Principal Engineer - Vehicle System Integration

HARMAN’s engineers and designers are creative, purposeful and agile. As part of this team, you’ll combine your technical expertise with innovative ideas to help drive cutting-edge solutions in the car, enterprise and connected ecosystem. Every day, you will push the boundaries of creative design, and HARMAN is committed to providing you with the opportunities, innovative technologies and resources to build a successful career.

A Career at HARMAN

As a technology leader that is rapidly on the move, HARMAN is filled with people who are focused on making life better. Innovation, inclusivity and teamwork are a part of our DNA. When you add that to the challenges we take on and solve together, you’ll discover that at HARMAN you can grow, make a difference and be proud of the work you do everyday.

About the Role

Harman’s Car Audio SBU is the global leader in the design and manufacture of OEM Branded Audio systems. Headquartered in Novi, Michigan, Harman maintains a network of Product Development Centers in Germany, China, Japan, Mexico, and India.  

The Principal Engineer, Vehicle System Integration will be responsible for architecting our product strategy for the Japan OEM customer base and driving pre-development efforts in support of this strategy. This position will work with the global cross-functional teams and the customers to develop winning product strategies that will improve our customer’s business while growing CG Japan’s business pipeline. The position will focus on expanding opportunities with our entire existing Japan OEM customer base as well as acquiring new Japan based customers.

What You Will Do

• Work closely with our Japan-based customers and internal teams to lead definition of product strategy including roadmap, features, voice of customer, and high-level plans to meet Japan customer-specific needs.
• Train and lead at least 1 senior engineer with the potential for more.
• Guide / train team on customer’s development processes and necessary technical background.
• Serve as voice of Japan customer to internal global organization on product strategy.
• Partner with all Japan OEM sales teams (globally) and global platform / product management teams to develop solutions that meet Japan OEM needs as well as other customers’ needs.
• Collaborate with PM team to drive technical aspects of pre-development efforts.
• Support PM team and Sales Team in leading technical concept proposals for RFQ responses and business cases.
• Define the technical solutions to be pre-developed and/or quoted on by the Pre-Development Team.
• Support PM team to enable seamless transitions of pre-development / RFQ projects to full-scale development as needed.
• Serve as lead technical interface with the customer as Harman’s distinguished technical expert.
• Identify and propose proactive solutions to current customer issues and innovative market-leading ideas for pre-development that will grow Japan OEM business.
• Recommend continuous improvements to product / platform management processes.
• Serve as internal expert on Japan OEM development processes.

What You Need

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Electrical / Computer Science / Mechanical or similar) or related field.
• B.S. + 10+ years (or M.S. + 8+ years) related experience in sales, application / resident engineering, product management, or product design.
• Strong skills in communication, presentation, and problem-solving (both customer and internal).
• Extensive experience working in a global organization and/or on a global product.
• Extensive Experience in a customer facing role working with a (or as part of a) Japan OEM customer / Japan Tier 1 supplier.
• Strong Background in Automotive Electronics, Audio systems, Embedded software, and/or noise management systems (ANC / RNC / etc.).
• Someone with Result Driven, Customer Focus, Team Player, Change Orientation, Self-Awareness.
• Language: Fluent English + Fluent Japanese.

What is Nice to Have

• Adaptive and Flexible in a challenging work environment.

What Makes You Eligible

• Be willing to travel up to 30%, domestic and international travel.
• Be willing to work in an office in either Nagoya, Japan or Tokyo, Japan.
• Successfully complete a background/Aptitude test investigation as a condition of employment.

What We Offer

• We offer an authentic diverse, equal, and inclusive work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development in a truly global organization.
• You will work on products and services that touch people’s lives and will change the industrial standards, being a part of the transformations in our industry.
• Our work environments are fast paced, challenging, empowering, collaborative, flexible and exciting.
• We offer our own HARMAN University with regular updates on the new technologies and trends by utilizing various sessions organized by Self Learning and Development Trainings to help grow and advance talent.
• We offer competitive compensation/benefit programs and recognition programs.

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HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard torace, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.