Senior Specialist, Product Management

About the role

As a Senior Specialist – Vehicle Program Readiness, you will serve as a key cross-functional integrator responsible for vehicle milestone achievement, program timing, launch readiness, and executive decision readiness. You will independently lead complex program topics, drive alignment across technical, operational, and business stakeholders, and ensure critical path activities, milestone deliverables, and manufacturing readiness objectives remain on track.

This role provides broad exposure to the full vehicle development lifecycle, from concept development through launch and start of production (SOP), with regular interaction with senior leadership. It offers a unique opportunity to influence key program decisions, drive milestone and launch success, and build a strong foundation for future growth into vehicle program, launch, product, or model line leadership roles.

Responsibilities

• Program Milestone Steering
  • Lead preparation and integration of vehicle milestone decision papers, including storyline, flight plan, product maturity status, technical readiness, and cross-functional input.
  • Translate milestone requirements into clear work packages, owners, timing, and escalation paths.
  • Consolidate milestone readiness inputs across Engineering, Manufacturing, Procurement, Quality, Finance, Product Marketing, Design, and other key functions.
  • Lead cross-functional alignment of the critical path required for milestone achievement and proactively identify recovery actions for schedule risks.
  • Drive resolution of milestone deliverables, risks, and decision needs to ensure program readiness is transparent and actionable.
  • Prepare concise, leadership-ready materials for milestone reviews, product steering committees, and executive decision forums.
  • Develop recommendations and escalation proposals to enable leadership decisions on milestone-critical issues.
  • Cross-functionally align necessary changes to the milestone plan and launch cadence and maintain the single source of truth for program timing.
• Heavy Items Tracking
  • Track and hold Engineering, Purchasing, Quality, & Production accountable for delivering key inputs for manufacturing readiness (i.e. specification books, sourcing’s, tooling releases, part delivery and manufacturing readiness).
  • Assess timing recovery plans, challenge mitigation assumptions, and develop recommendations regarding milestone feasibility and build readiness.
• Cross-Functional Program Coordination
  • Act as a key operational support partner to the Model Line Manager by coordinating cross-functional activities across vehicle program workstreams.
  • Drive follow-up on open actions, owners, due dates, blockers, and status updates across Engineering, E/E & Software, Manufacturing, Procurement, Quality, Finance, Design, and Product Marketing.
  • Maintain structured program trackers that provide visibility to topic status, risks, next steps, ownership, due dates, and escalation needs.
  • Facilitate alignment meetings, working sessions, and follow-up reviews to remove roadblocks and support timely decisions.
  • Ensure that cross-functional input is collected early, reviewed for completeness, and incorporated into program recommendations before leadership decisions are made.

Location & Travel Expectations

This role will be based out of the Scout Motors location in Novi, Michigan. This role requires 4 days per week in the office, with regular in-person meetings and events. Applicants should expect that the role will require the ability to convene with Scout colleagues in person and travel to participate in events on behalf of the company from time to time. Travel: 10%. Valid driver’s license required.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• Experience: 8+ years of experience in automotive product development, product management, program management, engineering project coordination, or cross-functional project leadership.
• Experience supporting one or more vehicle program launches from development through start of production (SOP).
• Experience working with multiple functions such as Engineering, Manufacturing, Procurement, Quality, Finance, Product Marketing, and Design.
• Strong understanding of vehicle development processes, product maturity tracking, milestone governance, and program issue management.
• Experience preparing executive-level presentations, dashboards, program status reports, and decision-support materials.

Skills

• Strong cross-functional coordination and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong understanding of vehicle development milestones, processes, & launch readiness KPIs.
• Strong program planning, schedule management, and critical path analysis skills.
• Ability to manage complex topics with multiple owners, dependencies, risks, and deadlines.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical and business inputs into clear recommendations.
• Ability to identify milestone risks, develop recovery plans, and drive cross-functional issue resolution.
• High attention to detail and strong follow-through on open actions, owners, timing, and escalation needs.
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving capability.
• Ability to create clear decision papers, dashboards, agendas, and leadership-ready presentations.
• Working knowledge of business case inputs, cost impacts, timing impacts, and product/content trade-offs.
• Ability to operate independently while keeping the Model Line Manager informed on risks, decisions, and priorities.
• Comfortable working in a dynamic environment with shifting priorities and incomplete information.

Benefits

• Competitive insurance including: Medical, dental, vision and income protection plans
• 401(k) program with: An employer match and immediate vesting
• Generous Paid Time Off including:
  • 20 days planned PTO, as accrued
  • 40 hours of unplanned PTO and 14 company or floating holidays, annually
  • Up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave for biological and adoptive parents of all genders
  • Paid leave for circumstances related to bereavement, jury duty, voting time, or military leave

Pay

This is a full-time, exempt position eligible to receive a base salary and to participate in an annual performance bonus program. Final salary offered will be determined based on factors including but not limited to the candidate's skills and experience. The annual performance bonus program is preset and not candidate dependent.

Initial base salary range = $120,000.00 - $145,000.00