director of engineering

Kanto is a Canadian lifestyle brand creating thoughtfully designed products for the modern home and digital lifestyle. Our portfolio spans audio and home entertainment, combining performance, design and practical innovation.

We work closely with engineering and manufacturing partners to develop products from concept through production and bring them to market.

*Position Summary*

Kanto is looking for a *Director of Engineering* to lead the technical development of our growing product portfolio. This is a broad, hands-on leadership role, working closely with Product, Operations, engineering teams and manufacturing partners to take products from concept through development, validation and mass production.

Our products span mechanical, electrical, acoustic, firmware, software and manufacturing engineering, so we?re looking for someone with the technical breadth and judgment to work across disciplines, identify risks early, challenge suppliers and keep projects moving.

The right person is technically curious, practical and decisive. You?re comfortable diving into the details when needed, whether that means reviewing an amplifier design, troubleshooting a production issue, or working through a manufacturing constraint. You know when to make a decision, when to challenge an assumption and when to bring in a specialist.

Most importantly, you create momentum. You bring the right people together, solve problems and keep teams moving forward.

Success in this role means better products, fewer surprises, faster decisions, stronger supplier performance and fewer issues reaching mass production.

*Core Responsibilities*

*Engineering Leadership*

• Lead and develop Kanto's mechanical, electrical, acoustic and firmware engineering resources.
• Establish clear priorities, ownership, deliverables and timelines.
• Identify and resolve technical risks and roadblocks early, keeping projects on track.
• Build practical engineering processes that improve execution without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Create a culture of accountability, technical curiosity and problem-solving.
• Provide clear technical direction while knowing when to involve subject-matter experts.

*Product Development*

• Own technical execution from product concept through mass production.
• Assess technical feasibility, risks, costs and development requirements.
• Translate product concepts into clear engineering requirements.
• Lead technical reviews, design decisions, prototyping, validation and production readiness.
• Ensure products meet Kanto's expectations for performance, reliability, quality, cost and manufacturability.
• Work closely with Product to find practical solutions when technical constraints arise.

*Supplier & ODM Engineering*

Kanto works extensively with manufacturing and engineering partners in Asia. The Director of Engineering will serve as a strong technical counterpart to these partners.

• Provide technical leadership and direction to ODM and manufacturing partners.
• Review and challenge supplier designs, specifications, testing methods and proposed solutions.
• Review schematics, mechanical designs, tooling, firmware and technical documentation as required.
• Identify when supplier engineering does not meet Kanto's requirements and determine the appropriate path forward.
• Drive resolution of technical and production issues with suppliers.
• Support factory qualification, technical audits and production readiness.
• Build strong technical relationships while maintaining clear technical standards and accountability.
• Travel internationally, including to Asia, for product development, troubleshooting and production support.

*Quality, Reliability & Compliance*

• Establish appropriate product validation and reliability testing.
• Ensure technical issues and design weaknesses are identified before mass production.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective action for significant product failures.
• Work with Operations and suppliers to resolve