Engineering Director Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Alabama
Engineering director roles in Alabama are concentrated in Huntsville's aerospace and defense corridor, where employers like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and SAIC regularly hire senior technical leaders. Birmingham's growing technology and healthcare sectors add further opportunity. International candidates at this level typically require H-1B visa or O-1 visa sponsorship from employers with established immigration programs.
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Get Access To All JobsPay Range: USD $138,600.00 - USD $322,640.00 /Yr.
Overview:
This position is located in Orange Beach, Alabama.
The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering (SGCOE) is excited to begin the search for the Director of the Gulf Coast Engineering Research Center. This position is responsible for developing the long-term vision and strategies for the Center, ensuring it gains a prominent role in applied research and innovation in water quality and quantity and coastal resilience across the Gulf Coast region.
To learn more about the center click here Gulf Coast Engineering Research Station.
Responsibilities:
- Strategic Leadership — Develops long-term vision, strategies, and tactics for the Center, establishing it as a leader in applied research on water quality and quantity, coastal resilience, and related environmental and engineering challenges. Works closely with leadership on the main campus to maintain alignment with overall university research priorities.
- Research Management — Oversees Center research staff and project leads to ensure goals are achieved within budget and time constraints and that projects are carried out with high quality. Promotes interdisciplinary work spanning water resources, coastal and ecological engineering, and environmental science.
- Funding and Budgeting — Works with main-campus leadership to secure operational support for the Center. Focuses significant effort on engaging external funding agencies (e.g., NOAA, EPA, USACE, NSF, state environmental and coastal agencies) and identifying research opportunities for Center staff and main-campus researchers. Manages the Center's budget to allocate and utilize resources effectively.
- Team Building and Management — Recruits, mentors, and oversees a team of researchers and professional staff. Fosters a collaborative environment and promotes continuous growth.
- Community and Stakeholder Engagement — Engages with coastal communities, industry, resource managers, and government stakeholders to ensure the Center's work aligns with regional needs and priorities. Facilitates engagement of main-campus faculty and students with Center activities and the Orange Beach and broader Gulf Coast community.
- Reporting — Provides regular reports to senior college leaders and stakeholders on the Center's progress, achievements, challenges, and future plans. Conducts activities with input from a Center advisory council.
Qualifications
Master's Degree in Engineering or Science or a related field and 10 years of experience in high-level leadership of a complex research organization, ideally in water resources, coastal/environmental engineering, or marine science. Demonstrated experience securing extramural funds from federal and state agencies and the private sector for applied research.
Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Knowledge of engineering and scientific principles relevant to water quality and quantity and coastal resilience.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Excellent skills in team building, creating alliances, and leading organizations.
Why Work at Auburn:
- Life-Changing Impact: Our work changes lives through research, instruction, and outreach, making a lasting impact on our students, our communities, and the world.
- Culture of Excellence: We are committed to leveraging our strengths, resources, collaboration, and innovation as a top employer in higher education.
- We’re Here for You: Auburn offers generous benefits, educational opportunities, and a culture of support and work/life balance.
- Sweet Home Alabama: The Auburn/Opelika area offers southern charm, vibrant downtown scenes, top-ranked schools, and easy access to Atlanta, Birmingham, and the Gulf of Mexico beaches.
- A Place for Everyone: Auburn is committed to fostering an environment where all faculty, staff, and students are welcomed, valued, respected, and engaged.
- Ready to lead and shape the future of higher education? Apply today! War Eagle!
Equal Opportunity Compliance Statement: It is our policy to provide equal employment and education opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable law. Please visit the Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance's website to learn more.
Pay Range: USD $138,600.00 - USD $322,640.00 /Yr.
Overview:
This position is located in Orange Beach, Alabama.
The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering (SGCOE) is excited to begin the search for the Director of the Gulf Coast Engineering Research Center. This position is responsible for developing the long-term vision and strategies for the Center, ensuring it gains a prominent role in applied research and innovation in water quality and quantity and coastal resilience across the Gulf Coast region.
To learn more about the center click here Gulf Coast Engineering Research Station.
Responsibilities:
- Strategic Leadership — Develops long-term vision, strategies, and tactics for the Center, establishing it as a leader in applied research on water quality and quantity, coastal resilience, and related environmental and engineering challenges. Works closely with leadership on the main campus to maintain alignment with overall university research priorities.
- Research Management — Oversees Center research staff and project leads to ensure goals are achieved within budget and time constraints and that projects are carried out with high quality. Promotes interdisciplinary work spanning water resources, coastal and ecological engineering, and environmental science.
- Funding and Budgeting — Works with main-campus leadership to secure operational support for the Center. Focuses significant effort on engaging external funding agencies (e.g., NOAA, EPA, USACE, NSF, state environmental and coastal agencies) and identifying research opportunities for Center staff and main-campus researchers. Manages the Center's budget to allocate and utilize resources effectively.
- Team Building and Management — Recruits, mentors, and oversees a team of researchers and professional staff. Fosters a collaborative environment and promotes continuous growth.
- Community and Stakeholder Engagement — Engages with coastal communities, industry, resource managers, and government stakeholders to ensure the Center's work aligns with regional needs and priorities. Facilitates engagement of main-campus faculty and students with Center activities and the Orange Beach and broader Gulf Coast community.
- Reporting — Provides regular reports to senior college leaders and stakeholders on the Center's progress, achievements, challenges, and future plans. Conducts activities with input from a Center advisory council.
Qualifications
Master's Degree in Engineering or Science or a related field and 10 years of experience in high-level leadership of a complex research organization, ideally in water resources, coastal/environmental engineering, or marine science. Demonstrated experience securing extramural funds from federal and state agencies and the private sector for applied research.
Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Knowledge of engineering and scientific principles relevant to water quality and quantity and coastal resilience.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Excellent skills in team building, creating alliances, and leading organizations.
Why Work at Auburn:
- Life-Changing Impact: Our work changes lives through research, instruction, and outreach, making a lasting impact on our students, our communities, and the world.
- Culture of Excellence: We are committed to leveraging our strengths, resources, collaboration, and innovation as a top employer in higher education.
- We’re Here for You: Auburn offers generous benefits, educational opportunities, and a culture of support and work/life balance.
- Sweet Home Alabama: The Auburn/Opelika area offers southern charm, vibrant downtown scenes, top-ranked schools, and easy access to Atlanta, Birmingham, and the Gulf of Mexico beaches.
- A Place for Everyone: Auburn is committed to fostering an environment where all faculty, staff, and students are welcomed, valued, respected, and engaged.
- Ready to lead and shape the future of higher education? Apply today! War Eagle!
Equal Opportunity Compliance Statement: It is our policy to provide equal employment and education opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable law. Please visit the Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance's website to learn more.
Engineering Director Job Roles in Alabama
See all 82+ Engineering Director Jobs in Alabama
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Search Engineering Director Jobs in AlabamaEngineering Director Jobs in Alabama: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for engineering directors in Alabama?
Huntsville-based defense contractors including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Northrop Grumman, and SAIC have established visa sponsorship programs and regularly hire engineering directors. In Birmingham, companies in healthcare technology and advanced manufacturing, such as Protective Life and Vulcan Materials, also sponsor senior engineering roles, though sponsorship practices vary by company and position.
Which visa types are most common for engineering director roles in Alabama?
The H-1B is the most common visa category for engineering directors in Alabama, as the role typically requires at least a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field, satisfying the specialty occupation requirement. Candidates with extraordinary achievement may qualify for the O-1A. Multinational executives transferring within a company may pursue the L-1A. Each path depends on the employer's willingness to sponsor and the candidate's qualifications.
Which cities in Alabama have the most engineering director sponsorship jobs?
Huntsville leads by a wide margin, driven by Cummings Research Park, Redstone Arsenal, and the broader aerospace and defense ecosystem that makes it one of the densest engineering employment hubs in the Southeast. Birmingham is the second-largest market, with opportunities in healthcare IT, financial technology, and manufacturing. Smaller pockets of engineering leadership hiring exist in Decatur and Mobile, primarily tied to manufacturing and port logistics.
How to find engineering director visa sponsorship jobs in Alabama?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically for visa sponsorship availability, making it straightforward to search engineering director openings in Alabama without sorting through roles that don't offer sponsorship. Because director-level positions in Alabama are often tied to Huntsville's defense sector or Birmingham's technology employers, filtering by industry alongside sponsorship status on Migrate Mate helps narrow results to the most relevant opportunities for international candidates.
What state-specific factors should engineering director candidates know about Alabama's hiring market?
Many engineering director roles in Huntsville require or strongly prefer U.S. security clearance eligibility, which affects international candidates who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Clearance-dependent positions may not be available for visa sponsorship at all. Candidates should confirm clearance requirements before applying. Alabama's relatively lower cost of living compared to coastal tech hubs is frequently reflected in prevailing wage determinations for H-1B petitions filed in this region.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored engineering director jobs in Alabama?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.