Senior Manager Connected Car Services (CCS)

Job Description

Job Description

Salary:

About Kia:

For more than 75 years, Kia has been at the forefront of mobility and is a major driver in the popularization of battery-electric vehicles while developing a growing range of mobility services. With over 52,000 employees worldwide and manufacturing facilities in six countries, Kia sells approximately three million vehicles per year. In 2021, Kia underwent a brand relaunch announcing its new strategy, logo, and brand slogan Movement that Inspires in support of being a world leading sustainable mobility solutions provider.

Position title: Senior Manager Connected Car Services (CCS)

Position Summary

The Senior Manager Connected Car Services (CCS) leads the implementation, operation, and continuous development of Connected Car Services across the Central and South America (CSA) region.
The role is also responsible for coordinating regional CCS activities in alignment with Global HQ strategies, platforms, and vehicle launch plans. It serves as the regional focal point for CCS, managing cross-functional coordination with Global HQ, distributors, external partners, and internal regional teams to ensure successful service launches and stable operational performance across multiple markets.

Essential Functions

Regional Strategy & Planning

• Lead the regional development and launch strategy for Connected Car Services (CCS) aligned with global HQ direction.
• Develop market-specific rollout plans for key countries across the CSA region.
• Conduct competitor benchmarking and consumer insights related to connected vehicle features.
• Lead regional planning, rollout, and operational activities for Connected Car Services (CCS) across CSA markets.
• Manage the full lifecycle of CCS projects including planning, testing, launch coordination, market implementation, and post-launch monitoring.
• Coordinate closely with Global HQ teams including Product Planning, R&D, IT, Legal, Cybersecurity, and Customer Experience.
• Support future product planning activities related to connected vehicle technologies and digital services.
• Conduct market analysis, competitor benchmarking, and customer insights activities related to connected mobility services.

Program Management & Execution

• Manage the full lifecycle of CCS implementation from planning and testing to market launch and performance monitoring.
• Define local service features, pricing models, business rules, cost management, KPIs and rollout time plan across target markets.
• Engage with external partners and vendors (e.g., telecom providers, telematics platform operators, call center providers).
• Ensure alignment with local distributors on market execution and support.

Regulatory Compliance & Localization

• Monitor and ensure compliance with local regulatory requirements for data privacy, telecommunications, and vehicle services.
• Coordinate regional homologation of connectivity hardware and services in collaboration with technical and legal teams.

Performance Monitoring

• Track KPIs post-launch (activation rate, service usage, satisfaction).
• Provide ongoing feedback to HQ for platform or feature improvements.

Functional Leadership

• Act as functional lead for the regional CCS work group, coordinating priorities, operational activities, and cross-functional alignment.
• Support process improvement, knowledge sharing, and long-term development of the CCS organization within the region.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, IT, or Business; Masters degree is a plus.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in the automotive or technology industry. Experience connected car services, telematics, or digital product management is essential for this role.
• Proven experience in project management and multi-market coordination.
• Solid understanding of connected vehicle ecosystems including telematics, infotainment systems, mobile apps, cloud-based services, and OTA technologies.
• Experience managing external vendors, service providers, or customer support operations is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with KPI management, VOC analysis, and operational reporting.
• Strong analytical, communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong skills in management-level reporting and visual data presentation.
• Advanced proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel.
  
• Availability for regional and international travel (regional and global) as required.
• Languages: English (fluent), Spanish (highly desirable), Korea (advantage)