Program Chief Engineer

Program Chief Engineer

Location: Detroit, MI (Hybrid) | Travel to OEM and supplier locations as required

Duration: Full time

JOB SUMMARY:

Tata Technologies is seeking an experienced Program Chief Engineer to provide overall technical leadership and engineering governance for the Program. The role is responsible for the successful delivery of program, ensuring alignment across vehicle architecture, system integration, engineering quality, validation readiness, customer requirements, timing, cost, and program milestones and also includes Guiding diagnostics architecture, connected vehicle solutions, digital services, and software integration activities.

The candidate will serve as the primary technical authority for the program and work directly with OEM leadership, suppliers, engineering teams, and program management to drive concept-to-launch execution.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Technical Leadership

• Provide overall technical leadership for programs.
• Own vehicle architecture and system integration decisions.
• Lead technical reviews, engineering signoffs, and milestone readiness assessments.
• Drive issue resolution and technical risk mitigation activities.

Vehicle & System Engineering

• Oversee vehicle architecture, chassis systems, powertrain integration, cooling, fuel, EVAP, exhaust, electrical, diagnostics, and body builder interfaces.
• Ensure technical alignment across all engineering functions.
• Lead carryover, modified-content, and new-content decisions.

Diagnostics architecture Leadership

• Guide diagnostics architecture, connected vehicle solutions, digital services, and software integration activities.
• Support product roadmap alignment and digital feature prioritization.
• Ensure integration between vehicle systems and digital ecosystem functions.

Engineering Governance & Program Execution

• Lead cross-functional engineering reviews and recovery plans.
• Manage technical assumptions, dependencies, risks, and escalations.
• Review engineering maturity, quality, and deliverable readiness at each milestone.
• Support customer reviews and executive updates.

Supplier & Customer Management

• Act as the primary technical interface with OEM and strategic suppliers.
• Support sourcing decisions, technical evaluations, and supplier readiness reviews.
• Drive closure of customer technical concerns and engineering escalations.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Education

• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.

Experience

• 20+ years of automotive or commercial vehicle product development experience.
• 10+ years leading cross-functional vehicle programs as Chief Engineer, Vehicle Line Director, or Systems Engineering Leader.
• Experience with commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, off-highway, or vocational vehicle platforms preferred.