Product Release Manager

Position

Experience

Location

Position Summary

Senior Product Release Engineer responsible for end-to-end release and quality of automotive products across plant projects.

Acts as the single-point owner for phase reviews, customer-facing project phases, and ensures delivery of products that meet customer requirements and internal quality systems.

Leads cross-functional teams to drive timely project milestones, control product quality risks, and close release gates for production readiness.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate Phase Reviews for all plant projects, ensuring timely completion of milestone gates and documentation.
• Own product release decision-making and sign-off activities, including readiness assessments for engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality.
• Drive customer interactions during project phases, manage expectations, present readiness status, and address customer concerns and feedback.
• Ensure delivery of project and product to intended quality by establishing and monitoring quality plans, control plans, FMEAs, validation protocols, and corrective actions.
• Collaborate with program management, manufacturing engineering, suppliers, and testing teams to resolve technical issues and risks affecting release or product quality.
• Implement, audit, and improve quality systems and processes to meet internal standards and customer-specific requirements.
• Track and report project KPIs related to release readiness, quality metrics, defect trends, and supplier performance.
• Lead root cause analysis and drive robust corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) for late-phase issues, field returns, or launch defects.
• Facilitate cross-functional change control for product and process changes impacting release status.
• Mentor and coach engineering and quality teams on release processes, quality tools, and best practices.

Education and Experience

• Required:

  Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) or Master of Engineering (M.E) in Mechanical, Electrical, Automotive, Industrial, or related engineering discipline.

• Experience:

  Minimum 15 years of relevant experience in an automotive OEM or Tier-1 supplier environment with demonstrable experience in product release, product quality, and quality systems.
• Proven track record managing plant projects, production launches, and customer-facing project phases.

Skills Required

• Technical Skills:

  Deep knowledge of automotive product development lifecycle, production launch processes, PFMEA, control plans, APQP, PPAP, MSA, SPC, and validation testing.

• Quality Systems:

  Strong experience with ISO/TS/IATF standards and customer-specific quality systems and audits.

• Project Management:

  Excellent program and milestone management skills, ability to plan and drive phase reviews and release gates.

• Customer Management:

  Strong communication and presentation skills for effective customer interaction during project phases.

• Problem Solving:

  Advanced root cause analysis capabilities using 8D, DMAIC, or equivalent methodologies.

• Leadership:

  Cross-functional leadership, stakeholder management, and experience leading reactive and preventive quality initiatives.

• Tools:

  Proficient with data analysis and quality tools, common PLM/ERP systems, and Microsoft Office suite.

• Behavioral:

  Results-oriented, detail-focused, assertive decision-making, and ability to work under launch pressure with a bias for delivery.