Global Director, Engineering- Distributed IT

Eaton’s Distributed IT organization within the Electrical Sector is seeking a dynamic Global Director of Engineering. Preferred location is in Woodridge, Illinois. Willing to consider remote work with required travel.

What you’ll do:

Job summary

Eaton’s Distributed IT (D IT) division is seeking a Global Engineering Leader to drive innovation, product development, and systems engineering across our portfolio of data center and distributed infrastructure solutions.

This executive will lead a global, multi-disciplinary engineering organization and play a critical role in shaping the future of power, cooling, connectivity, and digital infrastructure solutions for hyperscale, colocation, and enterprise customers.

Job responsibilities

Lead Strategy & Innovation

Define and execute the global engineering and technology strategy aligned to business growth priorities

Drive innovation across integrated solutions spanning hardware, software, and services

Partner with senior leadership to deliver business and functional objectives

Own Product & Solutions Development

Lead end-to-end product development, including new product introductions (NPI) and lifecycle management

Establish reference designs, system architectures, and validated configurations to accelerate deployment

Translate customer requirements into scalable product and system roadmaps

Deliver Customer-Centric Solutions

Lead customer co-design and development partnerships with hyperscale, colocation, and enterprise clients

Implement structured voice-of-customer (VOC) processes to convert insights into engineering requirements

Ensure solutions meet evolving needs in data centers, edge computing, and energy-efficient infrastructure

Drive Engineering Excellence

Establish robust system validation, testing, and qualification frameworks

Ensure high performance in reliability, scalability, and compliance

Drive improvements in speed-to-market, cost, and quality

Lead a Global Organization

Build and lead a high-performing, global engineering team across disciplines

Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement

Develop leadership capability and technical depth across the organization

Enable Cross-Functional Execution

Partner with Product Management, Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality to deliver end-to-end solutions

Ensure alignment across the full product lifecycle - from concept through deployment and sustainment

Qualifications:

Education level required

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering (preferred: Master's in Engineering or MBA)

Years and area of experience required

Minimum of 15 years professional engineering roles (power engineering background desirable)

Minimum of 7 years of people management experience.

Technical knowledge

Possess significant experience in electrical components/systems design, new product development, and program management. Advanced degree may be substituted for some experience.

Skills:

Soft skills

Knowledge of current engineering techniques, practices and engineering standards.

Demonstrated success leading and influencing geographically dispersed teams through a collaborative leadership style, while ensuring compliance and accountability.

Proven ability to build, develop, and lead high-performing teams.

Ability to influence and partner across a global matrix.

Collaborative orientation. The ability to succeed in a highly team-oriented environment.

Globally astute. Understands how to adapt communication style to fit different cultures.

Demonstrated strategic thinking, drive for results, and managerial courage.

Must have experience developing strategic plans and creating presentations to communicate the plans.

Proficiency in data center infrastructure, including cooling, power conversion, distribution, intelligent software monitoring systems and redundancy.

Additional Information:

Organizational chart

Supervisor: President of Global D-IT

Functional Manager (if applicable): VP of Global Data Center Engineering

Incumbent (if applicable): n/a

Direct Reports (if applicable): Engineering directors and senior managers

Dimensions

Scope of Responsibilities: Global leader with reports across multiple countries

Record any measurable statistics which the position impacts: Directly impacts Global D-IT annual revenue ($1B and growing)

How many employees does this position have responsibility for (span of control)?

70+ engineers of various disciplines

In addition, there are engineering resources in EMEA and APAC that have not been integrated

All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates’ privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.

At Eaton, we strive to provide compensation and benefits that attract, engage, and retain the best talent. This includes competitive pay and a variety of benefit programs for eligible employees. The expected annual salary range for this role is $250,000 - $330,000 a year. This role is also eligible for a variable incentive program. Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

The application window for this position is anticipated to close on August 6, 2026.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Eaton believes in second chance employment. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction history will be considered regardless of their arrest or conviction history, consistent with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and other local laws.

You do not need to disclose your conviction history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Eaton is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

We know that good benefit programs are important to employees and their families. Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work. Click here for more detail: Eaton Benefits Overview. Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.