Director of Engineering

About the Role

TAF Carbon is seeking a Director of Engineering who has lived the journey from lab bench to production floor. You will lead our Process Scale-Up & Manufacturing effort, bridging between our world-class R&D scientists and the industrial manufacturing partners who will bring our carbon foam materials to commercial scale. This is a hands-on, technically deep leadership role for someone who finds equal satisfaction in rigorous process analysis and in building the systems and relationships that make manufacturing actually work.

This role grows with the company. Near-term, you will be driving industrialization and process control. Over time, you will contribute to new product development from the process and tooling side, and to the early foundations of TAF Carbon's own manufacturing capabilities. The role is part of the team that services the entire Endeavour ecosystem and contributes to the overall health and success of the organization.

The ideal candidate is agile, professional, and comfortable in a rapidly changing environment. You are trustworthy with confidential information, highly organized, self-motivated, and possess excellent communication skills. You can think strategically and work equally well independently as with a team. You are a born problem solver with a strong drive to identify and address engineering challenges.

Responsibilities

• Process Scale-Up & Industrialization
  • Lead the translation of laboratory and pilot-scale carbon foam processes into robust, reproducible industrial manufacturing operations to take our material through testing, certification, prototyping, and product commercial launch.
  • Hands-on engineering and problem-solving in a fast-growing start-up environment.
  • Define and implement process control and improvement frameworks — including 6 Sigma, SPC, and MSA — that establish and sustain process capability across manufacturing environments.
  • Drive continuous improvement in process efficiency, energy performance, heating uniformity, cost of goods, and time to market.
  • Develop and evaluate innovative approaches to mold design, heating technology, and process configuration that enable scalable, high-throughput production.
  • Establish and maintain high engineering standards, including documentation, design review processes, and technical governance.
• Manufacturing Partner Development
  • Identify, qualify, and develop long-term technical relationships with external manufacturing partners.
  • Serve as TAF Carbon's primary technical interface with manufacturing operations, ensuring alignment on process requirements, quality standards, and scale-up milestones.
  • Collaborate with R&D teammates to translate research outcomes into manufacturable processes and clear manufacturing inputs, streamlining processes to reduce time to market.
• Team & Organization
  • Mentor and grow a high-performing engineering team, fostering a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and pragmatic problem-solving.
  • Support project planning, prioritization, and budgeting in alignment with organizational goals and timelines.
  • Partner with leadership on strategic product and manufacturing roadmaps across all phases of commercial development.
  • Model a culture of demanding excellence, scientific rigor, problem-solving, and a daily irreverence to big-company corporate culture.
• Longer-Term
  • Lead engineering contributions to new product development and cost reduction from the process and tooling side.
  • Contribute to early planning and capability-building for TAF Carbon's future manufacturing assets.
  • Develop and maintain strong customer relationships, supporting tailored product solutions and long-term partnerships.

Requirements

• Education / Experience
  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering (or related field).
  • 10+ years of progressive engineering experience in industry with 3+ years in a leadership or management role.
  • Demonstrated track record taking a material or chemical process from lab or pilot scale to industrial production — you have done this, not just supported it.
  • Deep working knowledge of foamed materials and the industrial processes used to make them: polymer foams, carbon foams, ceramic foams, or closely analogous materials.
  • Hands-on experience with mold design and molding processes, including thermal analysis, dead mass minimization, and scale-up.
  • Experience designing or improving industrial heating systems — convective or other non-conventional approaches are a strong plus.
  • Experience working with toll manufacturers or contract manufacturers as a technical owner, not just a customer.
  • Proven expertise in Statistical Process Control (SPC), Measurement System Analysis (MSA), and process capability (Cpk, Ppk) — you use these instinctively, not on request.
  • Expertise with Design of Experiments (DOE) for process optimization.
  • Experience with continuous or semi-continuous manufacturing line concepts (belt press or equivalent) is a strong plus.
  • Experience with controlled atmosphere processing and/or high-temperature industrial environments preferred.
  • Experience in gas handling, exhaust treatment, and waste heat collection and re-use is a plus.
  • Proven track record driving product qualification, regulatory certification, and new product introduction.
• Specific Skills / Abilities
  • You know the difference between a research result and a manufacturable process, and you say so when you see it.
  • Strong process and systems mindset — experience implementing design control, setting and meeting specifications, and moving product from lab to pilot to prototype to full manufacturing.
  • Skilled in partner engagement, technical presentations, and developing tailored engineering solutions.
  • Able to work at the bench and on the whiteboard for manufacturing line design the same week.
  • Excellent leadership, communication, and mentoring skills with a collaborative, hands-on approach.
  • Entrepreneurial drive: comfortable with ambiguity, fast iteration, and doing more with less.

About TAF Carbon

TAF Carbon develops ultra high-end carbon-based materials that compete with “ordinary materials” in the construction market and beyond. Our team of passionate change-makers wants to leave the world better than the way we found it and work toward a future of Better Materials Everywhere. We pride ourselves on hiring talented, highly motivated people because that’s what our mission requires.

To work at TAF Carbon is to know that you are part of something special—something bigger than yourself. Today, we’re deploying solutions that are game-changing, scalable, and profitable, taking on challenges based on the needs of our clients, partners, and local and global economies. At TAF Carbon, we combine the best of what technology and the natural world can offer in developing a truly game-changing material.

Location: On-Site in Syracuse, NY. Reports to: Director of R&D, TAF Carbon.