Platform Chief Engineer - Bus Platform

International Motors, LLC•Lisle, IL

5d•$164,000 - $246,000

About The Position

International Motors is seeking a highly accomplished Platform Chief Engineer for its Bus Platform within the Research & Development organization. This role provides technical and business leadership for a vehicle platform and serves as the primary engineering leader accountable for vehicle-level performance, quality, cost, timing, and customer satisfaction throughout the product lifecycle. The Platform Chief Engineer is the principal engineering representative to the Commercial team and a key connection among Commercial, Program Management, Product Strategy, and Engineering. The role translates customer needs into innovative, profitable, and regulatory-compliant vehicle solutions, leads cross-functional alignment and strategic decisions, and champions execution across engineering disciplines. The position also leads and develops the Application Engineering team, supports platform strategy and program execution, participates in engineering governance and cost-management activities, and provides technical expertise to Sales, Dealers, and Aftersales. The role represents the platform at customer and industry events as required and ensures applicable regulatory, safety, environmental, and certification requirements are addressed throughout product development.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, or Computer Science and at least 6 years of product design/development and/or computer science experience, plus at least 3 years of lead experience; OR
Master’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, or Computer Science and at least 5 years of product design/development and/or computer science experience, plus at least 3 years of lead experience; OR
PhD in Engineering, Engineering Technology, or Computer Science and at least 4 years of product design/development and/or computer science experience, plus at least 3 years of lead experience.
Qualified candidates, excluding current employees, must be legally authorized on an unrestricted basis (US Citizen, Legal Permanent Resident, Refugee, or Asylee) to be employed in the United States. The company does not anticipate providing employment-related work sponsorship for this position.

Nice To Haves

Exceptional communication and executive presentation skills.
Strong business acumen and customer-focused decision-making.
Ability to evaluate and lead complex tradeoff decisions involving performance, cost, quality, and timing.
High sense of urgency, ownership, and accountability.
Proven commercial vehicle product development experience.
Strong leadership and team development capabilities.
Ability to influence without direct authority and build consensus across diverse stakeholders.
Strategic thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
Demonstrated ability to build lasting relationships across engineering, commercial, and operational functions.
School bus development experience.
Knowledge of the school bus industry, its requirements, and regulations.

Responsibilities

Provide overall engineering leadership and accountability for vehicle-level performance, quality, cost, timing, and product execution.
Serve as the principal engineering representative to the Commercial team and align customer, market, and engineering priorities.
Represent Commercial requirements within R&D, vehicle programs, and strategic planning activities.
Support development of platform strategy, program charters, scope definition, and vehicle performance attribute requirements.
Guide cross-functional decision-making and tradeoff analysis involving vehicle packaging, performance, quality, cost, manufacturability, and delivery.
Drive platform initiatives in alignment with program objectives and business goals.
Partner with Program Management and functional leaders to identify risks, resolve issues, and maintain program commitments.
Lead engineering decision-making through participation in Change Control Boards (CCB) and related governance forums.
Ensure feature implementation balances customer value, platform complexity, quality, and cost.
Support product cost management through Tracked Typical Reviews and ongoing cost optimization initiatives.
Drive disciplined engineering change management processes across the platform.
Lead and develop the Application Engineering team responsible for platform execution and support.
Collaborate with Custom Engineering to support timely delivery of Special Quote (SQ) content and customer-specific solutions.
Build partnerships across Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, Sales, Service, Quality, Regulatory, and Commercial organizations.
Foster accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, and customer focus.
Engage in resolving engineering, manufacturing, and field quality concerns to achieve product quality objectives.
Provide technical consultation to Sales and Dealer organizations for special quotations, specification reviews, order configuration, and customer support.
Support Aftersales teams with engineering expertise related to product support, serviceability, and customer satisfaction.
Represent the platform at customer events, industry engagements, and trade shows as required.
Ensure platform compliance with applicable regulatory, safety, environmental, and certification requirements.
Monitor evolving industry regulations and proactively integrate requirements into product development activities.