Senior Vehicle Program / Project Chief – Automotive Engineering

Position Overview The Senior Vehicle Program / Project Chief will own one or two specific vehicle/car lines and serve as the primary lead for those programs. This role will oversee all aspects of the assigned programs, including current quality and production, production issues, supplier issues, resourcing, timing and cost, and warranty/quality concerns. The individual will lead and coordinate a team of engineers who report to other managers, without having direct reports. The role requires strong leadership, communication, coordination, and stakeholder-management skills, with significant time spent at the plant, with suppliers, and with engineering teams. Core Responsibilities Own one or two specific vehicle/car lines and serve as the primary lead for those programs. Oversee all aspects of the assigned programs, including: Current quality and production Production issues Supplier issues Resourcing Timing and cost Warranty/quality concerns Lead and coordinate a team of engineers who report to other managers, without having direct reports. Direct engineers on next steps and coordinate support required from plants, suppliers, and engineering teams. Spend significant time at the plant, with suppliers, and with engineering teams. Act as the primary communication point between the program team, Chief Engineers, suppliers, and engineering groups. For warranty issues, coordinate engineers and suppliers to drive root cause, follow-up reviews, and corrective actions. Experience Requirements 5 years is the absolute minimum, but this is considered a highly senior role. Typical Project Chiefs have approximately 8 years of experience. Strong preference for candidates with experience: Leading engineers/technical teams Working in manufacturing environments Working directly with suppliers Managing multiple commodities/teams Program/project management Automotive engineering and vehicle programs A DRE with 8+ years of experience would be a strong fit. Most Project Chiefs transition into these roles after several years of DRE experience. Automotive / Industry Background Automotive experience is strongly preferred due to the complexity of the products and programs. Supplier-side experience could be beneficial. Candidates from other industries are not completely ruled out if they have the right combination of engineering, manufacturing, supplier, and program-management experience. Technical / Functional Focus This is more of a program/project management role than a design role. Engineering background is required, but candidates will not necessarily be designing parts themselves. Project/program management experience is more important than deep design expertise. Six Sigma, DVP&R, and DFMEA knowledge would be beneficial but are not the primary focus. Commodities Covered The team owns both Body-in-White/closure components and General Assembly components, including: Doors Sheet metal Hoods Fenders Tailgates Side door glass Weather stripping/sealing B-pillar appliques Door modules Regulators Key Success Factor Communication is critical. The person will be the vocal/program-facing lead and will need to clearly communicate with Chief Engineers, program teams, suppliers, and other engineering groups. Strong leadership and coordination skills are essential even though the individual will not have direct reports. Ideal Candidate Profile A strong candidate would ideally be: BS in Mechanical Engineering 8+ years of experience preferred; 5 years minimum Senior DRE, Project Engineer, Program Manager, or similar Automotive/OEM or automotive supplier background Strong manufacturing and supplier-facing experience Proven ability to lead engineers without direct authority Strong project/program management skills Comfortable working onsite at a manufacturing plant Able to travel to an engineering/technical center 1–2 times per week Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills The expected base salary range for this position is $40 – $46 per hour, depending on experience, skills, and internal equity. The Company offers a total rewards package in accordance with all applicable federal, provincial, and local laws and requirements. Benefit eligibility and offerings vary based on role, employment status, and work location. For contractor positions, benefits are limited to those entitlements and protections required by applicable law, which may include (as applicable) vacation pay, public holidays, leaves of absence, and other legally mandated benefits or payments. We may use AI-enabled and/or automated tools to support parts of our recruitment process, including application screening, interview scheduling, and candidate communications. These tools are used to enhance consistency and efficiency. All hiring decisions involve human review and are not based solely on automated processing.

The Senior Vehicle Program Chief leads specific vehicle lines, overseeing production quality, supplier issues, timing, and costs. They coordinate a cross-functional team of engineers to drive root cause analysis and corrective actions for warranty and production concerns.

Requires a minimum of 5 years of experience (8+ preferred) in automotive engineering, specifically as a DRE or Project Engineer. A Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and strong experience in manufacturing and supplier-facing environments are expected.

• Quality ControlPreferred
• CommunicationPreferred
• Root Cause AnalysisPreferred
• Project managementPreferred
• Stakeholder ManagementPreferred

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Program Management
• Project Management
• Automotive Engineering
• Stakeholder Management
• Supplier Management
• Manufacturing
• Cross-functional Leadership
• Root Cause Analysis
• Quality Control
• Cost Management
• Body-in-White
• General Assembly
• DVP&R
• DFMEA
• Six Sigma
• Communication

• Engineering
• Manufacturing
• Management & Leadership
• Transportation

Minimum education

Bachelor’s degree

Minimum experience

8+ years

Apply by

Sep 26, 2026

Posting language

English

Working hours

40 hours per week

Seniority

Mid-Senior level

Application method

Direct apply is available