Job Description
The Interior Vehicle Systems Engineer (VSE) serves as the SMT functional leader and Chief Engineer for a vehicle program. This role owns Interior design intent and technical execution, ensuring subsystem decisions align with vehicle-level performance, quality, timing, and cost targets while managing complex subsystem, system, and vehicle integration at the SMT level. The VSE leads a diverse, global team of engineers, with input from Studio, Manufacturing, Compartment Integration, Program Planning, Validation, Specifications, Suppliers, and Purchasing, to execute high-quality designs, overcome unique challenges, and enable program goals while providing managerial leadership to keep the program on time, within budget, and delivered with quality.
The VSE is the single voice of the designated program. Success in this role requires strong technical leadership, program management and planning, and the ability to influence across a complex organization to deliver results. They will be an effective communicator and team leader who can perceive and analyze risk, work to mitigate risk early, think ahead and plan several steps into the future, prioritize and manage multiple challenges concurrently, break down roadblocks, and challenge the status quo when appropriate.
What You’ll Do (Responsibilities):
System Integration & Program Leadership
Own Interior coordination across systems, subsystems, and vehicle interfaces; balance interior content & technical imperatives aligned to program targets and milestones. Drive engineering execution efficiency, strategically planning SMT engagement on the most critical program risks.
Technical Leadership
Lead structured problem solving, root-cause analysis, and trade-off decisions; define must-be-true conditions, set constraints, and make timely decisions to protect Interior imperatives.
Identify and resolve Interior issues at both component and vehicle levels; balance customer experience, craftsmanship, manufacturability, cost, safety, and enterprise constraints through clear technical communication.
Remain highly program-focused on implementation, acting as the primary contact for the program team and SMT leaders.
Executive & Cross-Functional Communication
Deliver concise, executive-ready updates (written, verbal, and visual); prioritize and tailor information for leaders, Design Release Engineers, Engineering Group Managers, Studio, and functional partners.
Influence, Negotiation & Alignment
Align stakeholders with competing objectives across Studio, Engineering, Performance, Manufacturing, and Program Teams; remove enterprise-level roadblocks and secure cross-functional agreement on Interior content and design.
Program Management & Planning
Develop and manage Interior 30/60/90-day and long-range plans; appropriately push back on scope; delegate effectively; identify and mitigate Interior system risks early.
Lead Interior Engineering’s delivery against imperative targets along the develop development process glidepath; synthesize detailed Interior inputs into aggregate status.
Drive Interior program deliverables, benchmarking, cost management, human factors, interface requirements, craftsmanship, and financial/quality imperatives; co-lead supplier selection, tooling kick-off, and production tooling readiness.
Lead vehicle-level integration execution across functional leaders, ensuring alignment with prior advanced strategies.
Troubleshoot integration conflicts and system-level execution gaps, escalating key launch issues and coordinating critical launch-issue mobilization efforts.
Anticipate risk, lead Interior engineering changes, and coordinate validation activities; support release engineers, issue resolution teams, and plant teams through development, build events, and vehicle launch.
Develop a support network for critical launch issues with cross-functional teams to drive rapid resolution. Ensure cross-functional alignment for launch excellence, escalating high-impact issues to…