Engineering Group Manager - Seat Complete

General Motors•Warren, MI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Seat Complete Engineering Group Manager is the technical and people leader responsible for developing, integrating, and delivering complete seat systems across assigned vehicle programs. The role leads GMNA seat DREs and seat integration engineers and partners with Seat leadership, program teams, vehicle architecture, interior, safety integration, design, manufacturing, purchasing, global development teams, and suppliers. The manager is accountable for seat solutions that balance customer expectations, vehicle integration, technical performance, quality, timing, cost, and business objectives. The position calls for deep automotive seating expertise, independent judgment, timely decisions, and hands-on leadership to resolve complex issues and align teams. The role leads complete seat system development from concept through launch, establishes technical direction and requirements, manages interfaces and validation, drives issue resolution, and ensures launch readiness. It also leads program execution and cross-functional alignment, manages engineering resources and priorities, and develops team capability through coaching, performance feedback, training, and workforce planning. This position is hybrid, with the selected candidate expected to work on-site at Warren Tech Center at least three days per week, or as otherwise determined by the hiring leader. Travel may be required during development, execution, and launch. Relocation assistance is not available. GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or a related technical field.
Demonstrated experience leading complete seat engineering, seat system integration, or a closely related automotive seating function.
Deep technical knowledge of automotive seating, including structures, mechanisms, components, subsystems, integration, packaging, and vehicle interior interfaces.
Experience leading technical development from early concept and frontloading through validation, launch, and production issue resolution.
Ability to make autonomous, timely decisions in ambiguous and high-pressure situations while balancing customer needs, technical requirements, business metrics, and department strategy.
Strong understanding of engineering development processes, requirements management, design reviews, DFMEA, peer reviews, DFSS, validation, and issue-resolution disciplines.
Ability to lead DREs and integration engineers through complex program deliverables, with accountability for timing, quality, technical performance, and launch readiness.
Exceptional communication skills and ability to explain technical issues, tradeoffs, risks, and recommendations across engineering, program, purchasing, manufacturing, and supplier organizations.
Ability to create cross-functional alignment and establish a clear path forward without unnecessary escalation or delay.
Strong relationship-building skills and ability to gain trust and confidence from team members, peers, senior leaders, program teams, purchasing, and suppliers.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, resolve conflict, remove roadblocks, and maintain composure while delivering results.
People-leadership skills, including coaching, feedback, talent development, recognition, performance management, and workload prioritization.
Willingness to travel as required during development, execution, and launch phases.

Nice To Haves

Master of Science degree in engineering or a related technical field.
Master of Business Administration.
DFSS Black Belt certification.
Experience with manufacturing automation and/or product design for automation.
Experience with innovation and technical advancement within automotive seating or interiors.

Responsibilities

Lead technical development and integration of complete seat systems from concept through launch for assigned vehicle programs.
Own seat complete technical execution, including integration of structures, mechanisms, components, subsystems, trim, restraint interfaces, electrical content, occupant interfaces, and vehicle requirements.
Establish and maintain technical direction for seat systems, including requirements, interfaces, design intent, validation strategy, issue resolution, and launch readiness.
Balance vehicle and seat technical specifications, customer expectations, quality, cost, mass, timing, manufacturability, serviceability, and other program imperatives.
Lead technical reviews, peer reviews, DFMEA activities, DFSS application, design assessments, and cross-functional issue-resolution forums.
Partner with suppliers to develop, mature, validate, and launch seat systems and technologies that meet GM requirements and program objectives.
Identify technical risks, assess tradeoffs, and drive mitigation plans to closure with clear owners, timing, and decision criteria.
Lead GMNA Seat DREs and seat integration engineers in delivering vehicle program milestones, GVDP deliverables, and launch commitments.
Make timely, informed decisions within the role's scope and autonomously resolve ambiguity, remove roadblocks, and establish a path forward.
Document and communicate technical decisions to stakeholders across Seats, program teams, purchasing, manufacturing, and suppliers.
Manage competing priorities and assignments with disciplined execution; lead balancing of portfolio imperatives, including HVI, and align VTS, SSTS, CTS, and other requirements.
Identify and deploy engineering resources for program execution and frontloading, including strategic sourcing, design detail reviews, and early development activities.
Support execution and launch through appropriate travel and direct engagement with program, plant, and supplier teams.
Build relationships and create alignment across Seat engineering and leadership, Interior SMT, safety integration, purchasing, vehicle architecture, design studio, manufacturing, program teams, global development teams, and suppliers.
Represent Seat Complete Engineering in cross-functional forums and communicate technical issues, requirements, ownership, risks, timing, and recommendations.
Promote regional and global collaboration and share lessons learned and best practices across programs.
Lead, coach, and develop a team of GMNA Seat DREs and seat integration engineers; set priorities, assign workloads, and align resources.
Conduct team meetings and communicate GM policies, procedures, safety messages, functional strategy, and organizational priorities.
Provide timely feedback, evaluate performance and behaviors, recognize contributions, and address performance concerns.
Support career development, identify capability gaps, and execute training and development initiatives.
Ensure employees complete mandatory GM and role-specific technical or functional training.
Participate in staffing, workforce planning, compensation planning, and compensation administration as required.
Resolve employee concerns, complaints, and work-related issues fairly and promptly, and foster accountability, inclusion, collaboration, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.