Our client is an International American diversified manufacturer that conceives, designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products for customers worldwide. The group currently employs 33.000 employees worldwide and makes an annual turnover of approx. 4 billion €.

In the automotive sector the product range includes quality engineered products for every manufacturing need, including lumbar, suspension, and bolster systems; wire forms, mechanical control cables, welded seating components, tubular products, and seating motors and actuators. The company is supplier for almost all well-known automotive manufacturers & seat suppliers and has engineering & production facilities in America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The Headquarter of the European Operations is located in Germany, the engineering centres and production plants are located in Germany, UK, Belgium, Austria and Hungary.

In order to help securing the continued success of the company, the position of the 

Product Group Manager Special Systems & Basket Systems (m/f)

is to be filled as soon as possible. 

The owner of the position directly reports to R&D Manager Europe and is disciplinary responsible to him.

The Position is located in Nurnberg.

Job description

• Leads the product group, leads and coordinates all application, system and component engineers (tot. 11 employees) in his product group 

• Develops team members to ensure knowhow is developed and shared, so team members can represent each other and learn to manage their topics independently (groom new leaders). 

• Represents his product group in the Senior Management 

• Represents his product group in external events 

• Develops product strategy, as well as technical and economic targets for the product 
group 

• Takes cost control for the related product group 

• Plans budget (capital/operational) 

• Ensures technology transfer between customer units and product groups, actively 
promotes standardisation of products 

• Ensures technology and Know How transfer between the product groups 

• Conduct product development and / or optimisation for comfort systems according to 
internal specification in regard of product feasibility and under stringent consideration 
of interfaces to superior systems 

• Considers the principles of “design to cost” and “design for manufacturing”, by early 
involvement of suppliers and process engineering / manufacturing 

• Coordinates and adjusts internal system development activities in design, testing and prototyping and aligns them to all company internal programs 

• Management of projects in accordance to the internal development rules in adjustment with System Engineering 

• Observation and analysis of market tendencies and benchmarking of competitors products and alternative technologies under application of the competitor analysis flow chart 

• Includes technical items in action plans and assures execution of these technical items 

• Schedules and conducts technical / organizational meetings 

• Is in charge of FMEA including tracking and evaluation of measurements 

• Involves suppliers in coordination with purchasing 

• Ensures project related flow of information 

• Collects and maintains a high level of knowledge about the background of the systems, limits of systems, performance, durability, competitor systems, alternative technologies, innovations, etc. 

• Provides his knowledge for general design rules and creates those 

• Develops evolutionary strategy for continuous improvement and VAVE, as well as 
revolutionary approach for next generation comfort systems 

• Creates in cooperation with testing engineer test specs and DV plan for comfort systems 


Ideal profile

Personal characteristics:

• a convincing personality with secure appearance, natural “standing” and verifiable success in a quality management position; 

• Outstanding intelligence with analytical and conceptual intellectual power, organizing and coordinating skills; 

• Cost consciousness and the ability to think in directions of the company; 

• Ability to work out, adjust and effectively implement concepts within the scope of 
company development; 

• Interactive leading personality who also in difficult situations acts deliberate and target oriented with skill and sure instinct and knowledge of the human nature; 

• Team player with coordination competence, but also with the ability to act independently and with courage for the takeover of responsibility; 

• Motivated and able to work under pressure; 

• Mobile and flexible. 
Technical background: 
The candidate has a technical degree and at least 5 years of professional experience in the automotive industry. Besides knowledge of an international manufacturing company of the automotive industry, experience with a management responsibility for the engineering department is a must. 

• Knowledge in development of electromechanical comfort systems 

• Knowledge of ISO 9001 and ISO TS 16949 

• Good verbal and written communication skills in German and English 


We look forward to receiving your application!

Please apply online to: career@dles.de, keyword “Product Group Manager Special & Basket Systems”

Mr. Dan Lutsch - DL Executive Search - www.dles.de