Manufacturing Program Manager

Senior Manufacturing Technical Program Manager (TPM) – Vehicle Software Manufacturing Integration

Location: Louisville, KY (Assembly Operations)

Duration: 12+ Month Contract

Schedule: Monday-Friday, with occasional weekend and overtime support during launch activities

Travel: None Required

Experience: 10+ Years

Industry: Automotive Manufacturing, Embedded Systems, Vehicle Software, EV Programs

Overview

We are seeking a Senior Manufacturing Technical Program Manager (TPM) to lead the integration of vehicle software, diagnostics, automation, and manufacturing systems across assembly plant operations. This role serves as the primary bridge between Manufacturing, Vehicle Operations, Systems Engineering, Embedded Software, and Plant Automation teams to ensure vehicle software and hardware systems are successfully deployed, validated, commissioned, and launched within the manufacturing environment.

The ideal candidate is a systems-oriented engineering leader with strong automotive manufacturing experience who understands how embedded software, vehicle diagnostics, ECU flashing, plant automation, and cloud-connected manufacturing systems come together on the production line. This is not a software development role, but candidates should be capable of understanding embedded software architectures, reading Embedded C code when necessary, and translating software requirements into manufacturing execution strategies.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Act as the Manufacturing Technical Program Manager responsible for vehicle software integration throughout the manufacturing process.
• Drive execution of manufacturing diagnostics, ECU flashing, commissioning, calibration, and plant automation workstreams.
• Lead cross-functional meetings with Manufacturing Engineering, Vehicle Operations, Systems Engineering, Embedded Software, Launch, and Plant teams.
• Manage program timelines, milestones, risks, dependencies, and issue resolution activities.
• Coordinate vehicle bring-up activities, software releases, and manufacturing readiness for new vehicle programs.
• Oversee implementation of diagnostic processes leveraging UDS, DoIP, and plant diagnostic tools.
• Support ECU flashing, bootloader provisioning, and software commissioning for vehicle controllers and compute platforms.
• Ensure successful integration between vehicle software and manufacturing systems including MES, EDEx, OTX, and cloud-based diagnostic environments.
• Drive End-of-Line (EOL) calibration and commissioning activities for powertrain, high-voltage, body controls, lighting, chassis, and ADAS systems.
• Review diagnostic data, DTC reporting, telemetry, and cloud-connected manufacturing analytics to identify production issues.
• Lead root cause investigations for software, hardware, and manufacturing integration issues impacting vehicle builds.
• Support prototype builds, pilot builds, and production launches within the Louisville Assembly Plant.
• Partner with plant operations teams to resolve build stoppages, software-related failures, and manufacturing quality concerns.
• Track and communicate program status, launch readiness, and technical risks to leadership.

Must-Have Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in automotive engineering, manufacturing engineering, systems engineering, vehicle integration, or technical program management.
• Experience managing complex cross-functional automotive programs from development through manufacturing launch.
• Strong understanding of vehicle software integration within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience with automotive diagnostics including:
• UDS (ISO 14229)
• DoIP (ISO 13400)
• CAN Networks
• Ethernet-Based Vehicle Diagnostics
• Experience supporting ECU flashing, software commissioning, vehicle bring-up, or diagnostic validation activities.
• Knowledge of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and plant automation environments.
• Experience working with embedded software teams and understanding embedded software architectures.
• Ability to read and comprehend Embedded C code for debugging and issue triage purposes (coding not required).
• Experience supporting plant launches, prototype builds, pilot production, or vehicle manufacturing operations.
• Strong program management skills including risk management, issue tracking, dependency management, and stakeholder communication.
• Automotive OEM, EV manufacturer, or Tier-1 supplier experience.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Ford manufacturing or vehicle launch experience.
• Experience with:
• OTX (Open Test sequence eXchange)
• EDEx
• Diagnostic Cloud Platforms
• Vehicle Telemetry Systems
• Manufacturing Diagnostic Workstations
• Experience with Software Defined Vehicles (SDV).
• Knowledge of zonal architectures and high-performance compute platforms.
• Experience supporting EV manufacturing and commissioning processes.
• Understanding of:
• Battery Management Systems (BMS)
• High Voltage Systems
• Vehicle Charging Systems
• DC Fast Charging Validation
• Experience with ADAS calibration, camera calibration, radar calibration, wheel alignment, or headlamp aiming systems.
• Familiarity with ARXML, DBC, MDX, and diagnostic database management.
• Experience using Jira, SOLVE Hub, or structured root-cause methodologies (RCA, ICA, PCA).
• Prior background as a Systems Engineer who transitioned into Manufacturing, Integration, or Program Management.
• Experience working with cloud-connected vehicle data, DTC aggregation, and manufacturing telemetry pipelines.

Compensation: