Job Description
Work Arrangement
Hybrid: This role is categorized as hybrid. The successful candidate is expected to report to Warren, Michigan or Milford, Michigan three times per week, at minimum.
About GM Defense
GM Defense is driving the future of military mobility by leveraging the best-in-class capabilities of General Motors for unmatched innovation, proven performance, and breakthrough life cycle economics. We deliver reliable, affordable, and innovative products across a full spectrum of capabilities including integrated vehicles, electrification, autonomy, robotics, and security.
The Role
GM Defense (GMD) is a dynamic and growing organization within General Motors. Within GMD, the Integrated Product Support (IPS) organization is responsible for delivering aftersales and sustainment support to defense customers worldwide, ensuring customer satisfaction, mission readiness, and long term business growth.
The Service Engineering Lead, ISV (Infantry Squad Vehicle) is a people leader role with responsibility for leading a service engineering team supporting the GM Defense ISV program. This leader will have 4 to 7 direct reports and will be accountable for building team capability, setting priorities, establishing operating plans, owning service engineering process development, and delivering service engineering outcomes across service readiness, field issue resolution, design for serviceability, contract deliverables, and customer support execution.
This role will own service engineering process development for the ISV program and work cross functionally with production engineering and other stakeholders to ensure incoming production engineering data is complete, accurate, and available to support all required contract deliverables (CDRLs). The role will also own the customer relationship with U.S. Army customers, ensuring strong communication, responsiveness, issue resolution, and follow through throughout the product lifecycle.
This leader must be comfortable operating in ambiguity, moving with urgency, and making sound decisions across fast moving products and support environments. They will work across engineering, production engineering, program management, quality, supply chain, field support, and customer stakeholders to resolve issues, shape service strategy, ensure contract deliverables are met, and build a scalable support model for growing ISV vehicle populations in the field.
What You Will Do
Lead, coach, and develop a team of 4 to 7 service and sustainment engineers supporting the GM Defense ISV program and related service engineering activities.
Set team goals, roles, priorities, and execution plans aligned to annual objectives, product milestones, launch readiness, and customer commitments.
Own talent outcomes for the team, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, development planning, succession planning, recognition, and employee engagement.
Build and scale service engineering capability to support the GM Defense ISV program as vehicle deliveries increase and support requirements expand.
Lead service strategy for the ISV program, with focus on readiness, maintainability, diagnostics, field supportability, and contract deliverables.
Serve as the voice of service in product development forums, design reviews, architecture discussions, and change control processes, driving strong design for serviceability outcomes.
Create and oversee operational plans for service engineering process development and ISV activities including:
Service parts identification and release
Technical manuals and service procedures
Diagnostics, service tools, and service programming
Field issue triage, escalation, and corrective action coordination
Technical guidance and service communications
Maintainability and supportability requirements
Determine resource needs, assign work across the team, remove roadblocks, and ensure the team is focused on the highest impact deliverables.
Lead cross functional resolution of complex technical, quality, reliability, and readiness issues, especially in fast moving and ambiguous environments.
Use data, field feedback, warranty trends, test findings, and customer insights to identify emerging risks and prioritize corrective actions.
Partner with product engineering, production engineering, quality, suppliers, program management, and functional leadership to ensure durable solutions, complete incoming data, and strong field performance.
Provide clear, executive ready communication on risks, recommendations, progress, and recovery plans across multiple job areas.
Act as the senior service engineering interface for internal leadership and the primary customer relationship owner for U.S. Army customers, building trust and ensuring strong responsiveness and follow through.
Drive continuous improvement in service engineering processes, field support response, technical content quality, CDRL execution, and readiness execution.
Foster a team culture grounded in accountability, inclusion, urgency, collaboration, and safe escalation of risks and concerns.
Your Skills and Abilities (Required Qualifications)
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
5+ years of professional experience in service engineering, sustainment engineering, field support, quality, product support, vehicle integration, or related technical functions.
Strong background in service engineering, diagnostics, maintainability, design for serviceability, or field issue resolution.
Experience supporting vehicle systems, product support requirements, or related technical programs.
Proven ability to work effectively in ambiguity, move quickly, prioritize high impact work, and lead teams through fast changing conditions.
Demonstrated experience creating operational plans, allocating resources, and driving execution across multiple priorities and stakeholders.
Strong business acumen and ability to influence senior internal and external stakeholders through data, technical judgment, and clear communication.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross functional efforts spanning engineering, quality, suppliers, program management, manufacturing, and field support.
Strong analytical and problem solving skills with the ability to assess trends, quantify impact, and drive action.
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, technical requirements, and contract deliverables.
Practical diagnostic and technical troubleshooting experience.
Ability to travel as required to support product, field, and customer needs.
Candidate must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, asylee or refugee).
Eligible to obtain Secret U.S. Security Clearance after hire.
What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Automotive Technology, or a related technical field.
Demonstrated experience leading a technical team within a larger function and delivering results through others in a complex environment.
People leadership experience with direct responsibility for hiring, coaching, performance management, employee development, and team results.
Experience supporting military, government, or mission critical vehicle programs.
Experience with integrated product support, serviceability of design, sustainment engineering, or field diagnostics in a defense or regulated environment.
Experience supporting launch and service readiness for new vehicle platforms or related variants.
Experience with service engineering process development, technical data integration, service strategies, and support solutions for military or mission critical vehicle programs.
Experience building or scaling technical teams and operating models in a growing business environment.
Experience serving as a primary service engineering leader or es
