Engineering Business Manager- Exterior

Description

At General Motors, our product teams are redefining mobility. Through a human-centered design process, we create vehicles and experiences that are designed not just to be seen, but to be felt. We're turning today's impossible into tomorrow's standard -from breakthrough hardware and battery systems to intuitive design, intelligent software, and next-generation safety and entertainment features.

Every day, our products move millions of people as we aim to make driving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale..

The Engineering Business Manager (EBM) is a key leadership role responsible for enabling operational excellence, financial discipline, and will act as the pivotal bridge between engineering delivery and business leadership for the Engineering Execution organization. Reporting to senior leadership, the EBM, provides visibility to key metrics, ensuring operational excellence and leads or coordinates initiatives that improve efficiency, quality, and consistency across the engineering organization. This role partners closely with engineering leaders and cross-functional stakeholders (Finance, HR, GEOS, EBMs/BPs, etc.) to develop plans, monitor performance, and drive execution of business processes.

• Acts as the business operations leader for the assigned engineering organization, consolidating operational plans, budgets, and scorecards.
• Serves as a trusted advisor to the engineering executive director and leadership team, providing insight on performance, risks, and opportunities.
• Coordinates business planning, reporting, audits, and compliance activities on behalf of the engineering team, ensuring alignment with GM policies and global processes.
• Champions continuous improvement in business processes, tools, and ways of working to improve efficiency, consistency, and transparency across the organization.
• Track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs), guiding the team toward organizational goals.
• Manage nine-figure operating budgets, enforce fiscal discipline, and prepare forecasts aligned to organizational priorities.
• Facilitate leadership communication through weekly engineering staff meetings focused on progress, challenges, and priorities.

• Lead or coordinate preparation of the annual and multi-year operational plan for the engineering organization (headcount, indirect - including travel, ED&D, bundled services) in partnership with Finance and Engineering leadership.
• Consolidate and maintain the engineering dashboard , including key performance indicators (e.g., budget adherence, delivery performance, quality, safety, and engagement metrics), and facilitate regular reviews with leadership.
• Drive Business Plan Deployment (BPD) , ensuring that objectives, actions, owners, and timing are clearly defined and tracked to closure.
• Provide regular financial and operational reporting , variance analysis, and recommendations to support decision-making.
• Own workforce planning, capacity balancing, and resource allocation to support dynamic portfolio planning and key initiatives.

• Coordinate budget creation, consolidation, and monitoring for the engineering organization, including tracking spend versus plan and identifying risks and opportunities throughout the year.
• Support leaders in headcount and resource planning , including staffing models, position management, and alignment with funded work.
• Partner with Engineering, Finance, and Program Teams on ED&D and bundled services, ensuring alignment with strategy, business priorities, and compliance requirements.
• Support workload and portfolio tracking processes and tools, enabling effective prioritization and resource deployment across programs and projects.

• Serve as the focal point for audits and compliance activities (e.g., PRTS, RDM curves, travel budget), to ensure data integrity, process adherence, and continuous refinement.
• Coordinate risk identification and mitigation activities for the engineering organization and ensure that required documentation, controls, and approvals are in place.
• Ensure adherence to GM policies and processes related to purchasing, contracting, business records, and information lifecycle management (ILM) .

• Lead or support business process development and continuous improvement initiatives to streamline reporting, approvals, communication, and governance routines.
• Lead initiatives to identify inefficiencies and implement process improvements that enhance effectiveness and team collaboration.
• Standardize and maintain business operations procedures and guidance (e.g., how-to guides, playbooks, templates) for the engineering organization.
• Oversee or coordinate tools and systems used by the team for planning, metrics, training, and communication (e.g., SharePoint, scorecard tools, work management tools, dashboards).
• Support training compliance tracking and coordination of required training for the organization (corporate, safety, functional, and role-specific).

• Plan and facilitate staff meetings, all-people meetings, and workshops , including agenda development, content coordination and creation, logistics, and follow-up action tracking.
• Develop and distribute leadership communications, presentations, and updates on strategy, performance, and key initiatives for various audiences.
• Coordinate engagement activities and culture-building events (e.g., town halls, recognition programs, employee engagement plans) in alignment with HR and leadership.
• Serve as a key point of contact between the local engineering team and global counterparts , sharing best practices and aligning on global processes where applicable.

• Mentor and develop engineering leaders and staff, fostering technical proficiency and business acumen.
• Develop strong relationships with individual contributors and people leaders in the organization to have an accurate pulse on the organizational needs to support a positive culture, finding the balance between maintaining confidentiality and educating leadership with specifics to make meaningful impact.

• Maintain strong working relationships with Finance, HR, Procurement, Legal, IT, Quality, Safety, and other partner functions to ensure integrated support for engineering.
• Represent the engineering organization in relevant forums, councils, and reviews , providing the engineering business perspective and ensuring actions are followed through.
• Support leaders with ad hoc analyses, special projects, and strategic initiatives that require cross-functional coordination and strong business discipline.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, or a related field .
• Demonstrated experience (typically 5+ years ) in engineering business operations, program management, finance, or related roles supporting technical organizations.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to interpret financials, metrics, and operational data, and translate insights into clear recommendations.
• Proven project/program management skills , including planning, prioritization, risk management, and tracking deliverables across multiple stakeholders.
• High level of analytical ability and proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Teams) and key GM systems and reporting tools.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills , with the ability to create concise, executive-ready materials and communicate across all levels of the organization.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships, influence without direct authority, and work effectively in a global, cross-functional environment.
• Demonstrated drive for results , attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Engineering/Technical Management, or related field .
• Experience working in or supporting engineering, R and D, manufacturing engineering, or technical program teams .
• Prior experience in continuous improvement, Lean, GMS, Six Sigma, or DFSS/Red X environments.
• Experience with GM Business Plan Deployment (BPD) , RDM/workload management, or similar portfolio and resource planning tools.
• Experience coordinating audits, compliance reviews.
• Familiarity with GM-specific processes: Problem Resolution and Tracking System (PRTS), DFMEA/DFA, program launch procedures.
• Experience in a global or regional role working across multiple sites, time zones, and cultures.