Position Overview

The Sr. Launch Engineer is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing all launch activities associated with new vehicle programs, engineering changes, and manufacturing readiness. This role serves as a key interface between Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Logistics, Program Management, and Product Development teams to ensure successful vehicle launches from concept through Start of Production (SOP). The Launch Sr. Engineer leads readiness assessments, build event coordination, issue management, validation activities, and operational readiness execution to ensure safety, quality, cost, timing, and volume objectives are achieved.

Key Responsibilities

Launch Planning & Readiness:

• Support the development and execution of launch plans for new vehicle programs and major product changes.
• Update launch deliverables, milestones, and readiness criteria.
• Coordinate cross-functional activities to ensure launch requirements are achieved.
• Monitor launch timing and escalate risks that may impact program objectives.
• Support Open-to-Go assessments and build readiness reviews.

Build Event Coordination:

• Lead preparation and execution of prototype, pilot, validation, and production builds.
• Coordinate vehicle scheduling and build plans with all participating functions.
• Ensure materials, tooling, equipment, manpower, and documentation are available and ready.
• Facilitate daily build reviews and issue resolution meetings.
• Track build performance metrics and lessons learned.

Issue Management & Problem Resolution:

• Collect, document, prioritize, and monitor launch-related issues.
• Drive closure plans with responsible teams.
• Utilize structured problem-solving methodologies to resolve launch issues.
• Escalate critical issues to leadership when required.
• Track issue trends and support management reporting.

Manufacturing Readiness:

• Assess manufacturing process readiness against launch requirements.
• Support validation of equipment, tooling, automation, software, and production systems.
• Verify operational readiness of manufacturing shops.
• Ensure readiness metrics are achieved prior to production milestones.

Product & Process Validation:

• Support new product introduction (NPI) activities.
• Coordinate vehicle and process validation builds.
• Ensure engineering changes are properly implemented and validated.
• Track launch quality metrics and process capability indicators.
• Support root cause analysis and corrective action implementation.

Cross-Functional Leadership:

• Facilitate communication between Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, Logistics, and Supplier teams.
• Drive alignment on launch priorities and deliverables.
• Lead launch meetings and action-item tracking.
• Provide launch status updates to management and executive leadership.

Reporting & Governance:

• Develop launch readiness dashboards and reports.
• Maintain launch scorecards and milestone trackers.
• Support Launch Governance Reviews and executive launch reporting.
• Present launch status, risks, countermeasures, and recovery plans.

Continuous Improvement:

• Capture lessons learned from launch activities.
• Support development of launch standards and best practices.
• Identify opportunities to improve launch efficiency and risk management processes.
• Contribute to future program readiness and organizational learning.

Skills

• Deep understanding of vehicle assembly.
• Understanding of APQP principles
• Aware of Project management fundamentals
• Experience with Data analysis and reporting tools
• Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Power BI, PowerPoint)
• Experience launching manufacturing and production lines.
• Hands-on experience with process validation, commissioning, and manufacturing quality systems.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Mechatronics Engineering (Master’s preferred).
• 5-8 years of experience in automotive manufacturing.