Engineering Group Leader - Occupant Safety & Security Systems Validation

Description

The Role

This position is a key technical people-leader role within the Global Systems Engineering, Safety, and Validation (GSESV) organization, accountable for leading the newly formed Occupant Safety & Security Systems Validation team and ensuring team deliverables meet customer expectations for safety, regulatory compliance, and quality.

The successful candidate will bring strong communication skills, strategic thinking, relationship-building capability, and a results-focused mindset to guide work across complex validation activities and cross-functional teams. They will demonstrate urgency, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to exercise independent judgment. This role requires solid systems engineering and validation knowledge in Seat, Seat Belt, and Driver Airbag Restraints, and has recently expanded to include security features and systems validation. The role will be responsible for developing, operationalizing, and implementing the team’s approach to execute this new area, including Teen Driver, Valet Mode, and Theft Deterrence.

This position also requires hands-on strength in physical and virtual evaluation procedure execution, type approval process knowledge, regulatory and safety requirement understanding, Analysis Development and Validation (ADV) plan generation and change management, reliability and confidence application, and thoughtful issue identification through peer review and critical thinking. The successful candidate will be comfortable working with tools such as TcVis, e-Merge, JIRA, JIRA PRTS, VCAM, DFMEA and GDocs approval workflows, while contributing to milestone delivery, compliance documentation, evaluation reports, judgment letters, and technical mentorship to ensure high-quality execution.

What You’ll Do (Responsibilities)

Lead occupant safety and security validation activities across multiple vehicle programs and architectures.

Provide technical direction, people leadership, and project oversight for execution, resourcing, risk management, and team performance.

Drive robust systems engineering practices, including requirements, DFMEAs, safety artifacts, validation plans, and technical reviews.

Partner cross-functionally with program, design, software, manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams to resolve issues and deliver safe, compliant systems.

Build a high-performing organization through coaching, accountability, continuous improvement, and clear operating metrics.

Ability to travel 5-10% of the time.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

Bachelor’s degree in engineering with 8+ years of relevant experience in automotive systems engineering and system safety, including validation, across multiple vehicle programs or architectures.

Proven people leadership and the ability to lead cross-functional engineering teams, develop talent, manage performance, and build inclusive, high-performing organizations.

Solid systems engineering and validation knowledge in Seat, Seat Belt, and Driver Airbag Restraint systems, including vehicle integration and development, and associated validation methods, tools, and issue-management practices.

Demonstrated ability to successfully deploy and execute expanded team responsibilities to support the implementation of security features and systems validation requirements.

Proven ability to deliver technical content for program milestones, including safety and regulatory deliverables, while managing trade-offs across timing, content, and resources.

Working knowledge of the following regulations MVSS 203, 209, 207, 210, 202a, and 225; along with the associated type approval / export regulations.

Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to drive accountability and influence across program, design, software, manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams.

DFSS Black Belt Certification.

What Can Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

Master’s degree in engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline; advanced study in Business is also valued.

Deep experience in Systems Engineering, System Safety, Functional Safety, Validation Methods, and/or Quality or Regulatory disciplines within the defined areas.

Strong knowledge of GM systems engineering practices, including requirements flow down, DFMEAs, system safety artifacts, validation plans, and technical reviews.

Direct leadership experience over multi-disciplinary teams delivering Systems Engineering and System Safety content across multiple vehicle programs, architectures, or chassis-related domains.

Demonstrated success leading major Systems Engineering and System Safety trade-offs, governing standard work and validation artifacts, and supporting launch and regulatory milestones.

Familiarity with KPI dashboards, continuous improvement methods, and lessons-learned processes that strengthen Systems Engineering, System Safety, and validation execution.

DFSS Master Black Belt Certification, Red X, or OpEx.

Company vehicle: Upon successful completion of a motor vehicle report review, you will be eligible to participate in a company vehicle evaluation program, though which you will be assigned a General Motors vehicle to drive and evaluate. Note: program participants are required to purchase/lease a qualifying GM vehicle every four years unless one of a limited number of exceptions applies.

#LI-KE2

GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This includes direct company sponsorship, entry of GM as the immigration employer of record on a government form, and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g., H1-B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.)

This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week {or other frequency dictated by their manager}.

The selected candidate will be required to travel <25% for this role.

This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.

The position is subject to export control restrictions and requires the successful candidate to be either a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, asylee or refugee) or a non-U.S. Person who is eligible to obtain any required export control authorization

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us

We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Total Rewards | Benefits Overview

From day one, we're looking out for your well-being–at work and at home–so you can focus on realizing your ambitions. Learn how GM supports a rewarding career that rewards you personally by visiting Total Rewards resources.

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.

All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws.

We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.

Accommodations

General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us [email protected] or call us at 1-800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.