Change Control Analyst

Optimal; Allen Park (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimal is seeking a Change Control Analyst to lead the change management process for NA vehicle programs, from FDJ to OKTB, ensuring CR validation, authorization, and release on time and with quality. You will bridge engineering, manufacturing plants, and cross-functional teams, owning the process, challenging data, and guiding engineers through WERS workflows to keep program health green.

Fluent English required with a bachelor's in a technical field; prior WERS experience and strong

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a closely related field.
• Solid understanding of Change Management processes and WERS workflow experience.
• Experience in leading cross-functional change activities and CR approvals.

Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate WERS Change Control and CPE DF meetings; prepare agendas and track follow-ups.
• Review CR data for accuracy; coach engineers in writing high-quality CRs.
• Coordinate with VO, PVT, PM, Finance, and others to expedite CR approvals.
• Manage WERS C-screen and D-screen approvals; ensure correct PINs and docs.
• Confirm cost and timing containment; align with plant and vehicle lines.
• Monitor CR throughput and aging; escalate bottlenecks to avoid delays.
• Generate night letters and status reports including PO/TO metrics.

Skills

WERS

Team Center

Release Engineering

Release Management

Production release

Microsoft Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or related technical field

Tools

Teamcenter

WERS

Excel (Microsoft)

Job description

Position Description:

Job Description: Change Control Analyst (CCA)

The Role: The Change Control Analyst (CCA) is a key role responsible for leading and executing the change management process and driving Change Control Meetings for North America (NA) LVEA vehicle programs. Operating within the critical window from FDJ (Freeze Design Intent) through OKTB (Ok to Build), the CCA ensures the seamless validation, authorization, and release of Engineering Change Requests (CRs) while maintaining strict alignment with program timing, cost, and quality metrics.

Description Your Impact: As a Change Control Analyst, you will play a pivotal role in the vehicle development lifecycle, particularly during high-stakes build phases (TT to OKTB) where speed, accuracy, and a strong sense of urgency are vital. You will act as the primary bridge between engineering, manufacturing plants, and cross-functional approval teams. Rather than just processing paperwork, you will "own the process" - challenging data to justify engineering changes, guiding engineers through complex WERS workflows, and building strong collaborative relationships with key stakeholders (VO, PVT, PM, Finance, PPM). By monitoring CR throughput and optimizing the change management flow, your leadership will directly impact and improve the program's Green/Yellow/Red performance metrics, ensuring vehicles are built on time and with the highest quality.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a closely related technical field.

Experience & System Knowledge: Solid understanding of Change Management processes. Hands-on experience with WERS (writing CRs, navigating C/D screens, release intent) is highly preferred.

Language

Fluent in English (both written and spoken) with excellent communication skills to align with global and cross-functional teams.

Soft Skills: High sense of urgency, strong leadership, proactive problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities. Ability to elevate issues effectively and handle quick turnarounds.

Responsibilities

• Lead & Facilitate: Drive WERS Change Control and CPE DF meetings, including preparing and distributing agendas and managing follow-ups.
• Validate & Support: Review and validate information in CR concerns for data accuracy, actively assisting and coaching engineers/authors in writing high-quality CRs.
• Drive Authorization: Partner with cross-functional teams (VO, PVT, PM, Finance, PPM, etc.) to push CR approvals and expedite Notice Releases.
• System Administration: Manage WERS C-screen and D-screen approvals, ensuring correct PIN number assignments and precise documentation.
• Containment & Alignment: Confirm cost and timing containment for all processed changes, coordinating closely with plant and vehicle line teams to obtain necessary approvals.
• Monitor & Escalate: Track CR throughput, monitor aging requests, and proactively elevate bottlenecks to prevent program delays.
• Reporting: Issue CR night letters and detailed status reports, including PO/TO metrics, to maintain clear visibility of program health for leadership.

Skills Required

WERS, Team Center, Teamcenter, Release Engineering, Release Management, production release, Microsoft Excel. WERS Candidate should have working knowledge of the WERS change management process and be able to independently create, review, validate, and manage Engineering Change Requests (CRs). Expected experience includes navigating C- and D-screens, managing release intent, reviewing change documentation, supporting approval routing, and ensuring changes align with program timing, cost, and quality requirements. Team Center Candidate should be able to utilize Team Center to access and review engineering data, part information, bills of material, documentation, and release-related records. Experience supporting engineering change activities and coordinating data required for production release actions is preferred. Teamcenter (Combined with Team Center above.) Candidate should possess practical experience using Teamcenter as an engineering data management tool, including locating and interpreting engineering documentation, supporting release activities, and collaborating with engineering teams to resolve data-related issues impacting change implementation. Release Engineering Candidate should understand engineering release processes and the relationship between design changes, program timing, manufacturing readiness, and vehicle quality. Experience coordinating with engineering, manufacturing, and cross-functional teams to ensure accurate and timely releases is preferred. Release Management Candidate should be capable of managing change implementation from initiation through approval and production release. This includes tracking open changes, identifying bottlenecks, monitoring aging, driving approvals, escalating issues when necessary, and maintaining visibility of program health metrics.

Experience Required

Solid understanding of Change Management processes. Hands-on experience with WERS (writing CRs, navigating C/D screens, release intent) is highly preferred.

Production Release Candidate should have experience supporting or executing production release activities for vehicle programs. This includes validating release documentation, ensuring required approvals are obtained, coordinating with program teams and assembly plants, and confirming changes are implemented in accordance with production timing requirements.

Microsoft Excel Candidate should be proficient in Excel and capable of managing large datasets, performing data analysis, tracking change activity and metrics, developing status reports, and creating summaries used for program management reviews. Experience using formulas, pivot tables, filtering, sorting, and data validation tools is expected.