Director - Project Quality Management (Powertrain)

Stellantis NV; Auburn (AL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Stellantis NV in Auburn, AL seeks a Director, Project Quality Management (Powertrain) to lead a regional quality team of about 25 FTEs and drive quality across development, industrialization, launch, and lifecycle of global powertrain programs.

The role partners with engineering, manufacturing, industrial quality, customer experience, suppliers, and JV partners to ensure compliance with quality standards and to deliver world‑class performance from concept through SOP and post‑launch.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or related technical discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in quality, engineering, product development, manufacturing, program management, or launch management.
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience managing teams, projects, or cross-functional organizations.
• Experience leading complex global programs in the automotive industry.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality activities through development and industrialization of new powertrain programs.
• Ensure global compliance with Stellantis quality requirements, processes, standards, and customer expectations.
• Establish and govern comprehensive program quality plans, ensuring execution across all project phases.
• Drive quality convergence activities from preliminary development through SOP and six months post-launch.
• Define, deploy, and manage project quality objectives, targets, forecasts, and improvement plans.
• Lead creation and maintenance of customer-focused quality deliverables
• Assess customer impact and risk associated with deviations from approved design and quality targets.
• Support program teams in preparing milestone reviews and validating maturity levels.
• Ensure project deliverables satisfy quality readiness requirements across all stakeholders.
• Lead identification, assessment, and mitigation of quality risks throughout the program lifecycle.
• Ensure timely issue resolution using structured root cause analysis and standardized corrective actions.
• Drive application of lessons learned from previous programs and institutionalize best practices across future projects.
• Escalate significant quality concerns and oversee implementation of robust containment and recovery plans.
• Support industrialization quality assessments and readiness reviews.
• Lead APQP/PPAP synthesis and execution at the system level.
• Coordinate quality convergence activities for batch build events and launch phases.
• Ensure quality targets are achieved for secondary launches, major program updates, and product expansions.
• Validate readiness through Design Assessments, Part Readiness Reviews, and Launch Quality Evaluations.
• Govern deviation management (IAA) processes and approvals.
• Ensure product and process changes do not negatively impact customer quality during serial life.
• Lead quality assessments for post-launch product and manufacturing changes.

Skills

Leadership

APQP/PPAP

FMEA

Root Cause

Quality Systems

Program Management

Stakeholder Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or related technical discipline

Master's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Quality, or related discipline

Job description

The Director, Project Quality Management (Powertrain) is responsible for managing a Regional Project Quality team (approximately 25 FTE’s). Leading all quality activities associated with the development, industrialization, launch, and lifecycle management of global powertrain programs. This role ensures that quality requirements are achieved throughout the product development process while serving as the primary quality representative within cross-functional program teams.

The Director drives quality convergence from concept development through Start of Production (SOP) and beyond, ensuring customer expectations, quality objectives, and business targets are consistently achieved. The role collaborates closely with engineering, manufacturing, industrial quality, customer experience, suppliers, and joint venture partners to deliver world-class quality performance across global powertrain programs.

Key Responsibilities include the following:

Program Quality Leadership

• Lead quality activities throughout the development and industrialization of new powertrain programs.
• Ensure global compliance with Stellantis quality requirements, processes, standards, and customer expectations.
• Establish and govern comprehensive program quality plans, ensuring execution across all project phases.
• Drive quality convergence activities from preliminary development through SOP and six months post-launch.

Quality Strategy & Objective Management

• Define, deploy, and manage project quality objectives, targets, forecasts, and improvement plans.
• Lead creation and maintenance of customer-focused quality deliverables
• Assess customer impact and risk associated with deviations from approved design and quality targets.

Project Governance & Milestone Management

• Serve as the Quality lead during program milestone reviews and executive assessments.
• Deliver required Quality PSK documentation and scorecards for all program gates and major reviews.
• Support program teams in preparing milestone reviews and validating expected maturity levels.
• Ensure project deliverables satisfy quality readiness requirements across all stakeholders.

Risk, Issue & Lessons Learned Management

• Lead identification, assessment, and mitigation of quality risks throughout the program lifecycle.
• Ensure timely issue resolution using structured root cause analysis and standardized corrective actions.
• Drive application of lessons learned from previous programs and institutionalize best practices across future projects.
• Escalate significant quality concerns and oversee implementation of robust containment and recovery plans.

Industrialization & Launch Excellence

• Support industrialization quality assessments and readiness reviews.
• Lead APQP/PPAP synthesis and execution at the system level.
• Coordinate quality convergence activities for batch build events and launch phases.
• Ensure quality targets are achieved for secondary launches, major program updates, and product expansions.
• Validate readiness through Design Assessments, Part Readiness Reviews, and Launch Quality Evaluations.

Serial Life Quality Management

• Govern deviation management (IAA) processes and approvals.
• Ensure product and process changes do not negatively impact customer quality during serial life.
• Lead quality assessments for post-launch product and manufacturing changes.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in quality, engineering, product development, manufacturing, program management, or launch management.
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience managing teams, projects, or cross-functional organizations.
• Demonstrated experience with product development and launch processes within the automotive industry.
• Strong understanding of APQP, PPAP, FMEA, Root Cause Analysis, and quality management systems.
• Experience leading complex global programs in a matrixed environment.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and executive stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Quality, or related discipline.
• ASQ, Six Sigma Black Belt, or equivalent quality certification.
• Experience with powertrain systems, propulsion technologies, electrification, or vehicle development programs.
• Global program leadership experience with international engineering and manufacturing teams.
• Proven success delivering major automotive launches while achieving quality, cost, and timing objectives.