Sr. Director, Exteriors, Lighting & Mechanisms

Role Summary Reporting to the Vice President of Vehicle Hardware Engineering, the Sr. Director of Exteriors, Lighting & Mechanisms leads a ~75-person organization spanning three domains: exterior and interior lighting, exterior trim systems, and exterior mechanisms. The role leads development across all vehicle programs from concept through sustained production, and is accountable at a department level for quality, cost, mass, timing, craftsmanship, optical and functional performance, regulatory compliance, and the technology roadmap for future applications. This is an on-site role at our design headquarters in Irvine, CA, with regular travel to manufacturing sites (Normal, IL and Stanton Springs, GA) and suppliers. Responsibilities Lead, develop and retain a ~75-person organization of Engineering Managers, Design Release Engineers, Technical Specialists and Program Managers across lighting, exterior systems and mechanisms; own organizational planning, budget planning, hiring, succession and career growth. Deliver lighting, exterior and mechanism systems for all programs on time and to target: quality, cost, mass, timing, craftsmanship, optical and functional performance. Serve as the executive voice in a dynamic, high pressure environment for the function in program gate reviews, Studio design reviews and cross-functional escalations. Own the execution and release of Class-A surfaces, gap-and-flush, and other perceived quality requirements for the exterior. Ensure robust design and engineering throughout the program lifecycle: concept and feasibility, supplier engagement and sourcing, system & component requirements, BOM management, optical and structural simulation, DFMEA and DVP&R, prototype builds, validation, factory launch and sustained production support. Drive collaborative design with Studio, Vehicle Line, Body Structures and Closures, Electrical and Software, Attributes (aero, NVH, safety, dimensional), Manufacturing, Supplier Quality, Service and Launch. Define and execute the multi-year technology roadmap for advanced lighting and exterior systems. Own department design rules, engineering specifications, test standards and the lessons-learned process; ensure learnings transfer across programs. Partner with Electrical, Software and Functional Safety on lighting and mechanism control architecture, ISO 26262 safety cases and ADAS interactions. Set sourcing and supplier strategy with Supply Chain, including make-vs-buy, build-to-print vs. co-development, and multi-program commodity strategies. Cascade and own cost and mass targets from early estimates through supplier quotes to production; drive in-production VA/VE. Own field quality, warranty performance and prevent-recurrence for the department's systems, including campaign prevention. Lead problem solving and issue resolution at a department level from early builds through SOP and beyond. Qualifications BS in Engineering or equivalent. 15+ years of experience in automotive design and development, including multiple full vehicle programs delivered from concept through SOP at volume. 10+ years of engineering leadership experience, including 5+ years leading managers of managers across multiple sub-systems. Deep technical expertise in at least two of the following, with working fluency in the rest: exterior lighting; exterior systems; exterior mechanisms. Demonstrated ownership of post-SOP quality: warranty, field issues and prevent-recurrence at department level. Working knowledge of the regulatory and certification landscape across the scope (FMVSS/ECE lighting, latches and hinges, wipers, mirrors and CMS, glazing, pedestrian protection). Fluency in systems engineering practice: requirements cascade, DFMEA, DVP&R, GD&T and dimensional management, design-for-manufacturing. Executive-level communication: able to represent technical trade-offs to Studio, program and company leadership. Flexibility to travel approx. 10% of time Preferred Qualifications: MS in Engineering or Engineering Management. Experience at both an established OEM and a high-growth EV company, or scaling an engineering organization through rapid program growth. Experience bringing a new lighting or electromechanical technology from advanced development into production (e.g., ADB, pixel lighting, e-latch, powered access). Experience with software-defined vehicle features where exterior hardware is controlled through vehicle software and updated over the air. Experience with functional safety (ISO 26262) and cybersecurity (ISO/SAE 21434) as applied to lighting and access systems. Pay Disclosure The salary range for this role is $229,500 to $327,800 for Southern California based applicants. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, shift, and organizational needs.