Senior Manager, Overall Vehicle Development (Expat Possible)
Lead the Overall Vehicle Development (OVD) team and ensure the successful development and delivery of integrated vehicle solutions throughout the entire product development process. The position is responsible for dimensional concept development, vehicle packaging integration, ergonomics, weight management, fuel efficiency pre-validation and prototype activities, ensuring alignment with customer requirements, product targets, regulatory standards and project milestones.
Description of tasks
1. Management:
• The management, motivation and development of staff using HR tools, founded on our mission statement & corporate values, and provision of purposeful internal communications in order to achieve the agreed objectives.
• Ensuring that the necessary training appropriate to the needs of individual employees and the tasks assigned to them is provided. Informing subordinated employees about the relevant provisions and instructing them to comply with the provisions. Ensuring that they are implemented properly.
2. Planning & Control:
• Plan and manage budget, headcount, capacity and resource allocation in line with business priorities.
• Monitor budget performance and resource utilization and implement corrective actions where required.
3. Overall Vehicle Development and Integration:
• Drive vehicle dimensional concept, packaging integration and ergonomics development, ensuring alignment with customer requirements, technical targets, regulatory standards and overall vehicle feasibility.
• Define, monitor and steer overall vehicle targets related to weight, fuel efficiency and other key vehicle attributes, and coordinate optimization measures across different functions.
• Plan, coordinate and support prototype build, ensuring timely identification, escalation and resolution of vehicle integration issues throughout the development process.
• Coordinate overall vehicle development topics across relevant engineering functions, managing technical trade-offs, monitoring project risks and maturity, and supporting management decision-making to ensure achievement of project objectives.
4. Ensure adherence to safety, health and environmental requirements and promote a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
5. Drive continuous improvement, digitalization and capability development within team. Ensure that relevant technical methods, processes and competencies are continuously developed in line with future business needs.
Education
Bachelor’s degree or above in Automotive Engineering, Vehicle Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering or a related discipline.
Experience
• Minimum 8 years of experience in vehicle development, vehicle integration, vehicle packaging or related engineering functions.
• Experience in complete vehicle development project lifecycles, from concept development through series production launch.
• Proven experience in people leadership, team development and performance management, as well as in coordinating multidisciplinary stakeholders.
Specific knowledge
• Competitive knowledge of vehicle packaging and dimensional concept development, Digital Mock-Up (DMU) and relevant digital vehicle integration tools and processes.
• Good understanding of vehicle ergonomics, weight management and vehicle efficiency targets.
• Understanding of automotive development processes, regulatory requirements and vehicle engineering standards.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and project management skills.
• Excellent presentation, executive communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to structure complex technical topics clearly and deliver concise, decision-oriented updates to management.
• Fluent English language skills; German is an advantage.