Director of Engineering

Director of Engineering

Location: Springfield (Eugene), Oregon preferred; Bend, Oregon; West Linn (Portland Metro), Oregon; or Boise, Idaho (new office opening in 2027)

Compensation: $170k-$190k DOE + Profit-Sharing Bonus + Path to Ownership

Employment Type: Full-Time

About the Company

HireIQ Solutions is leading the search for a Director of Engineering at an established Pacific Northwest consulting engineering firm providing mechanical, electrical, commissioning, and energy services for complex building systems. The firm's work spans higher education, K-12, healthcare, laboratory, civic, and central plant projects, and roughly 80% of its work comes from repeat clients.

With offices across Oregon and a new Boise, Idaho office planned for 2027, the firm is investing in the leadership, systems, and operating discipline needed to grow sustainably without compromising quality, profitability, culture, or client experience.

About the Role

The Director of Engineering leads the firm's Engineering Division and is accountable for turning company strategy into coordinated action and reliable results. Reporting to the CEO and serving on the Leadership Team, you will lead Department Heads, Project Managers, and Project Delivery Leads across multiple offices and service lines.

You will own the Division's annual plan, budget, and financial KPIs; hold final Engineering approval on Go/No-Go decisions and fee proposals; set the standards for how projects are planned, delivered, and closed out; and build the next generation of project managers, department leaders, and future principals.

Key Responsibilities

Division Leadership & Direction

Run the Engineering Division under a clear annual plan aligned with company strategy, with defined priorities, accountability, resources, and measurable outcomes.

Give Department Heads, Project Delivery Leads, and Project Managers clear responsibilities, decision rights, and expectations, and hold them accountable for results.

Communicate direction and decisions consistently across disciplines and offices.

Revenue & Client Development

Own a coordinated Engineering revenue and client-development plan across departments, markets, and offices.

Maintain visibility into backlog, pipeline, revenue forecasts, client concentration, and staffing capacity, and act early on workload and capacity risks.

Lead strategic client engagement and high-priority pursuits with Business Development, holding final Engineering approval on Go/No-Go decisions.

Project Delivery & Operations

Set and enforce consistent standards for scope and fee development, work planning, interdisciplinary coordination, project controls, quality reviews, client communication, change management, and closeout.

Assign projects based on scope, schedule, budget, capacity, expertise, client continuity, and staff development.

Monitor project health, require recovery plans on elevated-risk projects, and step in when delivery, client relationships, quality, or financial performance are at risk.

Leadership & Talent Development

Develop Department Heads into effective business, technical, and people leaders.

Define and strengthen the project-management function: PM authority, expectations, training, coaching, and feedback.

Maintain a five-year workforce and succession plan, and build clear pathways for technical experts, PMs, people leaders, and future principals.

Contracting, Quality & Risk

Review and approve Engineering scopes and fee proposals and recommend contracts for CEO execution; take part in contract negotiation, scope changes, and dispute resolution.

Match qualified technical leaders and reviewers to projects by complexity and risk.

Hold Department Heads accountable for current, consistently applied standards, and feed lessons learned back into standards and training.

Financial Stewardship

Build the annual Engineering Division budget and revenue goals, and set financial KPIs for departments, service lines, offices, and projects.

Keep a consistent financial pulse on the Division, spot unfavorable trends early, and lead corrective action.

Use Deltek Vantagepoint data to drive hiring, workload, pursuit, and investment decisions, and build the financial acumen of Department Heads and PMs.

Strategy, Scale & Leadership Team

Develop short- and long-term strategy for the Division and each service line, including where to strengthen, expand, reposition, or exit.

Make sure new markets, services, and offices have clear leadership, delivery systems, quality controls, and economic visibility before growth is accelerated.

Contribute to company goals, budgets, and enterprise decisions, and give the CEO and Leadership Team concise, decision-ready reporting.

Qualifications

Senior leadership experience in a consulting engineering or AEC environment, leading department heads, project managers, and multidisciplinary teams across more than one office or service line.

A track record of owning financial results: building budgets and revenue goals, setting KPIs, managing backlog and forecasts, and correcting course before results slip.

Experience setting project-delivery standards and project controls, and improving how projects are scoped, staffed, delivered, and closed out.

Commercial judgment on pursuits, fees, contracts, and risk, including Go/No-Go decisions, fee proposals, and contract negotiation.

A history of developing leaders and building succession and career pathways.

Clear, decision-ready communication with a CEO, a leadership team, clients, and staff.

Working fluency in Deltek Vantagepoint, or a comparable ERP / project-accounting platform and the ability to get fluent quickly.

Preferred: background in MEP, commissioning, or energy services for higher education, K-12, healthcare, laboratory, or civic clients; professional engineering licensure.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

Office-based leadership role at one of the firm's offices, with Springfield (Eugene), Oregon preferred.

Leads people and work across multiple offices, so periodic travel between offices is expected.

Standard professional office setting; collaborative, values-driven culture with flexible schedules and sustainable workloads.

Why Join

Set the strategic direction of the Engineering Division, lead strategic client engagement, and help shape company strategy as a member of the Leadership Team.

A seat on the Leadership Team and a real path to ownership, at a firm where leaders have grown into shareholders.

Inherit strong footing: decades of reputation, long-standing institutional clients, and about 80% repeat business.

Shape growth directly, including the build-out of a new Boise office in 2027.

A culture known for low turnover, approachable leadership, 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision premiums, and real work-life balance.