Manager, Product Engineering - Automotive Sensors

CTS Corporation•Farmington Hills, MI

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Product Engineering Manager – Automotive Sensors leads product engineering for assigned automotive sensor product families and is accountable for project execution, customer technical engagement, product-development discipline, and sustaining engineering support. This role develops engineering talent, drives cross-functional accountability, and ensures multidisciplinary sensor solutions meet customer, business, quality, and regulatory expectations from concept through production.

Requirements

Strong knowledge of automotive product-development processes and tools, including APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, DVP&R, requirements management, design reviews, validation, engineering change management, and structured problem solving.
Working knowledge of multidisciplinary automotive components or systems that integrate mechanical, electrical, electronic, magnetic, software, and manufacturing-process elements.
Ability to lead engineers and technical teams through clear direction, coaching, prioritization, delegation, performance feedback, and accountability.
Strong systems thinking and technical judgment, with the ability to evaluate interfaces, failure modes, product risks, and tradeoffs across performance, quality, cost, timing, and resources.
Ability to lead customer-facing technical discussions, translate customer needs into actionable engineering requirements, and communicate complex issues clearly to technical and business audiences.
Strong cross-functional collaboration, influence, conflict-resolution, and decision-making skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, identify execution gaps, escalate risks early, and establish practical recovery plans.
Proficiency in data-driven decision making and modern engineering productivity tools, including appropriate use of digital and AI-enabled methods.
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
At least 8 years of engineering or product-development experience in automotive, transportation, industrial, or a related component industry.
Demonstrated experience leading engineers or technical teams, including setting expectations, managing priorities, developing talent, and holding teams accountable.
Experience leading products through development, verification and validation, launch, and sustaining production.
Experience applying automotive product-development processes and tools such as APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, DVP&R, engineering change management, and structured problem solving.
Customer-facing experience and the ability to work effectively with Sales, Program Management, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and senior leadership.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed to support customers, manufacturing locations, suppliers, and business priorities.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in engineering, systems engineering or business administration.
Automotive Tier 1 product development experience relating to electro-mechanical components.
Experience with automotive sensors, magnetic sensing, position sensing, current sensing, or related multidisciplinary sensor products.
Experience with ISO 26262 functional safety, systems engineering, or automotive safety-related development practices.
Experience using external engineering partners, suppliers, automation, AI, data analytics, or digital engineering tools to improve execution and productivity.
Experience with product cost reduction, value analysis/value engineering, design standardization, product roadmaps, and customer technical issue resolution.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop the product engineering team; establish clear priorities, roles, objectives, deliverables, and accountability; provide regular feedback; support performance management, succession planning, and capability development.
Plan and allocate internal and external engineering resources to meet program, customer, and business priorities.
Own complete product engineering outcomes for assigned sensor product families, including requirements, product performance, interfaces, technical risks, verification, validation, release, launch, and lifecycle support.
Serve as a senior technical contact for customers and support Sales, Business Development, Product Management, and Program Management in technical assessments, new-business pursuits, and RFQ responses.
Lead engineering execution from concept through production, ensuring disciplined design reviews, verification and validation, engineering change control, launch readiness, and sustaining support.
Drive timely, structured problem solving for customer, production, supplier, field, warranty, and quality issues, with technically sound corrective actions and clear recovery plans.
Partner with Quality, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, Program Management, and Product Management to align priorities, resolve issues, and deliver business commitments.
Build organizational capability through design standardization, knowledge reuse, external partner leverage, cost reduction, continuous improvement, and practical use of AI-enabled and digital engineering tools.
Ensure compliance with applicable automotive development practices and customer requirements, including APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, DVP&R, engineering change management, and ISO 26262 activities when applicable.
Make and communicate sound engineering and business tradeoffs involving product performance, quality, cost, timing, resources, and risk; escalate material issues early with facts and recovery actions.