Director, Product Engineering

Program Description

The Director, Product Engineering – GM Programs provides strategic and operational leadership for all product engineering activities supporting assigned General Motors vehicle platforms and programs. This position is responsible for leading engineering teams across product development, design validation, launch readiness, and engineering change management while ensuring customer satisfaction, quality, timing, and financial objectives are achieved.

The Director serves as the primary engineering interface to General Motors and collaborates closely with Program Management, Manufacturing Engineering, Sales, Purchasing, Quality, Tooling, and Operations to successfully launch and maintain programs throughout the product lifecycle. The role develops engineering talent, drives technical excellence, and supports the organization's long-term growth strategy with GM.

Leadership & People Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop Product Engineering Managers, Senior Engineering Managers, Principal Engineers, and Product Engineers.
• Build organizational capability through coaching, succession planning, talent development, and performance management.
• Establish engineering priorities and resource plans to support program timing and customer requirements.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and innovation.

Customer and Program Management

• Serve as the primary engineering representative for assigned GM platforms and vehicle programs.
• Maintain strong working relationships with GM Engineering, Purchasing, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, and Program Teams.
• Lead customer design reviews, technical discussions, engineering issue resolution, and product development activities.
• Ensure engineering deliverables support program timing, quality requirements, and launch objectives.
• Support commercial discussions and customer growth opportunities.

Product Development

• Direct product design, development, validation, and release activities from concept through production launch.
• Ensure designs meet customer specifications, regulatory requirements, manufacturability standards, and quality expectations.
• Drive engineering change management processes and risk mitigation plans.
• Oversee engineering support for prototype builds, testing activities, and launch events.
• Lead technical problem-solving efforts throughout program development and production.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Program Management to achieve program financial, timing, and quality targets.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering to ensure product designs support efficient production processes.
• Work closely with Quality, Purchasing, Tooling, and Operations teams to successfully launch and maintain programs.
• Coordinate engineering resources across multiple programs, vehicle platforms, and customer initiatives.

Business and Operational Excellence

• Manage engineering budgets, resource utilization, and project expenditures.
• Monitor engineering metrics and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Identify risks to program timing, quality, or customer satisfaction and implement corrective actions.
• Support strategic planning activities for future platform awards and product growth opportunities.
• Ensure compliance with company standards, customer requirements, and quality systems.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering required.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or related field preferred.

Experience

• 10+ years of progressive automotive engineering experience.
• 5+ years of engineering leadership experience managing technical teams.
• Experience supporting OEM customers, preferably General Motors.
• Demonstrated experience leading product development and program launch activities.
• Experience in automotive interiors, components, systems, or related product engineering environments preferred.

Technical Competencies

• Product development and engineering change management.
• Program launch and APQP methodologies.
• Engineering design and validation processes.
• Manufacturing and quality systems knowledge.
• Customer relationship management.
• Budget and resource management.
• Strategic planning and organizational leadership.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Program launch performance
• Customer satisfaction metrics
• Product quality performance
• Engineering budget adherence
• Engineering resource utilization
• Employee engagement and retention
• Safety and compliance performance
• Timing and milestone achievement
• Talent development and succession readiness