Head of Engineering

Head of Engineering – Automotive Sealing: Opportunity Brief (Permanent, FTC or Interim Consultants will be considered)

Ford & Stanley Executive Search (Part of the Ford & Stanley Group) are specialists in Executive Interim and Permanent appointments to the UK, European, Indian & North American, Rail, Automotive, General Manufacturing, Digital & Tech Industries.

We have been exclusively entrusted and appointed by SFC Solutions on a retained search for a Head of Engineering – Automotive Sealing.

Below you will find an ‘opportunity brief’ developed from notes taken during the scoping meetings (Situational Discovery) held between the Ford and Stanley Executive Search Business Manager, Research Manager and the SFC Solutions executive leadership team. This brief is designed to give candidates deeper insight into the opportunity inherent within the role, the challenges the role presents and provide access to the detail that sits behind the job specification.

Client Opportunity Statement:

“We are one of the market leaders in Sealing solutions in Europe and number one in India that is able to offer our client a broad range of products and solutions to become their ‘flexible partner’.

To continue on to be the go-to partner of our customers it is imperative that we increase/enhance our product offering and credibility and for this, we are looking for an Expert / Professional Head in Automotive Sealing technology (flush door, Hidden glass frames, frameless door and encapsulation glass on frameless door) to join the business, guide us and provide kudos and confidence to our customers.

You will be working remotely (UK Likely) and/or in person across the engineering team to drive efficacities and capabilities. You will be also addressing the challenge of Indian pricing with the expectation of European quality for us to work on being Top supplier in Europe.”

Client Overview:

SFC is the first-choice global partner for OEMs seeking exceptional Sealing, Fluid transfer systems, Compound and rubber components. As part of Amaneos, we’re poised to deliver at scale with flexibility, agility and innovation.

With the current market-trends and development to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), the needs for thermal management are increasing and becoming more complex. SFC continually evolves its fluid transfer offer to keep pace with EV and hydrogen technologies, while developing state of the art sealings solutions, both for the Automotive and Industrial markets. With production sites around the world, SFC is ready to scale up whenever, and wherever, it’s needed.

The company’s customers include prestigious global and Indian vehicle manufacturers such as Ford, FCA, TATA, Mahindra, Maruti, Volkswagen, Hyundai, MG Motors, and Renault Nissan.

Our Vision:

To be the preferred provider of advanced, sustainable, and innovative sealing and fluid solutions for customers worldwide.

Our Mission:

Be a respected and robust partner in the global automotive industry and industry-specific markets through a strong commitment towards customer satisfaction, continuous improvements in our value chain, employee inspiration, and a work culture rooted in our values, and effectively using the synergies of our competitive company network.

Our Focus Values:

We are committed to upholding excellence in our products, operational standards, and customer services.

We wish to earn the respect of all our stakeholders for our commitment to meeting and surpassing their expectations.

When it comes to delivering top quality solutions, maintaining high performance standards, and protecting the environment, we do this with integrity.

We strive to foster an atmosphere of joyfulness in our workplaces.

The Opportunity

Main Challenges the role presents:

• Expectations of customers being that of a world-class product and enhancing, developing, and educating the engineering teams and current capability to achieve these standards.
• Ensuring the engineering teams get it right at the first time of asking.
• Addressing the challenge of Indian pricing with the expectation of European quality.

Top three deliverables in first year:

• Work with the engineering teams a technical expert to educate and guide the business in regards in regard to Sealing technology: flush door, Hidden glass frames, frameless door and encapsulation glass on frameless door.
• Help implement continuous improvement initiatives to improve current product offerings.
• Implement a right first-time culture within the manufacturing sites.

Candidate Essentials:

• Expert in the following technology: flush door, Hidden glass frames, frameless door and encapsulation glass on frameless door.
• Track record in enhancing, developing, and educating the engineering teams.
• Strong communication skills – needs to be comfortable dealing with personnel from the shop floor to board level.
• Continuous improvement experience – look at where marginal gains can be made to increase the quality of the product to European standard.
• Candidate must be able to travel to India (various sites) for an expected total of 8 weeks per year.

Good to know:

• Role reports into the CEO / MD of SFC. 
• The role has 3 direct reports and 20 indirect reports.
• There are 3 plants of fluid and 4 plants of sealing. A total 5 locations and 7 plants.
• Globally SFC has 2000 employees + and €80m Euro 60m of which sealant and 20m fluids.
• SFC hold the largest market share in India and will be focusing majorly on the Indian market, but the market is demanding better technologies like flush door, hidden glass frames, frameless door and encapsulation glass on frameless door. We do not have enough expertise for these technologies hence looking for an expert who can guide the team on these.
• The business experienced 36% growth in 2022 and 10% growth in 2023 and has an aspiration to double this turnover organically by 2030 hence CAGR growth of more than 14% for the next 7 years.
• It is expected that an experienced, qualified expert in automotive engineering and specifically sealants and fluids (from UK or Europe) will not only enhance the engineering capability but add kudos, and credibility for both existing and prospective SFC customers as such this will be a lynchpin in the larger growth aspirations for the business.
• Role can be based out of the UK but with an expectation of being in India with the following options available:
• The candidate is in the UK/ Europe and is fully employed by SFC Solutions and remotely works with the team and visits India for 3 to 4 weeks every 6 months and is available for a short urgent customer meeting online at short notice and physical meetings with a customer in case of an important and substantial project.
• The candidate lives in India for about 2 to 3 years and travels back to the UK 2 to 3 times a year.
• The candidate is not employed by SFC Solutions (Contractor Consultant) but gives 30 to 40% of his total working time (i.e. 2 hrs per day) to manage the team and support the engineering aspects and travels maybe 2 times a year for two weeks each.

Budget:

• Base Salary Banding: £100,000 – £110,000 (Perm) £800-£900 a day (Interim)
• Travel & living costs covered when away from home – the company will provide accommodation to the candidate near the Central office & plant in India.
• Bonus – up to 20%
• Single Healthcare
• 4 x salary life insurance
• 25 days Holiday + Stat

Likely Job Titles:

Principle Engineer, Head of R&D, Head of Innovation, Head of Manufacturing, Lead Engineer, Engineering Director, Chief Engineer, Automotive Engineer,

Executive Search Delivery Team:

• Oliver Nunn – Research Manager
• Dan Taylor – Search Director
• Emma Barlow – Senior Research Executive

About Ford & Stanley Executive Search:

At Ford & Stanley Executive Search we go beyond a recruiting transaction with our core mission being that of every interaction we have with clients and candidates is best in class. We are select in the opportunities we represent, as such, work under strict exclusivity or retained agreements with forward thinking and proactive companies that place their trust in our ability to deliver a winning shortlist at the first time of asking.

Our Search Directors (who are themselves members of the F&S Group Board) and Search Consultants supported by an in-house research team invest time at the front end of process with our client’s leadership team or stakeholders to consult, understand the opportunity inherent within the role, business need, map and agree timescales with supporting delivery plan well in advance of conducting the search.

All candidates both active and passive (head-hunted) can expect full and professional engagement from the Executive Search team in addition a timely, thorough and engaging recruitment process from a committed employer that seeks to secure ‘cream of the crop’ from a busy and noisy Global Rail candidate market.

Ford & Stanley Group Ltd is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers and approach all opportunity with a mindset of who is right for the job irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination