Engineering Design Leader Technical - Transmissions and Drive Units

General Motors Company; Pontiac (MI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation benefits

Job summary

General Motors Company is seeking a Design Lead Technician to guide a team in developing robust transmission and electric drive unit products. The role involves translating requirements into clear design direction, balancing workload, and delivering launch-ready designs at GM’s Warren Tech Center in a hybrid on-site setting.

You will lead layout studies, DFM/DFA reviews, and cross‑functional collaboration with engineering, CAE, safety, and suppliers to ensure design maturity and timely releases.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, engineering technology, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Eight or more years of product‑design experience, including technical leadership of design work or a design team.
• Significant experience designing transmissions, electric drive units, or related automotive systems.
• Advanced knowledge of component and subsystem design, packaging, interfaces, manufacturing, assembly, serviceability, and product integration.
• Experience creating and reviewing complete 2D drawings and PMI, including sections, notes, specifications, interface requirements, datum schemes, and functional dimensioning.
• Proficiency with NX and Teamcenter, including complex modeling, assemblies, design intent, Wave linking, clearance and interference analysis, product structure, and engineering release.
• Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills.
• Excellent organization, planning, follow-through, and risk-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide daily technical direction, assign priorities, balance workload across a team of TDU designers.
• Set expectations for design quality, model robustness, drawing completeness, release discipline.
• Coach designers through design reviews, lessons learned, standard work, templates, and best practices.
• Foster ownership, accountability, collaboration, and timely risk escalation.
• Lead the design and integration of complex transmission and electric drive unit components from concept through launch.
• Translate system, safety, performance, packaging, service, and manufacturing requirements into robust designs.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, engineering technology, or a related discipline

Graduate degree in engineering or a related field

Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills

Excellent organization, planning, follow-through, and risk-management skills

Tools

NX

Teamcenter

Jira

GM design & release processes

GD&T

Job description

Job Description

This role is categorized as hybrid, meaning the selected candidate will be expected to work on‑site at the Warren Tech Center at least three days per week (or other frequency determined by their manager).

• This role is eligible for relocation benefits

At General Motors, our product teams are redefining mobility. Through a human-centered design process, we create vehicles and experiences that are designed not just to be seen, but to be felt. We’re turning today’s impossible into tomorrow’s standard —from breakthrough hardware and battery systems to intuitive design, intelligent software, and next-generation safety and entertainment features.

Every day, our products move millions of people as we aim to make driving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale.

About the Role

As a Design Lead Technician supporting Transmission and Drive Unit (TDU) design, you will lead the daily technical work of a team responsible for developing robust, manufacturable, and launch-ready transmission and electric drive unit products.

You will translate system and subsystem requirements into clear design direction, assign and balance work, set technical priorities, and ensure timely delivery of high-quality design solutions. You will apply advanced expertise in layouts, assemblies, 2D drawings, Product and Manufacturing Information (PMI), GD&T, tolerance stacks, and engineering release.

From concept and architecture through validation, production release, and launch, you will guide the team through complex packaging, interface, dimensional, assembly, manufacturing, and integration challenges. You will also coach designers, strengthen design standards, and establish repeatable methods that improve product quality and execution.

• Provide daily technical direction, assign priorities, balance workload, and monitor delivery, risks, capacity, and support needs across a team of TDU designers.
• Set expectations for design quality, model robustness, drawing completeness, release discipline, and compliance with GM processes and standards.
• Coach designers through design reviews, lessons learned, standard work, templates, best practices, and continuous improvement.
• Foster ownership, accountability, collaboration, sound problem‑solving, and timely risk escalation.
• Lead the design and integration of complex transmission and electric drive unit components and subsystems from concept through launch.
• Translate system, safety, performance, packaging, service, and manufacturing requirements into robust component and assembly designs.
• Lead layout studies and design trade-offs involving packaging, interfaces, clearances, assembly, serviceability, performance, cost, mass, timing, dimensional variation, and manufacturability.
• Direct resolution of complex design issues involving gears, shafts, housings, clutches, differentials, lubrication, actuation, mounts, covers, and related vehicle interfaces.
• Lead component and assembly layouts, including design intent, interfaces, packaging relationships, clearance requirements, and Design Execution Sections.
• Create, review, and release complete 2D drawings and PMI using advanced GD&T, datum schemes, functional dimensioning, specifications, and clear design intent.
• Develop and review tolerance stacks and variation analyses to protect fit, function, performance, assembly, durability, and interchangeability.
• Ensure drawings and layouts align with Interface Control Documents, assembly strategies, manufacturing capabilities, inspection methods, and product‑definition requirements.
• Guide robust NX models and assemblies using parametric, associative, and Wave‑linked techniques. Use clearance, interference, and TcVis capabilities to validate integration.
• Lead DFM/DFA reviews with Manufacturing Engineering, plants, suppliers, and tooling partners.
• Partner with engineering, CAE, dimensional engineering, safety, service, suppliers, program teams, and manufacturing to evaluate alternatives and resolve issues.
• Apply GM design and change‑management processes to maintain design maturity, manage revisions, deliver traceable engineering changes, and achieve cross‑functional alignment.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, engineering technology, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Eight or more years of product‑design experience, including technical leadership of design work or a design team.
• Significant experience designing transmissions, electric drive units, or related automotive systems.
• Advanced knowledge of component and subsystem design, packaging, interfaces, manufacturing, assembly, serviceability, and product integration.
• Experience creating and reviewing complete 2D drawings and PMI, including sections, notes, specifications, interface requirements, datum schemes, and functional dimensioning.
• Proficiency with NX and Teamcenter, including complex modeling, assemblies, design intent, Wave linking, clearance and interference analysis, product structure, and engineering release.
• Ability to lead design studies, evaluate alternatives, interpret analysis results, and make sound recommendations for complex problems.
• Strong understanding of DFM/DFA, manufacturing processes, assembly methods, fastening, inspection, tooling, plant requirements, and supplier capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and influence designers and cross‑functional partners without direct people‑management authority.
• Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills.
• Excellent organization, planning, follow‑through, and risk‑management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading designers through vehicle, transmission, electric drive unit, or propulsion‑system development.
• Experience with gears, shafts, housings, clutches, differentials, lubrication systems, actuation systems, mounts, covers, or related interfaces.
• Advanced experience with layouts, drawing practices, GD&T, tolerance stacks, dimensional variation, Design Execution Sections, and launch‑quality problem solving.
• Experience with NX Performance Predictor, NX Pre/Post, SimSolid, Ansys results, or other designer‑led analysis methods.
• Experience with VAS, PAS, TAS, VIM, TKV, Installation Assembly, TcVis, and related digital product‑structure or configuration tools.
• Experience with GVDP/GPDP, Momentum, eMERGE, GM Logic, Teamcenter, PRTS, Whysdom, Jira, or related product‑development and issue‑management processes.
• Experience creating standard math models, user‑defined features, templates, standard work, or reusable design methods.
• Design for Six Sigma certification or experience applying DFSS, structured problem solving, variation reduction, or design‑thinking methods.
• Demonstrated success improving design standards, mentoring designers, building technical capability, and preventing recurring design or launch issues.
• Graduate degree in engineering or a related field.

Sponsorship

GM DOES NOT PROVIDE IMMIGRATION-RELATED SPONSORSHIP FOR THIS ROLE. DO NOT APPLY FOR THIS ROLE IF YOU WILL NEED GM IMMIGRATION SPONSORSHIP NOW OR IN THE FUTURE. THIS INCLUDES DIRECT COMPANY SPONSORSHIP, ENTRY OF GM AS THE IMMIGRATION EMPLOYER OF RECORD ON A GOVERNMENT FORM, AND ANY WORK AUTHORIZATION REQUIRING A WRITTEN SUBMISSION OR OTHER IMMIGRATION SUPPORT FROM THE COMPANY (e.g., H-1B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.)

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Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

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We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

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