Engineering Director

Executive Search: Engineering Director (Optoelectronics & PCBA)

We are representing a leading global innovator and high-tech manufacturer specializing in advanced optoelectronic devices and value-added electronic manufacturing services (EMS). With an established international footprint, their Malaysian operations serve as a vital hub for high-precision applications across critical sectors, including aerospace & defense, security & inspection systems, and medical diagnostics.

Based in Malaysia.

To drive their next phase of operational excellence and technological advancement, they are seeking a visionary and seasoned Engineering Director to lead their site engineering division.

As the Engineering Director, you will hold a pivotal senior management seat, steering a high-performing team of Managers, Engineers, and Technicians across New Product Introduction (NPI), Manufacturing Processes, Testing, and Equipment Engineering.

You will oversee engineering functions for cutting-edge optoelectronics assembly, advanced packaging, testing, and full-scale PCB Assembly (PCBA) lines, including complex box builds. Your primary mission will be to champion innovation, maximize productivity, optimize yields, and reduce reworks/rejects.

• Strategic Engineering Leadership: Oversee sustaining process and test engineering activities to optimize production cycle times, enhance product yields, and support high-volume manufacturing.

• NPI & Technology Transfer: Lead the NPI lifecycle from prototype development and process validation through to product qualification and mass production. Collaborate with global sister companies and international clients to ensure seamless technology transfers and first-article approvals.

• Test Development: Oversee both hardware and software development activities for custom test setups tailored to manufactured products.

• Project & Resource Management: Monitor and control project schedules, capital expenditures, and budgets. Conduct capacity assessments and strategically deploy engineering resources to meet tight timelines.

• Lifecycle & Compliance Management: Manage BOM obsolescence, engineering changes (ECOs), system-level documentation, and labor cost quotations.

• Quality & Failure Analysis: Coordinate complex failure analysis alongside internal teams, customers, and external laboratories to resolve customer complaints with robust corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).

• Automation & Future Roadmap: Formulate strategic technological roadmaps in microelectronics and PCBA. Identify, source, and justify capital expenditure (CapEx) for advanced assembly and test automation equipment.

• Talent Development: Hire, mentor, and build a world-class engineering team, fostering a high-performance culture aligned with corporate milestones.

• Education: Bachelor's Degree in Electronics Engineering or equivalent; a Post-Graduate degree in Engineering is highly preferred.

• Experience: A minimum of 20+ years of engineering experience, with at least 10 years in a Senior Management role within the Semiconductor or high-tech electronics industry.

• Domain Expertise: Strong working knowledge of microelectronics/PCBA manufacturing; direct experience or deep knowledge of Optoelectronics components manufacturing is a distinct advantage.

• Leadership & Influence: A clear, decisive leader with a proven track record of influencing cross-functional teams and achieving results within a fast-paced, matrixed global organization.

• Business Acumen: Deep understanding of manufacturing business processes, quality management systems, risk management, and financial/labor quoting.

• Communication: Exceptional presentation and communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical information clearly to both technical teams and non-technical stakeholders, clients, or vendors.