Director, Platform Operations

Job Summary

The Director, Platform Operations, holds a pivotal leadership role in overseeing all aspects of vehicle manufacturing, supply chain, and technical support of the autonomous driving kit and its vehicle platform applications. Responsibilities include developing and implementing production strategies, optimizing processes, and ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality products at a sustainable cost. This role leads a multidisciplinary team, providing direction, guidance, and support to drive operational excellence and achieve production targets. Additionally, the Director, Platform Operations collaborates with cross-functional teams and leaders to align production goals with overall business objectives, monitor performance metrics, and implement continuous improvement initiatives. The Director, Platform Operations strategic vision, operational expertise, and leadership will be instrumental in driving efficiency, quality, and innovation across the entire organization.

Essential Responsibilities

• Own and drive production through end of life of vehicle platforms 
• Provide strategic leadership across multiple teams including Supply Chain, Manufacturing engineering, Production, and Fleet Engineering to ensure platform integrity, performance, and alignment with overall strategic goals.
• Lead engagements with 3rd party fleet owner/operators on supporting fleet operations
• Responsibility for Safety, Quality, On Time Delivery, and Cost of both new vehicle production and existing fleet upfits
• Product strategic guidance to Supply Chain operations to optimize cost, manufacturability, production planning, and delivery timelines in addition to indirect procurement processes.
• Establish and report on critical KPIs related to platform development, validation, production readiness, and related field performance. 
• Provide regular updates and strategic recommendations to the Vice President, Vehicle Platform Engineering and Senior Leadership Team. 
• Mentor and lead a multidisciplinary organization, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous learning and leadership development.
• Identify and mitigate technical and operational risks across the Vehicle Platform Engineering group; guide the organization through complex engineering and strategic trade-offs and escalations, maintaining excellent communication with both SLT and relevant engineering teams.
• Ensures close coordination between these teams, product management, program management, autonomy and production to ensure the on time development of engineering requirements, design and execution.
• Play a critical part in the company’s Sales and Operations (S+OP) production and deployment planning process
• Oversees departmental KPIs, budgets, and people management activities
• Develop, maintain and monitor department objectives and key results (OKRs)
• Ensures that the highest of safety and quality standards are met
• Supports appropriate vehicle launch and sustaining engineering activities as needed once vehicles are released to the field
• Stays current on relevant technology innovations and leverages them to define a compelling technical vision and strategy for core areas of responsibility.
• Optimize and develop effective processes to ensure the quality and safety of the product.

Skills and Abilities

Success in this role typically requires the following competencies:

• In-depth understanding of the autonomous vehicle, electric vehicle, and automotive landscape
• Ability to inspire and motivate teams, provide clear direction, and lead by example
• Ability to successfully manage and mentor others in leadership (management) roles
• Capacity to envision and articulate long-term, strategic goals, formulate effective strategies, and make decisions that align with organizational objectives
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to convey complex ideas clearly, influence stakeholders, and foster collaboration
• Skill in understanding and managing emotions, building relationships, and navigating interpersonal dynamics effectively
• Flexibility to thrive in dynamic environments, embrace change, and adjust strategies as needed to achieve goals
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to assess situations, evaluate options, and make informed decisions under pressure
• Aptitude for working effectively with cross-functional teams, building consensus, and leveraging diverse perspectives to achieve common goals

Qualifications and Experience

Candidates most successful in this role typically hold the following qualifications or comparable knowledge or experience:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field
• 10+ years relevant work experience and proven success
• Demonstrated people management experience, including hiring, onboarding, retention, coaching, and team building
• Experience setting technical vision and strategy for vehicle systems engineering and autonomous driving subsystems
• Experience working with safety-critical products, preferably automotive or aerospace

Desirable Qualifications:

• MS degree, preferably in Engineering, Operations, or Business 
• Experience with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)
• Operations management experience

Physical Requirements

• Standard office working conditions which includes but not limited to:
• Prolonged sitting
• Prolonged standing
• Prolonged computer use
• Travel Required?  Frequent: 26%-50%

Want to learn more about our culture & benefits? Check out our website!

May Mobility is an equal opportunity employer.  All applicants for employment will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetics or any other legally protected basis.   Below, you have the opportunity to share your preferred gender pronouns, gender, ethnicity, and veteran status with May Mobility to help us identify areas of improvement in our hiring and recruitment processes. Completion of these questions is entirely voluntary.  Any information you choose to provide will be kept confidential, and will not impact the hiring decision in any way. If you believe that you will need any type of accommodation, please let us know.

Note to Recruitment Agencies: May Mobility does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Furthermore, May Mobility does not pay placement fees for candidates submitted by any agency other than its approved partners.