Director, Program Management

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Motiv is a leading manufacturer of medium duty, zero-emission electric trucks and buses. Motiv produces a range of vehicles; including step vans, shuttle buses, box trucks and work trucks, all of which eliminate tailpipe CO2 emissions and particulate matter, while offering drivers and passengers a more comfortable, healthier and safer ride. Motiv’s combination of operational cost savings and environmental performance helps customers meet increasingly stringent emissions and pollution standards as well as achieve their own Net-Zero, ESG or other climate impact-related pledges and commitments.

 

Director, Program Management 

 

Department

Program Management

FLSA

Exempt

Reports To

Chief Product and Engineering Officer

Location

Novi, MI

 

Job Summary:

 

Motiv is seeking an experienced Director of Program Management to lead the execution of Motiv’s Commercial Electric Truck programs. The Program Director leads Motiv’s Program Management department, focused on identifying processes and procedures while developing and implementing detailed timing plans across all vehicle platforms. They are responsible for overseeing and guiding the successful execution of Motiv’s vehicle programs. They work cross functionally with Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, Quality, and Manufacturing organizations to ensure corporate goals, milestones, and timelines are met efficiently and within budget. The Program Director seeks opportunities to improve team effectiveness by optimizing business processes and project management tools. 

Our ideal candidate must have a high degree of technical competence, written and verbal communication skills, and be comfortable working independently or collaboratively.  A Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field is required – a master's degree in engineering would be a plus. We are looking for candidates with 12 -15 years of progressive automotive program management experience, preferably in a fast paced, high volume or similar environment, with at least four (4) years in a management role with significant multi-site experience.  The candidate must have experience working in structured engineering process including definition of requirements and objective function, concept creation, market analysis for components, analyzing options, and making program level decisions.

 

Supervisory Responsibilities:

 

• Lead and manage a team of program managers and engineering solutions providers, providing mentorship, setting goals, and fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.  
• Develop and execute a processes and procedures aligned with company objectives, product development goals, and emerging automotive trends.
• Partner with cross-functional teams, including product development, electrical engineering, software engineering, and mechanical engineering, to ensure timelines are met efficiently and within budget.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Develop program level timing plans. Lead, track, and report progress to plan and drive solutions to address any identified gaps.
• Communicate status and the big picture to the program team and executive management
• Identifying potential risks to the program and escalating appropriately 
• Schedule and lead program cadence meetings to provide updates on program status
• Drive daily activities of the program management team to meet overall program/project objectives and focus on process within product definition and engineering design cycles including but not limited to:
• Supporting prototype builds, testing, and validation to meet production timing
• Identifying and prioritizing project tasks and risks, driving engineering discussions and decisions on critical system parameters
• Identifying multi-functional design dependencies and risks
• Influence and negotiate project architecture and design with system teams to ensure accurate scoping
• Lead other high-priority projects related to product development as assigned
• Hands-on participation in the recruitment, hiring, onboarding and training of key personnel as necessary and appropriate
• Budget responsibility for the Program Management Department.

Required Skills/Abilities: 

• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Proactive and independent with the ability to take initiative
• Flexible to work in Factory environment on the floor to inspect /Troubleshoot 
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet