At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a dynamic design team to innovate and launch new products.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking company focused on cutting-edge technology.
- Benefits: Attractive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by driving innovation and shaping the future of product design.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in design strategy and team leadership.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on creativity and career advancement.
Before applying for this role, please read the following information about this opportunity found below.
Role Purpose
- Mandate: Accelerate innovation and deliver new product introduction (NPI) that is successful in existing and new markets through delivery of design strategy.
- Board Role: Share high-level priority-setting with the board; translate strategy into decisive roadmaps, resources, and delivery.
- Team Context: Lead a cross functional design engineering team; work through a direct report manager to remove blockers, focus effort, and raise the pace.
Outcomes
- NPI Throughput: Increase NPD delivery (2β3 new product launches in first year)
- Innovation Pipeline: Build a validated, Board-aligned pipeline
- Market Fit & Customer Proof: Systematic customer validation at key stages
- Design Quality & Reliability: Prototype validation and prevention of scope creep
- Team Focus: Reduce scope creep; establish weekly cadence and WIP limits; improve engagement scores and cycle predictability.
Accountability
- Owns: Design strategy execution, engineering standards, resource allocation within design, stage-gate discipline, technical risk management.
- Influences: Product portfolio priorities, pricing/positioning, investment cases; collaborates with Ops and Finance on trade-offs.
- Commits: Delivery against Board-agreed roadmaps; transparent reporting of risk/mitigation; escalation before schedule slips.
Core Responsibilities
- Set Pace & Focus: Translate Board priorities into monthly design KPIs
- Gateway Leadership: Install gateways with stakeholder validation, DFMEA, and reliability targets.
- Technical Direction: Define architecture choices, platform strategy, and standards; arbitrate key technical decisions.
- Responsibility range: Research and discovery to production ready.
- Resource & Capacity: Balance team workloads through manager (direct report); consultant and specialist management; fix bottlenecks (test, tooling, supplier readiness).
- Customer & Market Integration: Embed structured voice-of-customer; ensure requirements are testable, traceable, and risk-rated.
- Standards and regulations: Embed compliance with industry and business standards into team and product design structure.
- Technology Integration: Embed structured AI, 3D printing and robotics into a design for manufacture structure.
- Quality & Lifecycle: Drive design for manufacturability, serviceability, and cost; own design transfer to manufacturing.
- Board Engagement: Provide clear dashboards on pipeline, risks, and investment needs; propose stop/go/accelerate decisions.
- Talent & Culture: Coach senior engineers; encourage deep work and high-leverage innovation; raise standards without micro-managing.
Technical Director in Telford employer: Salop Holdings Ltd
Contact Detail:
Salop Holdings Ltd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice π€«
We think this is how you could land Technical Director in Telford
β¨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry and let them know you're on the hunt for a Technical Director role. You never know who might have the inside scoop on an opportunity or can put in a good word for you.
β¨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by researching the companyβs design strategy and recent product launches. Show us that you understand their goals and how you can help accelerate innovation and improve NPI throughput.
β¨Tip Number 3
Donβt just wait for job postings! Keep an eye on our website and apply directly through it. We love seeing proactive candidates who are eager to join our team and contribute to our design engineering efforts.
β¨Tip Number 4
Practice your pitch! Be ready to discuss how you would translate board priorities into actionable design KPIs. We want to hear about your experience in leading cross-functional teams and how you tackle technical risk management.
We think you need these skills to ace Technical Director in Telford
Some tips for your application π«‘
Know the Role Inside Out: Before you start writing, make sure you really understand what the Technical Director role is all about. Dive into the job description and highlight key responsibilities and outcomes. This will help us see how your experience aligns with what we're looking for.
Tailor Your Application: Donβt just send a generic CV and cover letter! We want to see how your skills and experiences specifically relate to our needs. Use the language from the job description to show us youβre the perfect fit for the team.
Showcase Your Achievements: When detailing your past roles, focus on your achievements rather than just listing duties. Use metrics where possible to demonstrate your impact, especially in areas like NPI throughput and innovation pipelines. We love numbers!
Apply Through Our Website: Make sure to submit your application through our website. Itβs the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensures youβre considered for the role. Plus, itβs super easy to do!
How to prepare for a job interview at Salop Holdings Ltd
β¨Know Your Design Strategy
Before the interview, make sure you have a solid understanding of design strategies relevant to the role. Be prepared to discuss how you would translate board priorities into actionable design KPIs and how youβve successfully executed similar strategies in the past.
β¨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Technical Director, leading a cross-functional team is key. Prepare examples that demonstrate your ability to remove blockers and improve team engagement. Think about specific situations where youβve set the pace and focus for your team.
β¨Understand Market Fit
Familiarise yourself with the importance of customer validation at key stages of product development. Be ready to discuss how you would ensure that new products meet market needs and how youβve validated customer requirements in previous roles.
β¨Prepare for Technical Discussions
Expect to dive deep into technical direction during the interview. Brush up on architecture choices, platform strategies, and industry standards. Be ready to arbitrate key technical decisions and discuss how you manage technical risks effectively.