Director, Engineering

Join our Beauty and Wellness team at Helen of Troy and make an immediate impact on our trusted brands: OXO, Hydro Flask, Osprey, Honeywell, PUR, Braun, Vicks, Hot Tools, Drybar, Curlsmith, Revlon, and Olive & June. Together, we build innovative and useful products that elevate people's lives everywhere, every day.

Look around your home, and you'll find us everywhere, in your kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. We are already making your everyday lives better. We are powered by knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and forward-thinking people committed to developing a culture of inclusion. Whether you are just starting your career or in need of a challenge, we recognize, develop, and empower talent!

Position: Director, Engineering

Department: Engineering

Work Location: Marlborough, MA, Hybrid (work 3 days onsite)

Hybrid Schedule: At Helen of Troy, we embrace a flexible hybrid work model designed to support collaboration and productivity. For roles eligible for hybrid work, our standard schedule includes in-office collaboration from Tuesday through Thursday, with the option to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays. Any updates to this model will be communicated in advance. Please note that hybrid eligibility and schedules may vary based on business needs and manager expectations.

What you will be doing:

The Director, Engineering is a senior leadership role responsible for setting the strategic direction, capability, and performance of the Engineering function within Beauty Tools. This role leads and develops a team of Project Engineers (and potentially engineering leaders), ensuring consistent, high-quality execution across a portfolio of product development programs aligned to business objectives.

The Director serves as a key member of the cross-functional leadership team, partnering with Program Management, Quality, Innovation, and Advanced Technology to drive product roadmap delivery, strengthen organizational capability, and enable scalable, best-in-class engineering practices.

This role is accountable for engineering strategy, resource planning aligned to multi-year product roadmaps, and establishing technical excellence across the full product lifecycle. While not directly managing individual programs, the Director ensures engineering readiness, organizational alignment, and execution excellence across all initiatives.

Organizational Leadership & Talent Strategy

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing engineering organization, including Project Engineers and/or engineering managers

• Establish a strong leadership bench through succession planning, mentoring, and capability development

• Drive performance management, goal setting, and career development aligned with business needs

• Foster a culture of accountability, technical rigor, innovation, and continuous improvement

• Build and scale team capabilities to support future growth and evolving product complexity

Strategic Resource Planning & Portfolio Alignment

• Own engineering resource strategy and allocation across a portfolio of programs, aligned to product roadmaps and business priorities

• Anticipate future capability and capacity needs; proactively plan to address gaps

• Partner with cross-functional leaders to ensure alignment between engineering execution and portfolio priorities

• Optimize resource utilization while balancing speed, cost, and quality

Engineering Leadership & Technical Excellence

• Set the technical direction and standards for product design, materials, manufacturability, and validation strategies

• Provide guidance on complex engineering decisions, design trade-offs, and risk management across programs

• Ensure all engineering deliverables meet requirements for quality, safety, cost, schedule, and regulatory compliance

• Oversee resolution of complex technical challenges, including root cause analysis and corrective actions

• Elevate engineering quality and consistency across all product development efforts

Process Ownership & Continuous Improvement

• Own and evolve engineering processes, standards, tools, and best practices at a functional level

• Drive standardization, scalability, and efficiency across programs while enabling innovation

• Ensure consistent application of engineering methodologies across all teams and initiatives

• Partner with Quality, Regulatory, and Safety to ensure engineering processes meet all compliance requirements

• Lead transformation initiatives to improve speed, quality, and cost performance

Cross-Functional & Executive Collaboration

• Serve as the engineering leader and primary liaison to Program Management, Quality, Innovation, and Advanced Technology leadership

• Collaborate with senior leaders to align engineering capabilities with business strategy and product roadmaps

• Provide executive-level visibility into engineering performance, risks, and resource needs

• Support early-stage innovation by driving feasibility assessments and ensuring smooth transition into development

• Influence decision-making at the leadership level through data-driven insights and technical expertise

Operational Oversight

• Ensure engineering execution across programs is aligned with timelines, milestones, and business objectives

• Oversee planning, prioritization, and coordination of engineering workstreams across the portfolio

• Ensure all projects, initiatives, and processes comply with organizational policies and standards

• Drive accountability for delivery performance across the engineering team

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent engineering experience

• 15+ years of experience in consumer product development, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.

• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing engineering teams in a fast-paced, global environment.

• Strong understanding of product development processes, from concept through manufacturing, including design for manufacturability and regulatory compliance.

• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams, including marketing, industrial design, advanced technology, and supply chain.

• Demonstrated ability to drive innovation, assess new technologies, and lead technical problem-solving.

• Experience with hardware and software integration including embedded systems, firmware development, and connectivity solutions for IoT-enabled products. (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.)

• Strong business acumen, with an understanding of product cost structures, market dynamics, and customer expectations.

• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.

• Experience in beauty tools, consumer wellness products, or small appliance industry is a plus.

• Authorized to work in the United States on a full time basis.

In Massachusetts, the standard base pay range for this role is $150,000 - $190,000 annually. This base pay range is specific to Massachusetts and may not be applicable to other locations. Actual salaries will vary based on several factors, including but not limited to location, experience, skill level, and performance. The range listed is just one component of the total compensation package for employees.

Benefits: Salary + Bonus, Healthcare, Dental, Vision, Paid Holidays, Paid Parental Leave, 401(k) with company match, Basic Life Insurance, Short Term Disability (STD), Long Term Disability (LTD), Paid Time Off (PTO), Paid Charitable (volunteer) Leave, and Educational Assistance.

Wondering if you should apply? Helen of Troy welcomes people as diverse as our brands! Have the confidence to come as who you are because your point of view, skills, and experience will make us stronger. If you're eager to share new ideas and try new things, we want to hear from you.

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For more information about Helen of Troy, visit www.helenoftroy.com. You can also find us on LinkedIn, and Glassdoor.

Helen of Troy is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We are committed to developing a diverse workforce and cultivating an inclusive environment. We value diversity and believe that we are strengthened by the differences in our experiences, thoughts, cultures, and backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

We will provide individuals with disabilities with reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application process. If you would like to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources at ....

Founded in 1968, Helen of Troy is a prominent player in the global consumer products industry, offering diverse career opportunities across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. We boast a collection of renowned brands such as OXO, Hydro Flask, Osprey, Honeywell, PUR, Braun, Vicks, Hot Tools, Drybar, Curlsmith, Revlon, and Olive & June - many of which rank #1, #2, or #3 in their respective categories, making the Helen of Troy name synonymous with excellence and ingenuity.

At Helen of Troy, our strategy involves acquiring brands that we can integrate and enhance, amplifying their unique attributes to drive growth and profitability. Embracing a culture of collaboration internally and externally, we are committed to providing innovative solutions tailored to consumers, operational excellence, global scalability, and exceptional shared services to support our brand portfolio. This dedication to fostering development and success sets Helen of Troy apart as a pioneer in the industry, propelling our brands to unparalleled heights of success and recognition worldwide.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified. Management retains the right to add or to change duties of the position at any time.