Launch Manager

Company

thyssenkrupp Bilstein of America, Inc. is a world class manufacturer of suspension solutions headquartered in Hamilton, Ohio USA. thyssenkrupp Bilstein of America supplies products to a wide range of Original Equipment Automotive Manufacturers as well as Aftermarket and Motorsports customers. Our Aftermarket operations are based out of Poway, CA and our Motorsports operations are based out of Mooresville, NC.

For decades, the name BILSTEIN has been synonymous with high tech in suspension design, driving comfort, and safety. In order to expand this position BILSTEIN became a division of thyssenkrupp Technologies AG in 1988, and a wholly owned subsidiary in 2005. This partnership has enabled us to continue the BILSTEIN tradition of excellence.

The Launch Manager leads the successful introduction of new products, engineering changes, manufacturing processes, and equipment transfers within the OEM automotive business. The role serves as the primary link between Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing to ensure production readiness, flawless launch execution, and achievement of safety, quality, delivery, and financial objectives.

• Lead product launches, engineering changes, and special build activities from planning through production.
• Develop and manage project plans, milestones, timelines, and deliverables.
• Drive cross-functional teams to meet launch objectives for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer satisfaction.
• Identify, mitigate, and resolve launch risks to ensure successful program execution.
• Ensure smooth production ramp-up with zero safety incidents, minimal defects, and on-time delivery.

• Coordinate activities across Program Management, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Plant Leadership.
• Lead launch reviews, track action items, and communicate project status.
• Provide leadership updates on program progress, risks, and corrective actions.

• Ensure equipment, processes, materials, and personnel are ready for production.
• Partner with Engineering and Operations to validate manufacturing capability and production readiness.
• Coordinate training, production trials, and operational handoffs.
• Manage material readiness, logistics planning, and inventory ramp-up/ramp-down activities.

• Coordinate prototype builds, production trials, production submissions, and BOM readiness.
• Support change management and transition programs into serial production.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for launch and manufacturing issues.
• Drive continuous improvement using Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 8D, and other structured problem-solving methods.
• Monitor and improve key performance metrics including throughput, scrap, OEE, productivity, and launch performance.

This role is critical to deliver successful product launches and operational initiatives that improve manufacturing performance, customer satisfaction, and business results in a fast-paced automotive supplier environment.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Significant experience in automotive manufacturing, preferably within a Tier 1 supplier or OEM environment.
• Proven success leading new product launches, manufacturing implementation projects, or program management activities.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing systems, production flow, line balancing, OEE, error-proofing, and process optimization and Statistical Process Control (SPC);
• Experience with customer launch processes, APQP, PPAP, and automotive quality requirements.
• Demonstrated project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, project management tools, and…