Project Manager – Specialty Program Manager, Global Artisan Innovation Center at General Motors in Warren, Michigan, United States of America

Job description

• At General Motors, our product teams are redefining mobility.
• Through a human-centered design process, we create vehicles and experiences that are designed not just to be seen, but to be felt.
• We’re turning today’s impossible into tomorrow’s standard — from breakthrough hardware and battery systems to intuitive design, intelligent software, and next-generation safety and entertainment features.
• Every day, our products move millions of people as we aim to make driving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale.
• The Project Manager – Specialty Program Manager, Global Artisan Innovation Center will serve as the central program leader and primary point of contact between General Motors Defense (GMD), other Specialty Programs and the Global Artisan Innovation Center/PPO organization. This role will establish and lead a structured work-intake, evaluation, and approval process for new Business and ultra-low volume opportunities, ensuring that requests are assessed consistently for capacity, staffing, cost, tooling, process impacts, capital requirements, and schedule feasibility before commitments are made.
• The position will coordinate cross-functional teams, lead feasibility and cost-estimating activities, manage strategic studies, and develop repeatable processes that support sustainable GM growth opportunities while protecting existing GAIC/PPO core work commitments.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary interface between GMD & other specialty customers and GAIC/PPO for new work requests, studies, and business opportunities.
• Establish and maintain a single, disciplined intake funnel for all non-traditional requests.
• Lead cross-functional review forums involving Manufacturing Engineering, Body, General Assembly, MTS, Engineering, Quality, Finance, Facilities, Strategy and Planning and other stakeholders, including regular interaction and providing direction to Program Teams to influence design and buildability for overall program success.
• Develop agendas, decision criteria, governance practices, and approval recommendations for opportunity reviews.
• Organizational and production capacity, working with the scheduling team in Program Management.
• Salaried and hourly manpower requirements
• Staffing availability and workforce risks
• Tooling, equipment, and process impacts
• Capital investment requirements
• Cost estimates, Manufacturing Planning Studies (MPS) and business-case assumptions
• Schedule feasibility, timing, and execution risk
• Coordinate detailed program studies from initial request through recommendation and leadership decision and discussion.
• Lead studies as a pilot for the future opportunities-evaluation model as we develop standardized work processes.
• Ensure vehicle content, MTS, Body, General Assembly, scope are clearly understood before commitments are made. Driving to a total-enterprise solution that delivers on SPQRC&E metrics.
• Establish consistent communication routines and status reporting between GAIC/PPO and Program stakeholders.
• Prevent unauthorized commitments by ensuring requests are evaluated through the approved process.
• Develop repeatable standards, templates, tools, and lessons learned for future studies.
• Identify risks, constraints, dependencies, and escalation needs; develop mitigation plans with functional leaders.
• Partner with shop leadership to evaluate staffing projections, retirements, workforce reductions, apprentice development, and advance-hiring needs.
• Support strategic capacity planning and resource prioritization across competing GAIC/PPO and GMD requirements.
• Provide Sr. Leader and Executive-level updates, recommendations, and decision packages to leadership.
• Influence stakeholders across organizational boundaries without direct authority.
• Promote disciplined program-management practices, accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, operations, project management, or a related field or equivalent launch experience.
• Significant experience leading complex, cross-functional programs in manufacturing, engineering, product development, defense, or a related environment.
• Demonstrated experience with program planning, resource and capacity analysis, cost estimating, risk management, and executive communication.
• Experience coordinating multiple functional organizations and managing competing priorities.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, tooling, equipment, facilities, General Assembly, and production-readiness considerations.
• Proven ability to establish structure and governance in an ambiguous or developing work environment.
• Strong written, verbal, facilitation, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to make sound recommendations using incomplete information and clearly communicate assumptions, risks, and tradeoffs.
• Proficiency with standard project-management, financial-analysis, and collaboration tools.
• Master’s degree or advanced certification in project or program management.
• Experience supporting Vehicle Launch as an aMIM or Plant Launch role.
• Experience with Manufacturing Planning Studies (MPS’s).
• Familiar with General Motors Defense or other defense-related programs.
• Familiarity with the Global Vehicle Development Plan (GVDP).
• Experience with vehicle manufacturing, machining, body operations, General Assembly, or prototype and low-volume production.
• Experience developing work-intake, portfolio-governance, or business-case processes.
• Interaction & coordination with Strategy and Planning teams.
• Knowledge of GM manufacturing systems, governance practices, and cross-functional decision processes.
• Experience with workforce planning, apprentice pipelines, succession planning, or capacity modeling.

Skills

Required

• Program planning
• Resource and capacity analysis
• Cost estimating
• Risk management
• Executive communication
• Manufacturing processes
• Tooling
• Equipment
• Facilities
• General Assembly
• Production-readiness
• Establishing structure and governance

Preferred

• Manufacturing Planning Studies (MPS)
• Global Vehicle Development Plan (GVDP)
• Vehicle manufacturing
• Machining
• Body operations
• Prototype and low-volume production
• Work-intake processes
• Portfolio-governance