Launch Director

At Roush, we fuse technology and engineering to provide product development solutions to customers in a diverse range of industries. Widely recognized for providing engineering, testing, prototype, and manufacturing services to the transportation industry, Roush also provides significant support to the aerospace, defense and theme park industries.  With over 4,000 employees in facilities throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America, our unique combination of creativity and tenacity activates big ideas on a global stage.  We want motivated, ambitious people who put the needs of our customers first, bring creativity to their work and will do whatever it takes to achieve success.  If you share our passion for providing innovative solutions to complex challenges, we want you on our team.  

The Launch Director is a key member of the PMO Leadership Team and a strategic position within the enterprise. This position is specifically responsible for ensuring overall success of program/product launches across the enterprise, especially those programs/products that utilize the breadth of Roush’s product development capabilities (engineering, prototyping, testing and manufacturing/assembly). The Launch Director will be involved early in the engineering phase, all the way through the launch phase, and will be responsible for ensuring all product development inputs, deliverables and gates are achieved, for an overall successful product launch. This key role is located in Livonia, MI.

• Collaborate with the cross functional team including design engineering, supply chain, business development, operations, and manufacturing for support in all phases, from planning, through executing Pre-Production Builds and production launches.  
• Participate in the design phase to ensure Manufacturing/launch considerations are considered and implemented into the design.
• Responsible for ensuring the Roush product development process is followed for programs that involve multiple functions throughout the enterprise.
• Oversee and execute the launch phase of programs as they shift to manufacturing and assembly.
• Create and implement a standard process for programs that transition from design phase to manufacturing phase and develop corporate product development standards.
• Work with the program teams to identify and mitigate risks.
• Assist the program teams with developing comprehensive program plans that move seamlessly across the Product Development (PD) process.
• Participate in the estimating and quoting process to ensure all aspects of the project or program have been comprehended, including but not limited to cost, quality, scope, resources, risk, and schedule timing.
• Develop culture of design for manufacturing and design for cost and implement metrics to measure cross-functional alignment to this objective.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering.
• Minimum of 10 years engineering and launching full vehicle programs.
• Minimum of 10 years of program or project management experience.
• Minimum of 10 years leading a team.
• Extensive knowledge of and experience with full vehicle/product design, engineering, and testing.
• Extensive knowledge of and experience with Assembly Plant Operations of complex production lines involving production control, material handling, supply chain, quality, and production team required. 
• Profit & loss ability or experience developing and managing a prescribed department budget.
• Ability to understand, articulate and teach product development (PD) process deliverables.
• Must possess strong leadership and management skills, ability to solve complex problems and be self-motivated.  
• Proven Leadership skills in communicating to a large team a common purpose and deliverables, empowering others to act toward that purpose, and driving progress towards successful results.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Project.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, both written and verbal in the English language with the ability to lead team meetings and program reviews.
• Ability to work in and knowledge and experience with large OEMs and small startups in a variety of markets which could include Mobility, Defense, Aerospace, Entertainment or others.
• The ability and experience to work in both low mix/high volume and high volume/low mix production environments.

Preferred Skills

• Master’s degree in business or engineering related fields.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Fundamental understanding of activity-based costing models including evaluation of fixed and variable cost integration into estimating models.
• Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, including but not limited to value chain setup, mapping, inventory valuation and cost variance evaluation.
• Working knowledge of program management processes such as change control (both engineering and program scope), risk identification and phase gate processes.

To apply, please visit the Roush careers page by clicking on this link:

Our Full-Time benefits include: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, earned sick time, STD, LTD, 401K, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation, and paid holidays.

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Roush is an EO employer – Veterans/Disabled and other protected categories

If you need a reasonable accommodation for our employment application process due to disability, please contact Roush Talent Acquisition at 734-779-7087.