VCP Technical Operations Manager

Stellantis; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Stellantis is seeking a Technical Manager to lead the direct material cost reduction program within the VCP. You will identify, develop, and accelerate cost reduction opportunities across current vehicle programs, partnering with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Program Management, and suppliers to maintain a robust ideas pipeline with concrete ownership and implementation plans.

The role requires automotive engineering expertise, workshop leadership, and the ability to drive measurable

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering (Mechanical/Electrical/Industrial/Automotive) or related field.
• Minimum 7 years of automotive engineering, product development, cost engineering, manufacturing engineering, or technical program management experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional engineering initiatives.
• Strong understanding of automotive systems, components, manufacturing processes, and product development.
• Excellent technical problem-solving and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive identification, development, and implementation of direct material cost reduction initiatives.
• Lead technical assessments to identify value optimization opportunities.
• Plan and facilitate technical cost reduction workshops across engineering functions.
• Develop structured agendas and deliverables for idea generation and implementation.
• Coordinate supplier-focused ideation workshops and collaborative reviews.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of technical cost reduction initiatives.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Engineering leadership

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Automotive systems knowledge

Education

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Industrial Engineering

Manufacturing Engineering

Automotive Engineering

Tools

VA/VE

Job description

• The Technical Manager serves as a key technical leader within the Value Creation Program (VCP) B1 Direct Material Cost Workstream, responsible for identifying, developing, and accelerating Technical cost reduction opportunities across current production vehicle programs.
• This role leads the generation and execution of technical cost optimization initiatives by partnering closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Program Management, and suppliers. The position is responsible for building and maintaining a robust pipeline of technical ideas that improve cost competitiveness while preserving vehicle performance, quality, durability, safety, and customer satisfaction.
• A critical component of the role is planning, facilitating, and leading structured idea generation workshops with engineering organizations and suppliers to uncover innovative cost reduction opportunities and accelerate implementation.
• The ideal candidate combines strong automotive engineering expertise, technical cost management knowledge, workshop facilitation skills, and operational leadership to drive measurable value creation across the Stellantis product portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Cost Reduction Leadership

• Drive identification, development, and implementation of engineering-led direct material cost reduction initiatives
• Lead technical assessments of components, systems, and vehicle architectures to identify value optimization opportunities

Engineering Workshop Leadership

• Plan, organize, and facilitate technical cost reduction workshops across all engineering functions.
• Develop structured workshop agendas, methodologies, and deliverables focused on idea generation and rapid opportunity identification
• Ensure workshops generate high-quality ideas with clear ownership and implementation plans.

Supplier Innovation & Technical Collaboration

• Lead supplier-focused technical ideation workshops to identify cost reduction opportunities through innovation and supplier expertise
• Partner with suppliers to challenge current designs, manufacturing methods, and material selections.
• Facilitate collaborative engineering reviews

Technical Opportunity Development

• Build and maintain a robust pipeline of technical cost reduction initiatives.
• Work closely with engineering teams to mature ideas from concept through implementation.
• Coordinate feasibility reviews, technical validation, testing requirements, and approval activities.
• Support prioritization of opportunities based on financial impact, technical complexity, implementation timing, and business risk.

Technical Benchmarking & Competitive Analysis

• Support benchmark studies, teardowns, and competitive assessments
• Identify best-in-class technical solutions and opportunities for implementation
• Translate technical findings into actionable value creation opportunities

Ideal candidate

A highly respected automotive engineering professional who understands vehicle design, manufacturing, supplier capabilities, and cost drivers - and who can bring engineers and suppliers together to generate breakthrough technical ideas that deliver measurable direct material cost reductions without compromising vehicle quality, performance, or customer satisfaction

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or relative discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of automotive engineering, product development, cost engineering, manufacturing engineering, or technical program management experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional engineering initiatives.
• Strong understanding of automotive systems, components, manufacturing processes, and product development.
• Excellent technical problem-solving and analytical skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE).
• Design-to-Cost or Cost Engineering experience.
• Supplier technical interface experience.
• Vehicle benchmarking and teardown experience.
• Product optimization and feature/content reduction expertise.
• Advanced degree (MS or MBA).

At Stellantis, we assess candidates based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We welcome applications from all people without regard to sex, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any characteristic protected by law. We believe that diverse teams reflect our identity as a global company, enabling us to better address the evolving needs of our customers and care for our future.