At Universal Creative, we design, develop and deliver the most compelling entertainment experiences imaginable to drive growth for Universal Parks & Resorts worldwide. Our innovative attractions, immersive theme parks and world-class resorts fuse art and technology to create new standards in the themed entertainment industry.

Our Team Members are the driving force behind Universal Creative. With their diverse skills and forward-thinking ideas, our team pushes us beyond the boundaries of what’s possible to achieve the extraordinary. Together, we’re creating a Universe of fun, always ensuring the next thing we do is better than the last thing we did.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Assistant Director, Design Engineering provides strategic and visionary leadership to cultivate innovation and advance creative concepts through R&D-level exploration during early project phases within the Creative Studio, guiding technical development with a focus on cross-departmental alignment and technical risk awareness and mitigation. This leadership role ensures projects are thoroughly scoped, vetted, and prepared for seamless transition to the Global Project Hub, minimizing the need for revisions and mitigating downstream risk. The Assistant Director, Design Engineering collaborates closely with cross-functional teams within the Creative Studio, internal and external partners (Engineering & Safety, Technical Services, Operations, EHS, etc.), as well as maintaining strategic relationships with ride and show vendors, to drive integration, maintain alignment, and support efficient workflows. As a leader of the Design Engineering department, this role empowers the team through mentorship and guidance, removing obstacles, and offering direct support to resolve complex challenges in order to keep projects moving forward.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide strategic oversight across multiple projects or workstreams, ensuring that team deliverables meet technical, creative, and operational expectations. Drive quality and consistency by resolving cross-disciplinary challenges in collaboration with project and technical leads. Establish and refine team workflows, operational procedures, and best practices that promote consistency, efficiency, and cross-functional alignment.
• Mentor and guide team members in support of technical growth, career development, and contributions to organizational goals. Build team bench strength by identifying development needs and providing structured coaching, feedback, and growth plans. Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-trust environment that supports innovation and continuous improvement.
• Translate executive vision into actionable strategies and project plans, aligning resources, timelines, and scope across team deliverables. Represent the team in internal and external meetings, design reviews, and decision-making forums.  Contribute directly to projects as needed to support critical deliverables, de-risk complex issues, or provide subject matter expertise. Ensure contributions align with project intent and maintain consistency with team standards and practices.
• Establish and maintain productive working relationships with internal departments and external vendors, ensuring clear communication and alignment throughout all project phases. Serve as a trusted representative of the team to cross-functional partners, aligning expectations and advocating for team needs.  Collaborate with senior leadership to forecast staffing and resource needs across short- and long-term project timelines. Support budget planning, resource allocation, and prioritization to ensure effective project execution within scope. Identify skill gaps and recommend new roles, tools, or processes that strengthen team capabilities.
• Ensures compliance with and contributes to the development of internal and external standards and specifications (ASTM, Universal Engineering Specifications, etc.).
• Understand and actively participate in Environmental, Health & Safety responsibilities by following established UDX policy, procedures, training and team member involvement activities. 
• Performs other duties as assigned.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: 

• Supervises an Exempt team
• Must have strong communication and collaboration skills and ability to work effectively in a team environment. Preference for previous leadership experience.

EDUCATION:

Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Aerospace, Systems, Controls) is required, master’s degree preferred. 

EXPERIENCE: 

9+ years engineering experience. Previous supervisory experience required. Preference for experience in themed entertainment, theme parks or related industries with complex and/or life-safety critical equipment; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Your talent, skills and experience will be rewarded with a competitive compensation package.

Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2025 Universal Studios. © 2025 Universal Orlando. All rights reserved. EOE