Occupant Thermal Comfort Feature Owner

General Motors•Milford, MI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

At General Motors, our product teams are redefining mobility. Through a human-centered design process, we create vehicles and experiences that are designed not just to be seen, but to be felt. We’re turning today’s impossible into tomorrow’s standard —from breakthrough hardware and battery systems to intuitive design, intelligent software, and next-generation safety and entertainment features. Every day, our products move millions of people as we aim to make driving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale. Hybrid: This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to Milford, MI three times per week, at minimum. The Role The Occupant Thermal Comfort (OTC) Feature Owner (FO) is responsible for defining the strategy, methodology, and end‑to‑end requirements for the OTC feature across both hardware and software solutions. Serving as the corporate subject matter expert, this role leads the development and validation of feature requirements to ensure an exceptional customer experience while meeting robustness, safety, and regulatory standards. Highly collaborative by design, the FO partners across the organization to deploy new and existing technologies, balancing design, performance, and energy efficiency to deliver against customer and vehicle program expectations.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field
7+ years of experience in thermal, systems engineering, and/or energy engineering disciplines
Strong understanding of systems development, verification, validation, and vehicle manufacturing processes
Demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage work effectively with limited direction
DFSS Black Belt certification
Proven leadership capabilities with the ability to influence and motivate through strong collaboration
Working knowledge of FMEA methodologies and CFD analysis
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to operate independently in ambiguous environments and negotiate effectively across teams
Open‑minded, optimistic, and approachable professional with a demonstrated willingness to mentor individuals within and beyond their immediate organization
Valid driver’s license with the ability to operate test vehicles

Nice To Haves

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
Experience in thermal areas such as HVAC Performance, Comfort calibrations, Powertrain Cooling, and/or vehicle energy
Demonstrated technical and professional skills in system integration and energy management
Knowledge of Systems Engineering methods (e.g., structured design) and effective scoping of the required work products
Demonstrate the ability and willingness to challenge historical methods and technologies

Responsibilities

Serve as the subject matter expert (SME), owning the full lifecycle of the Occupant Thermal Comfort (OTC) feature—from customer experience and requirements definition through design, testing, launch, and field performance
Define and develop Feature Technical Specifications (FTS) for OTC systems
Develop Feature/System FMEAs and allocate identified failure modes appropriately
Define and execute Testable Functional Rollout Plans (TFRP) and PAR assessments
Own and maintain the OTC/CTEM Feature System Roadmap
Partner with the system safety team to support Potential Hazard Analysis (PHA) and cascade hazard levels and failure modes through F/S‑FMEA
Ensure all required feature development and approval gates are met (e.g., Feature Initiation Approval, Feature Rollout Plans, Peer Reviews)
Lead and conduct functional readiness reviews
Collaborate across engineering and functional domains to ensure integration‑driven requirements are met within other feature areas
Support Advanced Technical Work (ATW) project scoping and ensure alignment across the organization
Lead competitive benchmarking efforts and remain current on emerging technologies and industry trends applicable to the feature
Provide technical feature leadership throughout all phases of the Global Vehicle Development Process (GVDP) to ensure robust execution and performance
Partner with Validation Engineers and systems teams to achieve feature verification and validation signoff