Director – Platform Hardware Engineering

Job Description:

The Director – Platform Hardware Engineering is a leadership role responsible for defining and driving multi-platform hardware architecture, engineering strategy, and organizational capability across complex product portfolios. Reporting directly to Engineering Leadership (VP), the Platform Director leads and mentors a team of Platform Leaders and Engineers to ensure cohesive execution, technical leadership, platform modularity, high reliability, and operational excellence from concept through global deployment.

This leader operates at the intersection of long-term business strategy, hardware architecture, multi-generational product roadmaps, and cross-functional operational governance. The Platform Director owns portfolio-level Design-to-Cost goals, time-to-market performance, tactical & strategic capability partners' alignment, and the deployment of engineering standards across global engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities:

1) Strategic Platform Vision & Architecture

• Platform Architecture & Modularity: Define and drive multi-generational hardware platform architectures, establishing reusable building blocks, standard interfaces, and scalable options/variants across global project configurations.
• Technology Roadmap: Lead technology trade-off studies, integration of innovative technologies (e.g., advanced power conversion, thermal systems, auxiliary integration).

2) Technical Leadership & Talent Development

• Technical Leadership: Provide technical requirements direction to engineering leads and specialists across all workstreams and related disciplines.
• Engineering Competency Development: Support Engineering leads to establish technical competency frameworks, engineering best practices, design standards, training programs, and knowledge-sharing mechanisms.
• Culture of Engineering Excellence: Foster a culture of technical rigor, accountability, innovation, data-driven decision-making, continuous improvement, and ownership.
• Technical Community Leadership: Build strong collaboration across global engineering teams and establish mechanisms for sharing architecture, design standards, lessons learned, and reusable solutions.
• System and Component Requirements: Collaborate with the Systems Engineering to establish the System and Component Requirements in Jama.

3) Engineering Execution & Delivery

• Workstream Planning: Align with the P2D gates and define the Engineering milestones for each of the gates.
• Full-Lifecycle Ownership: Lead hardware engineering milestones across all release gates, from initial concept definition through prototyping, testing, validation, pilot builds, and full-scale manufacturing rollout.
• Technical Requirements: Establish hardware design specifications and acceptance criteria in alignment with international standards (IEC, UL, IEEE).
• Cross-Functional Engineering Alignment: Collaborate with multi-disciplinary technical teams including Product Management, Project Engineering, Program Management, Engineering (mechanical, electrical hardware, Battery, PCS, Grid modeling, thermal engineering, system engineering), lab testing operations, NPI, Sourcing, Advanced Procurement and firmware/software interfaces to deliver cost-effective designs with supreme quality adhering to the program timelines.
• Prototype Planning and Development: Coordinate prototype builds and engineering validation activities, ensuring hardware readiness for development milestones, stage-gate reviews, and certification testing.
• Progress Updates and Issue Management: Provide executive-level reporting on technical progress, project status, key risks, resource requirements, and strategic recommendations.

4) Design for Excellence (DFX) & Quality Assurance

• DFX Rulebook & Standards: Ensure the Engineering and NPI works together to embed Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Serviceability (DFS), Design for Quality (DFQ), and Design To Cost (DTC) rules early in the product design phase.
• Quality Leadership for the Products: Partner with Quality engineering to champion Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for component non-conformances, and robust qualification protocols.
• Standards & Compliance: Ensure design compliance to the grid codes, standards and market regulations as identified by the Compliance and certification teams.

5) Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Leadership

• Product Management & Commercial Synergy: Partner closely with Product Management and Sales Engineering to validate the hardware engineering requirements, establish design-to-cost targets, and support complex technical bids.
• Sustaining Hand-off Support
• Operations & Supply Chain Support: Work with Supply Chain, Procurement, and Contract Manufacturers during the proto-build, certification and System testing phases.
• Strategic Alignment: Ensure Engineering, Product Management, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Commercial organizations remain aligned with the platform strategy and product roadmap.
• Technical Documentation Planning
• Product Technical Support: Lead root-cause investigations and resolution of complex technical issues across design, testing, manufacturing, and field operations.

6) Product Life Cycle Management

• Partner with the electrical / mechanical Design, Product Definition & Engineering PLM teams to plan and execute phased releases, ensuring on-time design deliverables at each stage gate.
• Product Configuration Efficiency: Ensure that the design teams practice effective variant management, leveraging design 'options and variants' to optimize product configurations and maintain design flexibility.

Academic Qualifications & Key Requirements:

Education: Bachelor's or master's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, systems engineering, or a related hardware discipline.

Experience:

• 12+ years of progressive hardware engineering experience in complex electrical, mechanical, or power electronics systems.
• Demonstrated track record of conceptualizing, launching, and scaling successful multi-generational hardware platforms in global markets.

Our Culture:

At Fluence, our culture is the foundation that drives our ambitious growth strategy and fuels our mission to transform the future of energy. Our core cultural pillars empower us to innovate, collaborate, and lead with purpose, ensuring we continue to deliver unparalleled value to our customers and the world.

Unleash Voices: We believe every voice matters. We encourage openness, active listening, and decisive action to create a culture where everyone has the opportunity to contribute to our success. We foster an environment where diverse perspectives are heard and valued, driving innovation and progress.

Customer Fluent: Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We're committed to delivering exceptional value that exceeds expectations by understanding our customers' needs and adapting swiftly to meet them. Our deep focus on customer satisfaction drives us to continuously improve and innovate.

Infinite Impact: We are committed to creating the impossible. We push boundaries to deliver sustainable, game-changing solutions that shape a brighter, more energy-efficient future for all. Our team is passionate about making a lasting impact that will resonate for generations to come.

All In: We are all in for growth. Our teams are relentlessly focused on identifying and seizing opportunities that propel us forward. We embrace an ownership mindset, pushing ourselves and each other to accelerate progress and create lasting success.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

At Fluence, we believe great teams are built on a collaborative and connected culture. We're proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcome qualified applicants of all backgrounds. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other status protected by law.

Work Authorization:

To join our team, you'll need to be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application and throughout your employment, without the need for employer sponsorship. Please note that Fluence does not sponsor work visas for this position.