Head – New Product Launch
No salary listed
Expert
Bachelor's
Gurugram, Haryana, India
In Person
Project & Program ManagementProgram Management
About the job
Requirements
- A bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, electronics, mechatronics, manufacturing, industrial engineering, or a related technical field.
- At least 15 years of progressive experience in automotive or another safety-critical, high-volume industry, including complex mechatronic product development, manufacturing industrialization, and launch.
- Experience across multiple functions or factories.
- Successful delivery of at least three new-product launches, including a complex multi-site or safety-critical mechatronic program.
- Strong competence in Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), industrialization, launch planning, risk management, budget control, capacity planning, supplier readiness, and structured problem solving.
- At least 5 years as a Launch Manager, Operations Project Manager, or comparable cross-functional leader.
- Ability to lead international matrix teams, steer two factories, make timely decisions, escalate effectively, and deliver under high pressure.
- Fluent business English is required.
- Willingness to travel.
Responsibilities
- Lead the end-to-end Operations workstream for development and launch of advanced, safety-critical automotive mechatronic systems across two focus factories, integrating mechanical, electronics, electric motor, and embedded software disciplines and delivering industrialization, quality, cost, timing, capacity, and ramp-up targets.
- Support quotations and business cases with operations feasibility, industrial concepts, footprint and capacity scenarios, investment estimates, launch timing, and risk assessment for complex mechatronic products, covering both focus factories and the required revenue-growth roadmap.
- Define Operations targets for safety, quality, cost, timing, scope, capacity, and launch maturity across both focus factories; establish project governance, decision rights, integrated master plan, gate deliverables, cadence, documentation, and escalation paths.
- Build and lead the global launch team, secure resources and ownership with line management, drive early risk management and manufacturing concept selection, and provide make-or-buy inputs and work-package definitions.
- Align factory readiness and industrialization strategy with the growth path from approximately €250M to €600M annual revenue; lead Operations delivery for the complete mechatronic system and integrate mechanical, electronics, electric motor, and embedded software interfaces.
- Translate product requirements into manufacturing, assembly, testing, traceability, and end-of-line concepts; drive Design for Manufacturing (DfM), Design for Assembly (DfA), design reviews, process validation, equipment implementation, supplier readiness, and capacity installation.
- Staff, direct, and coach the two-factory launch team; resolve cross-functional dependencies and resource conflicts; ensure deliverables meet customer, regulatory, safety, cost, quality, and timing requirements; control the integrated plan and recover deviations through owners, countermeasures, and escalation.
- Manage capital expenditure, tooling, launch costs, labor, ramp-up cost, and obsolete-material exposure against approvals; lead APQP, FMEA, control-plan, capability, test-coverage, traceability, line-release, PPAP, and safe-launch readiness.
- Coordinate equipment, process, component, logistics, and software-release maturity across both factories; run risk-based launch reviews and drive rapid problem solving to achieve a stable ramp-up.
- Maintain transparent, fact-based status for both factories covering milestones, budget, quality, capacity, resources, risks, and decisions; report gate maturity and forecasts to Project Management, Operations leadership, plant management, and executive steering committees.
- Escalate product, process, supplier, customer, or safety-critical issues early with impact, containment, recovery plan, and required decision; track actions to closure and ensure disciplined change control.
- Capture lessons learned and standardize reusable launch methods, equipment concepts, controls, and best practices across both factories; improve yield, cycle time, scrap, reliability, test coverage, and launch efficiency; support warranty, 0-km, field, and supplier-quality containment and root-cause resolution; optimize capacity and requalification throughout the product lifecycle.
- Represent Operations and both focus factories in project, customer, supplier, and executive meetings worldwide; build stakeholder alignment and communicate complex issues clearly, directly, and early; lead feasibility, change, and problem-resolution discussions using timing, cost, quality, safety, and risk evidence while protecting operational readiness and launch integrity.
- Own the transition from launch through stable serial production and formal handover at both factories; monitor ramp-up performance, capacity, yield, quality, delivery, and cost until agreed exit criteria are achieved.
- Coordinate product maintenance, engineering changes, non-conformance resolution, and requalification; lead capacity adaptations and phase-out preparation in line with business and customer requirements.
Desired Qualifications
- Additional languages are advantageous.
- Expert knowledge of matrix decision-making, escalation paths, and stakeholder management across factories and functions; ability to establish governance, accountability, and communication in a worldwide project environment.
- Expert application of new product launch processes, gate reviews, industrialization planning, launch readiness, and serial-life handover; strong command of multi-site launch governance and operational deliverables.
- Knowledge of safety-critical quality in launches, including APQP, PPAP, safe launch, line release, control plans, process capability, test coverage, end-to-end traceability, FMEA-based risk prevention, and functional-safety implications for manufacturing and validation.
- Knowledge of Operations program control and reporting, including integrated planning, milestone and gate control, resource steering, risk and opportunity management, change control, executive reporting, rapid problem resolution, disciplined escalation, and recovery planning across two factories.
- Business-case understanding and management of capital expenditure, tooling, launch cost, labor, ramp-up cost, capacity, and obsolete-material exposure; ability to align industrial investment with growth from approximately €250M to €600M annual revenue.
- System-level understanding of mechanical, electronics, electric motor, and embedded software interfaces; knowledge of manufacturing, assembly, testing, calibration, traceability, software-release, and configuration-control concepts.
- Customer-specific milestones, audits, PPAP, capability, and drawing requirements; executive-level communication, negotiation, expectation management, and recovery alignment with customers and suppliers.
- Ability to lead, motivate, and coach international cross-functional teams without relying solely on direct authority; delegate outcomes, resolve conflict, manage performance input, and create ownership across both focus factories.
- Ability to evaluate changes across system interfaces and quantify impact on safety, quality, timing, cost, capacity, and industrial readiness; drive fast, structured decisions and implementation while keeping worldwide stakeholders aligned.
- Ability to lead early feasibility, manufacturing concept, footprint, capacity, investment, and timing assessments for large, complex programs; challenge assumptions early and convert lessons learned into robust launch concepts.
About the company
Aumovio is a global technology and electronics company focused on software-defined vehicles and mobility solutions, spun off from Continental in 2025 and based in Frankfurt. It provides hardware and software across Autonomous Mobility, Safety and Motion, User Experience, and Architecture and Network Solutions, including sensors, displays, braking and comfort systems, software platforms, and driver-assistance systems. It differentiates itself by leveraging Continental’s automotive heritage with a lean, agile structure and offering end-to-end, software-enabled automotive electronics and systems such as Green Electric Caliper, Xelve for automated driving, and Road to Cloud for SDVs, serving most leading automakers worldwide. Its goal is to grow long-term sales beyond €24 billion and reach an adjusted EBIT margin of 6.0–8.0%.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Frankfurt, Germany
Founded
2025
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Aumovio won a Chinese braking order on September 10, 2026; production starts 2027.
- Surventis partnered on optical films August 27, 2026, strengthening HUD and display pipelines.
- IAA Transportation 2026 showcases VDO charging, Aurora autonomy, and fleet software.
What critics are saying
- Aumovio cut up to 4,000 jobs on January 27, 2026, signaling structural weakness.
- First-half 2026 sales fell 8.9%, and net loss reached €597 million.
- BMW settlement pressure and Asian pricing erode margins; prolonged declines threaten independence.
What makes Aumovio unique
- Aumovio’s Continental legacy gives it installed relationships with nearly every major global OEM.
- Its portfolio spans sensors, brakes, displays, and software for software-defined vehicles.
- The China-localized radar line hit four million-unit annual capacity in 2026.
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Benefits
- Paid Vacation
- Employee Discounts
- 401(k) Company Match
- Employee Assistance Program
- Performance Bonus