Engineering Launch Manager

 

We are seeking an experienced Engineering Launch Manager to lead Plant Vehicle Engineering for Interior, Exterior, Seating, and Restraint systems during vehicle launch, production ramp-up, and ongoing manufacturing. This hands-on leader will connect Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supplier Quality, Program Management, and Vehicle Integration to deliver safe, high-quality vehicles and rapid issue resolution. We are looking for a resilient, hands-on leader with strong ownership, sound technical judgment, and the ability to develop people, clarify accountability, remove roadblocks, and drive complex issues to closure while sustaining team engagement and launch execution. 

 

 

• Build a high-performing team through coaching, regular feedback, performance management, succession planning, and career development. 

• Create a culture of ownership, accountability, technical rigor, teamwork, and continuous improvement. 

• Maintain team morale and engagement during demanding launch periods by setting clear priorities, recognizing contributions, balancing workloads, and providing timely support. 

• Lead by example with a hands-on approach, strong work ethic, calm decision-making, and willingness to support the team during critical builds and production escalations. 

• Lead, coach, and develop Plant Vehicle Engineers supporting instrument panels, center consoles, door trim, headliners, interior trim, NVH, soft trim, carpet, interior electronics, fascias, cladding, moldings, exterior trim and closures, seating systems and mechanisms, airbags, seat belts, and occupant restraints. 

• Serve as the primary engineering escalation point for launch, production, supplier, quality, craftsmanship, fit and finish, dimensional, assembly, and cross-functional concerns. 

• Take ownership of ICA (Immediate Corrective Action) and PCA (Permanent Corrective Action) execution, from containment and risk assessment through verified root cause, corrective action, validation, and sustainable closure. 

• Teach and guide the team in structured root cause analysis, including clear problem definition, data collection, fault isolation, 5 Why, fishbone, 8D, FMEA, and verification of corrective-action effectiveness. 

• Challenge unsupported conclusions and ensure decisions are based on evidence, disciplined analysis, and clear validation plans. 

• Define and maintain clear roles, responsibilities, system ownership, escalation paths, and decision rights. Assign accountable owners and due dates, eliminate gaps or duplication, and ensure cross-functional actions are closed. 

• Partner with engineering, manufacturing, quality, suppliers, and program teams to remove roadblocks and resolve issues affecting safety, vehicle quality, timing, cost, manufacturability, and customer experience. 

• Establish operating rhythms for issue reviews, technical escalations, launch readiness, workload balancing, and leadership reporting. 

• Both support engineers in problem solving but also be capable of managing and solving technical problems yourself where needed 

 

Skills 

• Strong launch execution mindset with the ability to prioritize critical issues, remove roadblocks, and drive timely decisions during high-pressure build and ramp-up phases. 

• Advanced problem-solving capability, including structured root cause analysis, containment planning, corrective-action validation, and data-based decision-making. 

• Ability to lead cross-functional alignment across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supplier Quality, Program Management, and Vehicle Integration teams. 

• Clear and concise communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical issues into actionable updates for leadership and stakeholders. 

• Demonstrated people leadership skills, including coaching, accountability setting, workload balancing, and maintaining team engagement during demanding launch periods. 

 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related field. 

• 8+ years of automotive engineering experience, including leadership or people-management experience. 

• Strong technical background in Interiors, Exteriors, Seating, Restraints, Vehicle Integration, Manufacturing, Quality, or Launch Engineering. 

• Experience supporting vehicle launches, production ramp-ups, manufacturing operations, suppliers, and structured corrective-action processes. 

• Excellent leadership, problem-solving, communication, organizational, and stakeholder-management skills. 

• This role works closely with global teams across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The manager must communicate effectively across cultures and time zones and be flexible to support early-morning or evening meetings, including calls with U.S.-based engineering teams, when launch or business needs require.