving a continuous improvement culture; leading by example.

Behavioural Competencies:

  • Strategic Perspective
  • Leadership
  • Decisiveness
  • Drives Execution
  • Global Perspective
  • Values Diversity
  • Effective Communication
  • Facilitates Change
  • Leads through Values based Vision

Additional:

Sufficiently flexible to spend time away from home for national and / or international business travel on an ad hoc basis.

Valid driving licence essential.

Post holder must live within reasonable commute of the Sealine HQ in Kidderminster.

 

To apply for this role please email your CV with details of your present remuneration package to Elaine Rippon on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Elaine on 01565 654538 to discuss this exciting opportunity in more detail.