Service Engineering Lead, Electrified Systems (GM Defense)

Service Engineering Lead, Electrified Systems (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.

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.

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, Electrified Systems is a Level 7 people leader role with responsibility for leading a service engineering team supporting a portfolio of battery electric, hybrid electric, and battery pack related products and systems. This leader will have 4 to 7 direct reports and will be accountable for building team capability, setting priorities, establishing operating plans, and delivering service engineering outcomes across service readiness, field issue resolution, design for serviceability, and customer support execution.

This role will lead service engineering strategy and execution for electrified systems that may include battery electric drive, hybrid electric architecture, high voltage components, energy storage systems, exportable power capabilities, and related support technologies. The successful candidate will serve as a strong voice for design for serviceability, ensuring service, diagnostic, maintainability, and field support requirements are integrated early and effectively 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, program management, quality, supply chain, field support, and customer stakeholders to resolve issues, shape service strategy, and build a scalable support model for growing vehicle populations and electrified product applications in the field.

What You Will Do

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of 4 to 7 service and sustainment engineers supporting electrified systems and related products.
• 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 growing business needs of battery electric, hybrid electric, and battery pack related products as vehicle deliveries increase and support requirements expand.
• Lead service strategy across battery electric, hybrid electric, and energy storage systems, with focus on readiness, maintainability, diagnostics, and field supportability.
• 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 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, systems teams, battery and propulsion stakeholders, quality, suppliers, and functional leadership to ensure durable solutions and strong field performance.
• Provide clear, executive ready communication on risks, recommendations, progress, and recovery plans across multiple job areas.
• Act as a senior service engineering interface for internal leadership and external customers, building trust and ensuring strong responsiveness and follow through.
• Drive continuous improvement in service engineering processes, field support response, technical content quality, 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
• 10+ years of professional experience in service engineering, sustainment engineering, field support, quality, product support, vehicle integration, or related technical functions.
• Demonstrated experience leading a technical team within a larger function and delivering results through others in a complex environment.
• Strong background in service engineering, diagnostics, maintainability, design for serviceability, or field issue resolution.
• Experience supporting battery electric vehicles, hybrid electric systems, battery pack technologies, high voltage architectures, propulsion systems, or related electrified technologies.
• 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, schematics, and technical requirements.
• Practical diagnostic and technical troubleshooting experience.
• Ability to travel as required to support product, field, and customer needs.
• Eligible to obtain Secret U.S. Security Clearance after hire.
• Candidate must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, asylee or refugee).

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Automotive Technology, or a related technical field.
• 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, electrified systems, or related variants.
• Experience with high voltage systems, electrified propulsion diagnostics, battery pack service strategies, and service solutions for battery electric or hybrid electric products.
• Experience building or scaling technical teams and operating models in a growing business environment.
• Experience serving as a primary service engineering leader or escalation point for a product line, platform, or customer.
• Experience with technical publications, service documentation, diagnostics authoring, or service programming strategy.
• Experience working across suppliers, systems engineering, battery engineering, quality, and functional leadership in a complex technical environment.
• Active Secret U.S. Security Clearance as of the first day of work.

Why This Role Matters

This role is critical to ensuring electrified products and systems are supportable, maintainable, and ready for the field as the business grows and the technology mix expands. The Service Engineering Lead will shape both the team and the service strategy needed to support increasing customer deliveries, stronger field performance, and long term sustainment success across battery electric, hybrid electric, and battery pack related applications.

This position requires eligibility to access classified information at the Secret U.S. Security Clearance level for which the U.S. Government requires U.S. Citizenship. The successful candidate must have eligibility to access classified information at that level.