Vice President of Engineering in Rockford, Illinois at Kaney Aerospace LLC

This VP of Engineering will oversee all engineering functions, including systems, electrical, mechanical, firmware, software, and test, and will be responsible for driving innovation, operational excellence, and successful execution across the full product lifecycle. This position brings deep technical breadth, strong organizational leadership, and a proven ability to deliver complex, high-reliability products from concept through production.

Major Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for all engineering disciplines across Kaney’s product lines.
• Develop and execute engineering roadmaps aligned with corporate strategy, customer needs, and emerging technologies.
• Champion innovation in areas such as linear and rotary electromechanical actuation and ball screw technology.
• Oversee the full engineering lifecycle, including concept development, architecture, design, analysis, prototyping, verification, qualification, and transition to manufacturing.
• Establish and maintain engineering best practices, design standards, documentation processes, and quality systems.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with product management, operations, supply chain, manufacturing, and executive leadership.
• Ensure engineering programs meet performance, schedule, cost, and compliance requirements.
• Build, mentor, and develop high-performing engineering teams and leaders.
• Manage engineering budgets, resource allocation, staffing plans, and organizational structure.
• Support customer engagements, proposals, technical reviews, and program strategy as a senior technical authority.
• Promote a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and technical excellence.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Software, or related field).
• Minimum 15 years of engineering experience, including 7+ years in senior leadership roles.
• Demonstrated success leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams developing complex hardware and software systems.
• Strong understanding of product development processes for high-reliability aerospace, defense, or medical systems.
• Experience with systems engineering, requirements decomposition, verification/validation, and configuration management.
• Proven track record delivering products from concept through production.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work effectively across teams and influence at all levels of the organization.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficiency with engineering tools, documentation systems, and program management methodologies

Minimum Competencies:

• Aerospace or highly regulated industry experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems and advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Ability to manage supplier relationships and cross-functional projects effectively.
• Knowledge of inventory planning, supplier performance metrics, and strategic sourcing principles.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with electromechanical actuation, flight controls, autopilots, and flight control computers.
• Knowledge in modern development methodologies (Agile/Jira, model-based design, digital engineering, etc.).
• Familiarity with mixed-signal hardware, embedded software, mechanical design, and system-level integration.
• Background in manufacturing engineering, DFM/DFA, reliability engineering, or environmental qualification.
• Experience scaling engineering organizations and implementing modern development processes.