Assistant Program Manager (APM)

General Motors•Warren, MI

1d•Onsite

About The Position

GM's Design Organization is seeking an Assistant Program Manager (APM) who will represent Design in Engineering and Program Teams, ensuring that vehicles have world-class craftsmanship, quality, usability, and an engaged customer experience. The successful candidate is highly skilled at program management, creative problem solving, and cross-functional collaboration, with a strong attention to detail to deliver extraordinary products that meet General Motors’ purpose to pioneer the innovations that move and connect people to what matters. This role has a dedicated focus on Color, Materials and Finishes (CMF). The APM will closely support the CMF Studio and related Design partners to ensure CMF strategies, properties, and execution are fully integrated into program deliverables, aligned with brand and customer expectations, and delivered with excellence throughout the Global Vehicle Development Process (GVDP).

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in design, business, engineering, or equivalent work experience.
5+ years of relevant experience.
Experience supporting design or engineering functions.
Strong facilitation skills with ability to adapt style to suit different audiences and situations.
Ability to be predictive and proactive in a high-tempo work environment that is dependent on collaboration, decisiveness, and innovative thinking.
Excellent influencing and negotiation skills.
High level of project management skills.
Detail-oriented problem-solver.
Self-motivated with the ability to work with minimal direction.
Strong team-building and interpersonal skills.
Managerial courage.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on CMF Studio Collaboration Experience working directly with a Color, Materials & Finishes (CMF) studio or CMF design team within an automotive or related consumer product environment.
Materials & Finish Knowledge Basic fundamental knowledge of automotive interior and exterior materials and finishes—including paints, plastics, textiles, leather, metals, decorative trims, and graphics.
CMF Development Process Familiarity Familiarity with CMF development workflows such as color approvals, material sampling, property and appearance builds, and supplier engagement throughout the design and validation phases.

Responsibilities

Directly support the Program Manager in cross-functional execution of GVDP and Design sub-process deliverables, managing Design and CMF milestones with a goal of 100% on-time performance with quality.
Represent the voice of Design – with a specific emphasis on CMF requirements, constraints, and opportunities – cross-functionally to ensure deliverables and decisions are met per process and to drive accountability as the neutral voice of the program internally.
Facilitate Program Operations Meetings (POPs) to track and resolve program issues, including documenting decisions and tracking action items to closure.
Act as CMF Design’s single-point-of-contact for all cross-functional stakeholders for assigned programs, including Brand Studio, Brand, Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, and suppliers as needed.
Make program status highly visible, anticipate potential program risks, and support issue escalation, particularly where CMF content, materials, or finishes may impact timing, cost, quality, or brand experience.
Demonstrate ability to bring stakeholders together to resolve issues quickly and effectively.
Work with all levels of the organization, including facilitating CMF Design reviews and Executive / VP of Design reviews as needed.
Develop and maintain strategic relationships between Brand Studios, Engineering, Material Development, Sustainability, and Design functions.
Utilize Momentum timing tools and author CMF Design change requests in the Program Change Management (PCM) system.
Maintain the Design Fabrication CMF Bill of Properties (BoP) and ensure property data is accurate and current.
Coordinate and support CMF property builds (e.g., color/trim bucks, material boards, appearance properties) with Design Fabrication and Brand Studio, including timing, content, and quality checks.
Partner with the CMF Studio to ensure CMF strategies, palettes, and material selections are appropriately captured, tracked, and communicated through all program phases.
Support the tracking and alignment of DSI/DSO, CMF-related property standards, and material specifications as they relate to program deliverables.
Collaborate with Engineering, Purchasing, and suppliers to understand material feasibility, manufacturing constraints, and cost impacts associated with CMF decisions.
Help ensure CMF deliverables (color approvals, materials and finishes, grain, gloss, and texture targets, etc.) are integrated into program gateways and GVDP checkpoints.
Monitor and escalate risks related to color approvals, material lead times, supplier readiness, and property availability, driving cross-functional action to maintain timing and quality.