New Model Launch Manager (Automotive Mfg)

In this position...

The New Model Launch Manager holds a pivotal role in strategically overseeing and directing the successful launch of multiple new vehicle or powertrain models within manufacturing plants. The primary goal is to ensure these launches consistently meet or exceed targets for on-time delivery, budget adherence, and quality levels across multiple programs.

This leadership role is paramount to achieving launch excellence for new vehicle and powertrain models across Ford's North America Manufacturing Plants. The Manager will drive success by leading, mentoring, and empowering a high-performing team of launch supervisors and engineers, fostering a high-performing organization. This leader will collaborate extensively and strategically with diverse cross-functional teams and executive leadership, including Vice Presidents, to implement launch processes and standards, ensuring robust execution and alignment with overall business objectives. This role involves proactive engagement and communication with senior executive leadership on critical launch risks, opportunities, and strategic initiatives.

What you'll do...

• Budget Oversight: Accountable for driving and ensuring overall budget adherence across multiple new model launches, identifying opportunities for cost optimization and efficiency.
• Pre-Production Oversight: Providing oversight and guidance on all activities leading up to the initial prototype and pre-production vehicle builds, ensuring these early builds are cost-effective and meet quality standards.
• Design Change Approval: Reviewing and approving design changes throughout the product development lifecycle, making sure these changes are supported in pre-production builds and thoroughly tested ("proven out") before the official launch.
• Organizational Support: Ensure that all necessary facilities, resources, and support infrastructure are in place and optimized to enable efficient operation for multiple on-site launch teams.
• Systemic Issue Resolution: Oversee the implementation and continuous improvement of issue management systems to proactively track, resolve, and prevent systemic issues that could impact launch success, focusing on cross-program challenges and long-term resolutions.
• Customer Feedback Integration: Driving the process of addressing concerns raised by early customer feedback vehicles (often called "Voice of the Customer Fleet") and ensuring these issues are resolved before launch.
• Change Control Management: Managing the new model program's (NMP) involvement in the overall change control process (which may involve electronic approvals), ensuring that any proposed changes are necessary and implemented at the correct time.
• Risk Mitigation: Leading the development of strategies to reduce risks associated with parts that are not yet at full production quality, including plans to test and validate them for a high-quality launch.
• Production Readiness Approval: Leading the "Open to Go" process, which includes verifying the origin and quality of parts ("part pedigree") and providing final approval for any deviations or alerts needed for parts not fully approved for production ("PPAP") before critical build events.
• Plant Issue Tracking: Supporting the manufacturing issue management (often a "whiteboard" process) to ensure issues are resolved promptly.
• Executive Reporting & Risk Management: Proactively identify, analyze, and dimension complex launch risks across multiple programs, developing comprehensive mitigation plans and clearly articulating strategic status, risks, and opportunities to executive leadership.
• Meeting Cadence & Coordination: Establish and manage the meeting cadence for on-site launches and provide high-level coordination for ongoing launch activities across programs.
• Launch Review Presentations: Preparing and presenting comprehensive launch reviews, from early stages through to the "OK to Buy" decision point.
• Production Readiness Scorecards: Lead the strategic approval process for "OK to Build/Ship/Buy" scorecards at critical project milestones and beyond, ensuring robust scorecard preparation and review at all senior management meetings.
• On-Site Modifications: Leading the process for any modifications needed on-site, tracking these changes, and working with the plant and suppliers to manage part updates and inventory reduction plans.
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