Manufacturing Engineering Manager – Body Product Interface

The Role  

The Manufacturing Engineering Manager – Body Product Interface leads a team of engineers responsible for ensuring product designs are manufacturable and launch-ready across assigned vehicle programs. This role serves as the single manufacturing voice to Product Engineering from program inception through launch, driving early alignment, issue resolution, and execution across the Global Vehicle Development Process. 

This leader works cross-functionally with Product Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, Dimensional Quality, Purchasing, and suppliers to embed Manufacturing Requirements, Best Practices, common locating strategies, and body enterprise strategies into product and process decisions. The role is critical to enabling manufacturability, inter-buildability, dimensional excellence, automation readiness, and flawless program launches. 

What You’ll Do  

• Lead and develop a team of Product Interface engineers and program leads responsible for manufacturability across multiple vehicle programs. 

• Serve as the single voice from Manufacturing Engineering to Product Engineering from program inception through launch for assigned programs. 

• Drive cross-functional alignment to ensure on-time, high-quality program deliverables that support vehicle, plant, cost, quality, and launch targets. 

• Champion Manufacturing Requirements, Best Practices, Body Enterprise strategies, and agreed upon global standards in program specific math, design development forums, and execution activities. 

• Lead manufacturing integration through key cross functional forums.  

• Evaluate product designs and drive early identification of high-risk manufacturing issues through math-based assessments, manufacturability reviews, and collaboration with studio, architectural, dimensional, and manufacturing teams. 

• Ensure designs incorporate inter-buildability, manufacturability, common datum locating strategies, and automation enablers where applicable. 

• Manage Product Interface operating mechanisms including Plan for Every Part, Study Request, Concept Sheets, Manufacturing Requirements, Best Practices, engineering changes, and related tracking tools. 

• Partner with Product Engineering and Purchasing to support sourcing readiness, material timing, engineering maturity, statement of requirements completion, tech reviews, and issue escalation where manufacturing input is required. 

• Balance team workload and staffing across programs in collaboration with other Body PI leaders. 

• Support critical interface planning, dimensional readiness, launch builds, and lessons learned integration and launch activity into future program execution. 

• Assist Product Interface lead architectural and product engineers in resolving issues required to meet global body requirements and program commitments, including resolution of program specific GVDP, Global Vehicle Development Plan, timing needs. 

Leadership Expectations  

Required Qualifications  

• 10+ years of experience in automotive product development, body manufacturing engineering, dimensional engineering, die manufacturing, stamping, launch, or related disciplines. 

• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing technical decisions across complex, multi-program environments

• Working knowledge of the Global Vehicle Development Process, including process deliverables, product deliverables, and interface milestones. 

• Working knowledge of Body Manufacturing requirements, body shop assembly strategies, and contributors to final vehicle dimensional performance. 

• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capability, with the ability to balance product, manufacturing, and program trade-offs ​

Preferred Qualifications  

• Experience with Body-In-White tooling, body shop automation strategies, stamping processes, and sheet metal formability. 

• Knowledge of sheet metal datum strategies, GD&T, and joining methods including welding, mechanical fastening, and adhesive bonding. 

• Experience using digital product/process tools and math-based evaluations to assess manufacturability risk and support engineering change management. 

• Experience supporting global programs and applying common enterprise strategies across regions and architectures. 

• Experience managing direct and/or matrixed team members, providing performance feedback that helps build skills and improve performance. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or equivalent technical experience. 

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