Lead, Thermal Systems SET

Scout Motors • Novi, MI

11d • $160,000 - $192,500 • Onsite

About The Position

The Thermal Systems SET Lead is responsible for delivering the thermal system to program timing, cost, quality, and vehicle integration targets. The role leads system execution and integration across engineering, suppliers, purchasing, manufacturing, validation, and program management. It involves independent judgment on significant program and integration issues, aligning stakeholders, and ensuring thermal-system components are released, sourced, and available for vehicle builds and production milestones.

Based at Scout Motors’ Novi, Michigan location, the role requires 4–5 days per week in the office, regular in-person meetings and events, and occasional travel to company events. The position is full-time and exempt, with a base salary range of $160,000–$192,500 and eligibility for an annual performance bonus.

The successful candidate will bring integrity, curiosity, resourcefulness, a positive attitude, and a growth mindset, and will work collaboratively in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. The role calls for a bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field and 12–15 years of relevant automotive engineering, systems integration, program management, or thermal systems experience.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field.
• 12–15 years of relevant automotive engineering, systems integration, program management, or thermal systems experience.
• Experience leading complex vehicle-system development programs and resolving significant cross-functional issues that affect program or functional outcomes.
• Broad expertise in automotive product development, engineering releases, validation processes, supplier management, sourcing, and vehicle integration.
• Ability to operate independently, direct work through cross-functional teams, influence diverse stakeholders, and manage schedules, risks, decisions, and recovery actions.
• Excellent communication, technical leadership, persuasion, and organizational skills, including the ability to convey advanced information to technical and leadership audiences.
• Integrity, curiosity, resourcefulness, a positive attitude, and a growth mindset; comfort with change and a collaborative approach in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Nice To Haves

• Recognized subject-matter expertise in vehicle systems, thermal systems, system integration, or overall systems management.
• Experience working with VW Group or Scout product-development processes and coordinating across global or multi-organizational stakeholders.
• Experience supporting vehicle builds, launch activities, and production readiness reviews.
• Familiarity with engineering release systems, change management processes, supplier development, and reusable readiness or governance methods.

Responsibilities

• Own and govern thermal-system timing plans, deliverables, priorities, and milestone tracking across the assigned vehicle program.
• Track component maturity, sourcing status, releases, tooling, validation, and build readiness.
• Define and maintain part-level scorecards, readiness dashboards, and decision criteria that provide system-level visibility.
• Coordinate prototype, VFF, PVS, and production-build part availability.
• Ensure thermal-system components are released on time to support program milestones.
• Direct supplier recovery planning when timing, quality, cost, or technical delivery is at risk, and drive alignment on corrective actions.
• Coordinate activities across thermal engineering, purchasing, validation, manufacturing, quality, controls, packaging, program management, and suppliers.
• Lead technical and program reviews, communicate system-readiness information, and drive decisions across stakeholders.
• Lead resolution of significant cross-functional issues, evaluate competing or incomplete inputs, exercise independent judgment, and escalate risks requiring leadership action.
• Maintain transparency of open issues, decisions, dependencies, and action-item ownership while driving accountability for closure.
• Own thermal-system integration readiness and ensure components collectively meet vehicle and program requirements.
• Assess engineering changes and determine impacts to system timing, cost, validation, sourcing, and vehicle builds.
• Guide development and execution of system-level validation plans and align readiness to program milestones.
• Lead cross-functional closure of vehicle-, subsystem-, and component-level testing issues, including technical and program recovery direction.
• Maintain and govern thermal-system status reports, timing plans, risk registers, issue lists, executive updates, and decision records.
• Coordinate and review release documentation, technical specifications, sourcing packages, and engineering deliverables for completeness and program readiness.
• Provide management reporting and recommendations on system readiness, risks, tradeoffs, recovery actions, and milestone achievement.
• Resolve roadblocks across functions and suppliers; escalate issues with impact assessments, options, and recommended actions when broader leadership decisions are required.

Benefits

• Competitive medical, dental, vision, and income protection plans.
• 401(k) program with employer match and immediate vesting.
• 20 days of planned PTO, as accrued.
• 40 hours of unplanned PTO and 14 company or floating holidays annually.
• Up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave for biological and adoptive parents of all genders.
• Paid leave for bereavement, jury duty, voting time, or military leave.
• Annual performance bonus program.
• Competitive compensation and benefits to support physical, mental, and financial wellbeing.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior