Product Development Problem Solver/Prevent Recurrence Supervisor

About the Role / Position Description

This role is built for a leader who values clear communication of fact-based decision-making over biased opinion and possesses the logic used to resolve design issues through collaboration while following a structured approach.

You will ensure your direct reports accurately determines the root cause when an issue arises, so the right details are fixed to prevent an issue from reappearing in the future. Your teams integration with product development engineering teams strengthen future designs and prevent similar issues from recurring.

To achieve this, you will oversee and guide an established team of problem-solving engineers (Six Sigma Black Belts) as they rapidly conduct root cause investigations on high-impact design concerns for all commodities across all platforms. You will direct and support your team to work cross-functionally and closely with integrated partners in Product Development to ensure solutions are appropriate and robust.

Why this Role Matters:

• Influence engineering decisions across all vehicle platforms and commodities

• Lead and develop a team of highly skilled technical problem solvers

• Partner directly with Product Development leaders on high-visibility engineering challenges

• Drive improvements that enhance customer experience, product quality, and design robustness

• Help embed preventive engineering and Design for Six Sigma principles earlier in product development

You will direct and support your team to work cross-functionally and closely with integrated partners in Product Development to ensure solutions are appropriate and robust.

Team Leadership & People Development

• Team Leadership: Oversee and guide a team of problem solving engineers (Six Sigma Black Belts) leading root cause investigations on high-impact design concerns for all commodities across all platforms.
• Mentoring: Actively coach your team to foster a culture of continuous learning, active listening, and collaborative development.
• Enable Data-Driven Decisions: Foster a high-performance management style that values diverse perspectives while driving swift, objective, and data-backed decisions.
• Talent Development: Build technical and leadership capability within the team, helping engineers grow into future technical leaders and organizational influencers.

Technical Problem-Solving & Quality Oversight

• Lead Complex Issue Resolution: Oversee and guide a team that guides and coaches cross-functional engineering teams through structured, data-driven problem-solving methodologies to diagnose and resolve complex, design-related issues.
• Collaborative Problem Solving: Drive a culture of "solving together." Move away from independent-contributor silos, instead leveraging experts and cross-functional teams for data-backed insights.
• Methodology & Logic Oversight: Ensure your team properly leverages advanced problem-solving methodologies to identify specific root causes, focus on understanding detection errors and judging if systemic prevent recurrence actions are appropriate and sufficient.
• Design Improvement & Prevent Recurrence: Develop direction for robust preventive actions to eliminate both specific and systemic recurrence of design issues to ensure: no future repeats, strengthen future designs, improve engineering processes, and reduce the likelihood of future customer concerns.
• Root Cause Verification: Ensure root cause is verified to cover 100% of affected units to ensure no experiences remain unsolved.
• Logical Approaches: Promote and integrate advanced strategic problem-solving logic and DFSS principles early in the product development phase to prevent issues before they occur.
• Lessons Learned Integration: Ensure learnings from investigations are effectively incorporated into policies, methods and procedures.
• Document Quality: Review and ensure documentation meets required expectations for approval of problem-solving reports to maintain high standards of technical logic and complete understanding of the issue.

Operations & Process Management

• Workload Management: Triage incoming work requests, prioritize "what matters" high-impact engineering challenges to deliver results, and assign resources effectively.
• Process Standardization: Collaborate as part of the leadership team maintaining standard department processes are in place to improve quality (continuous improvement mindset for: department processes, tools and standards that support engineering excellence and quality outcomes).
• Operational Leadership: Conduct staff meetings and manage normal business such as any travel cadence for your team (typically less than 10% within North America).

Executive Communication

• Executive Communication: Present problem solving findings (complex technical findings, root cause analyses, and strategic recommendations) of complex technical challenges to senior leadership. This requires active, effective listening and the ability to translate complex data into clear executive summaries.
• Recommend Direction: Provide vision for complex technical issues thru clear, actionable recommendations for senior stakeholders
• Influence Decisions: Develop clear, fact-based communications to technical leadership.

You'll Have...

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (such as Mechanical, Electrical, Software, or Systems Engineering) with a focus on design rather than manufacturing or process.
• Certification: Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (or equivalent structured problem-solving certification/credential).
• Core Skills:
  • Demonstrated Problem-Solving Proficiency: Strong training or knowledge in strategic problem-solving methodologies, combined with hands-on experience using structured, data-driven methods to resolve complex design issues.
  • Proven Leadership Skills & Experience: Demonstrated history of leading, mentoring, and coaching engineering teams. This can be through direct supervisory experience OR a strong track record of guiding project teams.
  • Strong Communication & Effective Listening Skills: Ability to listen actively, explain complex technical issues in simple terms, and present clear, actionable summaries to leadership.

Even Better If You Have...

• Design-Focused Problem Solving: Experience utilizing strategic problem solving logic, Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), or advanced systems-engineering methodologies to prevent issues during the product development phase.
• Direct People Leadership: Prior experience as a formal people leader with direct report employees (in addition to matrix or cross-functional team leadership).
• Advanced Education & Certification: Master’s degree in Engineering and/or a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt.
• Management Style: Proven history of leading employees to perform at a high level, growing employee capabilities, and listening to all perspectives to make swift, data-driven decisions.
• Time in Position: 5+ years of experience in a product development environment, with a specific focus on diagnosing and solving design-related root causes.
• Experience: Preventing specific and systemic recurrence of design issues (including analyzing detection errors in design verification).
• Knowledge: Product Development processes and regulatory compliance standards.