Senior Design Release Engineer- Seat Core Engineering

General Motors • Warren, MI

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Design Release Engineer will lead product development and Core Engineering and integration activities within General Motors’ Seat Core Engineering team. The role uses engineering tools and processes to develop seat variants for vehicle programs and rigorously manage program milestones. It includes design, development, analysis, implementation, and validation of complex seat subsystems, with emphasis on integrating components, occupants, and seating systems while balancing cost, mass, complexity, timing, and content.

The position is hybrid and requires onsite work at the Warren Tech Center at least three days per week, or at another frequency determined by the manager. Travel is expected to be less than 25%. The role is not eligible for relocation benefits. GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, or Civil Engineering.
• At least 5 years of experience developing and executing technical solutions for mechanical components supporting new vehicle programs.
• Previous seat development experience.
• Ability to balance business imperatives, including cost, mass, complexity, and timing.
• Comfort working with multidisciplinary and cross-cultural teams.
• Ability to work effectively with ambiguity in a forward-thinking environment.
• Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) Green Belt certification.
• Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) Black Belt certification.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Engineering.
• Familiarity with structured problem-solving methods such as Red-X.
• Experience with DFMEA, PFMEA, and GD&T.

Responsibilities

• Lead product development and Core Engineering and integration activities within the Seat Core Engineering team.
• Develop seat variants for vehicle programs and manage program milestones.
• Design, develop, analyze, implement, and validate complex seat subsystems.
• Perform engineering design evaluations and concept development across vehicle programs using a Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) approach.
• Use DFMEA, ICDs, and PFMEA, and leverage CAE groups, including Safety Performance, to develop system design solutions.
• Complete DFMEA (FIT) activities on time and with quality.
• Package components, manage CAD development through supplier or GM designers, and collaborate with other vehicle systems.
• Ensure CAD incorporates best practices and seek support when best practices are not met.
• Work cross-functionally on initial vehicle configuration, cost optimization, customer-driven requirements, and product and process improvements.
• Balance business imperatives, including cost, mass, complexity, timing, and content.
• Communicate with internal and external customer organizations, including Creative Design, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Quality, and suppliers, and lead the product development team (PDT).
• Track and resolve open issues with support.
• Review and support benchmarking to guide competitive design direction.
• Support the SVI team through early engagement.
• Understand customer needs and architecture limitations.
• Integrate components, occupants, and the seating system.
• Anticipate future use cases rather than focusing on point solutions.
• Develop reuse strategies across seating systems and reduce component variants.
• Develop improvements and solutions that enable comfort and craftsmanship.
• Provide features and solutions for consistent quality assembly and closeout for the seat and vehicle.
• Support virtual validation goals.
• Incorporate lessons learned and continuous improvements based on physical validation and builds.

Benefits

• Benefits supporting employee well-being at work and at home are available from day one; specific benefits are described in GM Total Rewards resources.

What This Job Offers

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