Technical Specialist, Product Data Management

Scout Motors • Novi, MI

6h • $130,000 - $160,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Here at Scout Motors, we're carrying forward the heritage of one of the most iconic American vehicles in history. A vehicle dating back to 1960. One that forged the path for future generations of rugged SUVs and trucks and will do so once again.
But Scout is more than just a brand, it’s a legacy steeped in a culture of exploration, caretaking, and hard work.
The Scout brand is all about respect. Respect for the past and the future by taking an iconic American brand that hasn’t been around for a while, electrifying it, digitizing it, and loading it with American innovation. Respect for communities by creating a company that stands for its people and its customers. Respect for both work and play, with vehicles that are equally at home at a camp site, a job site, or on a Tuesday commute. And respect for our customers by developing two powertrains that meet their requirements — an all-electric powertrain as well as the Harvester™ range extender powertrain which includes a built-in gas-powered generator with an estimated 500 miles of combined range.
At Scout Motors, we empower our talented, inclusive, and entrepreneurial teams to innovate. What makes a Scout employee? Someone who is a visionary and a leader, who seeks new paths and shares lessons learned. A knowledgeable doer who collaborates across the company to build better. A go-getter with unrivaled passion.
Join us at Scout Motors and be part of shaping the future of transportation. If you're ready to drive change and make history, apply now!
Overview
The Product Data Management specialist is responsible for ensuring completeness, accuracy, and governance of product data throughout the vehicle development lifecycle. Operating at the intersection of Engineering, Manufacturing, Procurement, and Quality, this role ensures that product data is consistent, compliant, and available to all stakeholders across the Scout Motors Inc. ecosystem.
The Product Data Manager plays a key role in enabling digital product development, supporting PDM/PLM processes, and ensuring seamless data flow to downstream systems such as BOM management, homologation, sourcing and testing.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related technical field.
• 8+ years of experience in Product Data Management, PLM, Data Governance, or Engineering in an automotive or industrial environment.
• Experience working with enterprise PLM/PDM systems (e.g., Teamcenter, 3DX, VW Group‑specific systems nice to have).
• Minimum of High School Diploma, GED or equivalent required for all roles at Scout Motors, Inc.
• Strong understanding of PLM/PDM processes and data structures.
• Ability to analyze and interpret data to support decision‑making (a core data‑product skill).
• Familiarity with configuration management and BOM logic.
• Knowledge of automotive development processes and release standards (e.g., VW Group processes nice to have).
• Strong cross‑functional communication and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Ability to bridge technical and business requirements.
• Analytical mindset with a structured, process‑driven approach.
• Proactive problem‑solving, ownership mentality, and continuous‑improvement orientation.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with VW Group digital tools, PDM environments
• Familiarity with Agile ways of working
• Knowledge of data governance frameworks and product‑data compliance.
• Experience in product‑configuration logic, variant management, or homologation data support.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain governance standards for product data across all systems and platforms (aligned with Scout Motors Inc. methods and toolchains).
• Ensure completeness, consistency, and accuracy of product data throughout the development process (aligned to data‑product principles).
• Define and enforce naming conventions, release logic, and change‑management rules.
• Drive data quality KPIs and continuous improvement in collaboration with Engineering and IT.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams (Engineering, PDM, R&D, IT, Manufacturing) to ensure a unified understanding of product data structures and requirements—consistent with VW’s cross‑functional product governance approach.
• Translate business requirements into data structures and system configurations.
• Support teams in resolving data‑related issues and preventing recurrence.
• Maintain product structures, metadata, and configuration logic across PLM systems.
• Ensure proper data flow across development stages—from concept to series production—aligned with Scout Motors Inc. standards.
• Support BOM creation, configuration management, and release processes.
• Analyze data usage, system behavior, and downstream impacts to identify process improvements (aligned with data‑product iterative cycles).
• Support digitalization projects and contribute to the transformation toward model‑based and data‑centric engineering.
• Drive simplification of PDM and engineering data processes.
• Provide analytics and insights to improve product‑development decision making—reflecting the role of data product managers in guiding decisions through data.
• Prepare dashboard reports on data quality, process adherence, and change impact.
• Support audits, reviews, and release committees with accurate and complete data.
• Partner closely with Product Change Management to ensure that changes are reflected accurately across product data sets.
• Maintain traceability between requirements, design data, BOMs, and configurations.

Benefits

• Competitive insurance including:
• Medical, dental, vision and income protection plans
• 401(k) program with:
• An employer match and immediate vesting
• Generous Paid Time Off including:
• 20 days 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 circumstances related to bereavement, jury duty, voting time, or military leave

What This Job Offers

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