Design Quality Lead BCIM

Stellantis•Auburn Hills, MI

14h

About The Position

The Design Quality Lead (DQL) for BCIM drives design quality from early concept through launch. The role ensures alignment with quality targets, leads APQP/PPAP readiness, manages risk, and provides cross-functional leadership to engineering, suppliers, and program teams. The DQL Project Specialist supports robust design execution, early issue identification, and quality convergence to meet customer and business expectations. The role begins involvement four weeks before PM or upon A3Q release from CX. It leads quality convergence toward North America BCIM targets for Months in Service and CPV, assesses gaps to targets, identifies risks requiring engineering or leadership action, and works with Engineering and TECH teams to define enablers to close quality gaps. It also trains engineering teams to apply quality targets during the RFQ process. The Design Quality Lead governs design-quality checkpoints, including Design Assessment, Risk Management Plan, and Lessons Learned (Check Retex) review, ensuring each is Green or Orange with an action plan. The role prepares and delivers biweekly project reviews with the Director, develops materials for senior leadership reviews, attends weekly PMT meetings and other cross-functional sessions, and contributes design-quality input related to APQP at part-readiness meetings. The role monitors APQP and PPAP progress across assigned components and suppliers; initiates APQP kickoff meetings with DREs, SQEs, and suppliers; supports technical reviews; provides weekly APQP status reports to the Project CVE; and conducts weekly APQP grid audits, escalating issues when needed. It initiates and maintains Level 1 escalation notifications and reports, and leads escalation meetings with relevant project, purchasing, supplier, engineering, and quality stakeholders to resolve roadblocks. Training responsibilities include introductory APQP/PPAP sessions for engineering and supplier teams, biweekly APQP Process and AUROS/PLM Q&A workshops, and one-on-one AUROS/PLM training for DREs to support proper system usage and documentation quality.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, or a related technical field.
Minimum of 5 years of work experience.
Strong working knowledge of APQP and PPAP processes, deliverables, and timing.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional meetings involving Engineering, SQE, Purchasing, Program Management, and suppliers.
Ability to present complex quality topics clearly and confidently to technical teams and senior leadership.
Experience driving alignment across departments and ensuring follow-through on action plans.
Ability to analyze quality data, identify gaps, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
Skill in preparing and delivering structured updates, risk summaries, and readiness assessments.

Nice To Haves

Experience serving as a quality lead, APQP champion, or design quality representative in a product development environment.
Prior responsibility for facilitating technical reviews, escalation meetings, or leadership-level presentations.
Strong understanding of interdepartmental workflows across Engineering, SQE, Purchasing, Manufacturing, and Program teams.
Experience coaching or training teams on APQP/PPAP, PLM systems, or quality processes.
Ability to influence without authority and drive alignment across global or distributed teams.
Proficiency with PLM systems, APQP dashboards, and quality reporting tools.
Experience preparing and presenting content for senior leadership or executive-level reviews.

Responsibilities

Begin involvement four weeks before PM or upon A3Q release from CX.
Lead quality convergence toward NA BCIM targets for Months in Service and CPV.
Conduct gap-to-target assessments, identify risks requiring engineering or leadership action, and collaborate with Engineering and TECH teams to define enablers to close quality gaps.
Train engineering teams on applying Quality Targets during the RFQ process.
Ensure design-related checkpoints—Design Assessment, Risk Management Plan, and Lessons Learned (Check Retex) review—are Green or Orange with action plans.
Prepare and deliver biweekly project reviews with the Director and develop materials for senior leadership reviews.
Attend weekly PMT meetings and other cross-functional sessions as needed.
Participate in part-readiness meetings and provide design-quality input related to APQP.
Monitor APQP and PPAP progress across assigned components and suppliers.
Initiate APQP kickoff meetings with DREs, SQEs, and suppliers.
Support and help lead technical review meetings to ensure TECH teams and DQLs understand APQP expectations and cadence.
Provide weekly APQP status reports to the Project CVE.
Conduct weekly APQP grid audits and escalate issues when necessary.
Initiate Level 1 escalation notifications to the Project Lead and Quality Project Specialist, and maintain the escalation report.
Lead escalation meetings with Buyer, SQE, Supplier, DRE, SSTM, and SSTL as needed to resolve roadblocks.
Deliver introductory APQP/PPAP training sessions for engineering and supplier teams.
Host biweekly APQP Process and AUROS/PLM Q&A workshops for DREs, SSTMs, SSTLs, SQEs, suppliers, and extended functional teams.
Provide one-on-one AUROS/PLM training for DREs to ensure proper system usage and documentation quality.