Chief Vehicle Engineer

Auto Chief, company-wide technical authority 15+ years

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Tesla

Rivian

Lucid Motors

Ford

Waymo

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The job description

Tech stack. Vehicle program management frameworks, architecture decision tools, benchmark and teardown databases, regulatory strategy, executive reporting

About the role

You will serve as the company-wide technical authority for vehicle engineering at an automaker, the person accountable for the engineering integrity of the products customers drive. Program chiefs, executives, and the board rely on your judgment for the decisions that define the company: platform strategies, technology bets, and quality commitments. This role matters because every vehicle program is a multi-billion-dollar bet, and your technical authority is what keeps those bets sound from first sketch through a decade of production. You will own the vehicle complete technical definition and business case, the single person accountable when program targets for cost, mass, timing, and quality collide. Your chief engineer reviews will be the forum where the hardest tradeoffs get decided with data, and your judgment will set the tone for ten thousand smaller decisions made downstream. You will also represent the program to executive leadership and the board, translating engineering reality into commitments the company can stake its reputation on.

What you will achieve

Own vehicle engineering technical authority across all programs: architecture approvals, gateway sign-offs, and launch readiness decisions
Prevent major program failures through early intervention on flawed architectures, unrealistic targets, or systemic quality risks
Define the company vehicle development system: processes, standards, and technical career paths adopted across engineering
Drive resolution of enterprise-level crises: recalls, systemic field issues, and supplier technology collapses with decisive technical leadership
Build the next generation of chief engineers through mentorship, setting the standard for technical judgment company-wide

What you will bring

Must-haves

15+ years of automotive engineering experience with multiple full vehicle programs led to successful launch
Recognized authority in vehicle engineering with deep knowledge across body, chassis, powertrain, E/E, and software
Track record of program-level technical decisions that delivered successful, profitable vehicles
Experience making launch decisions under uncertainty: balancing timing, quality, and commercial pressure
Deep understanding of global regulations, safety ratings, and their product strategy implications
History of building engineering organizations and developing senior technical leaders
Unimpeachable technical credibility with executives, boards, regulators, and the engineering workforce

Nice-to-haves

Experience leading both startup-speed and established-OEM program environments
Advanced degree in engineering or business
Industry recognition: SAE Fellow, major awards, or widely cited technical leadership
Direct experience managing major recall or crisis technical response