Technical Specialist - Advanced Seat Structures

Job Description

This role is categorized as hybrid. The selected candidate will be expected to work on-site at the Warren Tech Center at least three days per week, or as otherwise determined by the hiring leader.

• This role is not eligible for relocation assistance.

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 peopleas we aim to make driving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale..

About the role:
The Technical Specialist – Advanced Seat Structures is the senior individual contributor and domain expert for future seat structure architectures, mechanisms, and enabling technologies. You will lead clean-sheet and advanced concept work (new architectures, mechanisms, composite/lightweight structures) and convert ambiguous customer and vehicle requirements into executable, reusable seat structure strategies. This role operates primarily in advanced vehicle development, partnering closely with Advanced Vehicle Development (AVD), seat just-in-time (JIT) suppliers, Safety, Body-in-White (BIW), Design, Manufacturing, and global regions to define the advanced seat structures roadmap and prepare downstream program teams for successful execution.

Key Responsibilities:

Advanced Architecture & Concept Development:

• Lead development of advanced front and rear seat structure architectures from clean sheet through hand-off to execution teams.
• Translate vehicle-level targets into robust seat structure layouts and mechanism concepts.
• Use CAE, packaging, and kinematic studies to evaluate structural load paths, stiffness, modal behavior, and occupant comfort.
• Capture and standardize advanced architecture enablers (interfaces, mechanisms, joints, materials) for reuse across multiple programs and regions.

Innovation, Benchmarking & Technology

Roadmap:

• Lead global competitive benchmarking of seat structures, mechanisms, and materials to identify industry trends and best-in-class solutions.
• Partner with JIT suppliers and GM R&D to scout, evaluate, and prototype new structure and mechanism technologies that support future customer experiences.
• Maintain and update the Advanced Seat Structures roadmap, linking technology opportunities to brand strategies, regulatory changes, and manufacturing constraints.

Safety, Regulatory & Structural Performance:

• Ensure advanced concepts are structurally viable and capable of meeting global safety and regulatory requirements (e.g., FMVSS, ECE, IIHS).
• Define structural targets and validation strategies for new architectures (e.g., whiplash, rear impact, ABTS load cases, seat-belt/buckle integration).
• Support Safety, Performance Integration, and CAE teams in early trade-off studies for advanced concepts.

Manufacturability, Automation & Complexity:

• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering, GA plants, and JITs to define automation-friendly seat structure concepts, including joint strategies and part family approaches.
• Evaluate trade-offs between content, complexity, mass, and investment for advanced structures; develop data-driven business cases.
• Promote reuse, corporate common components, and carry-over opportunities across programs and regions to reduce cost and complexity.

Knowledge Management & Mentorship:

• Own and maintain advanced-structures core knowledge (design guidelines, best practices, DFMEA templates, KCDS, interface control documents).
• Lead technical…