Manager, Product Engineering - Automotive Sensors

CTS Corporation; Farmington Hills (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Benefits

401K

Paid Time Off

Holiday Pay

Employee Assistance Program

Paid Parental Leave

Pet Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

CTS Corporation, a leading designer and manufacturer of sensors and electronic components, seeks a Product Engineering Manager – Automotive Sensors. You will lead the engineering team, own product development from concept to production, and coordinate with Sales, Program Management, and Quality to meet customer and business goals.

You will drive disciplined design reviews, verification/validation, and sustaining support while building capability through standardization and digital tooling.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• 8+ years of engineering or product development experience in automotive, transportation, industrial, or related component industry.
• Experience leading engineers or technical teams and driving talent development.
• Experience leading products through development, verification/validation, launch, and sustaining production.
• Experience applying automotive development processes such as APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, DVP&R, and engineering change management.
• Customer-facing experience and ability to collaborate with Sales, Program Management, Quality, Manufacturing, and senior leadership.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop the product engineering team with clear priorities and accountability.
• Plan and allocate internal and external engineering resources to meet program and business priorities.
• Own complete product engineering outcomes from requirements to lifecycle support.
• Serve as senior technical contact for customers and support cross-functional teams in assessments and RFQ responses.
• Lead engineering execution from concept through production with design reviews and change control.
• Drive structured problem solving for issues across customer, production, supplier, and quality domains.
• Partner with Quality, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, and Program Management to align priorities and deliver commitments.

Skills

Automotive product development

Cross-functional leadership

Systems thinking

Technical judgment

Customer-facing discussions

Data-driven decision making

AI-enabled tools usage

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

8+ years automotive engineering experience

Tools

APQP

PPAP

DFMEA

DVP&R

Job description

About Us:

We are committed to finding smart solutions that enable an intelligent and seamless world. Our success as a world-class leader in technology has evolved from humble beginnings. In 1896, the enterprising father and son team of A.J. and George A. Briggs partnered with S.A. Buffington, a Chicago lawyer, to establish Chicago Telephone Supply Company (later to become CTS).

About Us:

We are committed to finding smart solutions that enable an intelligent and seamless world. Our success as a world-class leader in technology has evolved from humble beginnings. In 1896, the enterprising father and son team of A.J. and George A. Briggs partnered with S.A. Buffington, a Chicago lawyer, to establish Chicago Telephone Supply Company (later to become CTS). Today, CTS is a leading designer and manufacturer of sensors, actuators, and electronic components for suppliers and original equipment manufacturers. We have over 20 locations in 12 countries and more than 3,500 employees. Our innovative sensing, connectivity, and motion solutions offer a diverse range of products across diversified end markets including transportation, medical, aerospace and defense, and industrial. We are at the forefront of supporting innovating life-changing technology, focusing on quality to keep people safe, healthy, and happy.

Position Summary:

The Product Engineering Manager – Automotive Sensors leads product engineering for assigned automotive sensor product families and is accountable for project execution, customer technical engagement, product-development discipline, and sustaining engineering support. This role develops engineering talent, drives cross-functional accountability, and ensures multidisciplinary sensor solutions meet customer, business, quality, and regulatory expectations from concept through production.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, coach, and develop the product engineering team; establish clear priorities, roles, objectives, deliverables, and accountability; provide regular feedback; support performance management, succession planning, and capability development.
• Plan and allocate internal and external engineering resources to meet program, customer, and business priorities.
• Own complete product engineering outcomes for assigned sensor product families, including requirements, product performance, interfaces, technical risks, verification, validation, release, launch, and lifecycle support.
• Serve as a senior technical contact for customers and support Sales, Business Development, Product Management, and Program Management in technical assessments, new‑business pursuits, and RFQ responses.
• Lead engineering execution from concept through production, ensuring disciplined design reviews, verification and validation, engineering change control, launch readiness, and sustaining support.
• Drive timely, structured problem solving for customer, production, supplier, field, warranty, and quality issues, with technically sound corrective actions and clear recovery plans.
• Partner with Quality, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, Program Management, and Product Management to align priorities, resolve issues, and deliver business commitments.
• Build organizational capability through design standardization, knowledge reuse, external partner leverage, cost reduction, continuous improvement, and practical use of AI‑enabled and digital engineering tools.
• Ensure compliance with applicable automotive development practices and customer requirements, including APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, DVP&R, engineering change management, and ISO 26262 activities when applicable.
• Make and communicate sound engineering and business tradeoffs involving product performance, quality, cost, timing, resources, and risk; escalat material issues early with facts and recovery actions.

Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities:

• Strong knowledge of automotive product‑development processes and tools, including APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, DVP&R, requirements management, design reviews, validation, engineering change management, and structured problem solving.
• Working knowledge of multidisciplinary automotive components or systems that integrate mechanical, electrical, electronic, magnetic, software, and manufacturing‑process elements.
• Ability to lead engineers and technical teams through clear direction, coaching, prioritization, delegation, performance feedback, and accountability.
• Strong systems thinking and technical judgment, with the ability to evaluate interfaces, failure modes, product risks, and tradeoffs across performance, quality, cost, timing, and resources.
• Ability to lead customer‑facing technical discussions, translate customer needs into actionable engineering requirements, and communicate complex issues clearly to technical and business audiences.
• Strong cross‑functional collaboration, influence, conflict‑resolution, and decision‑making skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, identify execution gaps, upscale risks early, and establish practical recovery plans.
• Proficiency in data‑driven decision making and modern engineering productivity tools, including appropriate use of digital and AI‑enabled methods.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• At least 8 years of engineering or product‑development experience in automotive, transportation, industrial, or a related component industry.
• Demonstrated experience leading engineers or technical teams, including setting expectations, managing priorities, developing talent, and holding teams accountable.
• Experience leading products through development, verification and validation, launch, and sustaining production.
• Experience applying automotive product‑development processes and tools such as APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, DVP&R, engineering change management, and structured problem solving.
• Customer‑facing experience and the ability to work effectively with Sales, Program Management, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and senior leadership.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed to support customers, manufacturing locations, suppliers, and business priorities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in engineering, systems engineering or business administration.
• Automotive Tier 1 product development experience relating to electro‑mechanical components.
• Experience with automotive sensors, magnetic sensing, position sensing, current sensing, or related multidisciplinary sensor products.
• Experience with ISO 26262 functional safety, systems engineering, or automotive safety‑related development practices.
• Experience using external engineering partners, suppliers, automation, AI, data analytics, or digital engineering tools to improve execution and productivity.
• Experience with product cost reduction, value analysis/value engineering, design standardization, product roadmaps, and customer technical issue resolution.

JOIN US:

• Health Benefits
• 401K
• Paid Time Off
• Holiday Pay
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Parental Leave
• Pet Insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement

United States EEO Statement:

CTS Corporation is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer who complies with all applicable federal, state and local employment laws. In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at CTS Corporation will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. It has been and shall continue to be both the official policy and the commitment of CTS Corporation to further equal employment opportunities for all persons regardless of, among other characteristics, race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, genetic information, status as a protected veteran or status as a qualified individual with a disability, or any other characteristics protected by applicable Federal, State or Local law.

ADA accommodation statement: If you require reasonable accommodation in the application process, call Human Resources at 630.577.8811. All other applications must be submitted online.

United States Additional Considerations:

It is unlawful in all states where the Company operates, including Massachusetts, to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates applicable laws may be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. The Company does not require a lie detector test as a condition of employment nor continued employment.

Applicants must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.

No agencies, please. We do not accept any unsolicited resumes and are not looking to engage an agency. We receive inquiries from agencies daily. Do not direct any inquiries or emails to hiring managers. It is not our standard practice to utilize agencies; we are a federal contractor and need to comply with the same process for all.