Service Maintenance Strategy & Development Specialist AUTONOMOUS DRIVING (Unable to consider OPT/CPT candidates or those requiring sponsorship of any kind)

Job description

Role Summary

The Service Maintenance Strategy & Development Specialist role sits within the Volkswagen Group of America’s Autonomous Driving, Mobility, & Transport (ADMT) business unit.

ADMT is currently preparing for the commercial launch of its SAE Level 4 autonomous mobility and transport business in the U.S.

This role is responsible for building the repair, service, and maintenance strategy and operational processes necessary to maintain large fleets of autonomous electric vehicles across various markets.

This individual will be a leader in defining a service and maintenance strategic roadmap to enable ADMT business success, driving industry best practices while maintaining the highest levels of compliance, safety, and quality.

They will define, develop, and implement a world-class maintenance program that can address reliability-related failures prior to autonomous vehicles requiring corrective maintenance.

The ideal candidate will have an automotive aftersales service & maintenance background with a highly-strategic focus (e.g. strategy development, program management, operational implementation, etc), as well as excellent business planning, analytical, organizational, project management, and communication skills.

Role Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning

·Build roadmap for the repair, service, and maintenance strategies necessary to successfully maintain a fleet of autonomous electric vehicles, in preparation for the commercial launch of ADMT’s autonomous mobility service in various U.S. markets

·Design a spare parts supply chain strategy, aligned with Volkswagen Group of America processes and standards, needed to supply all the components for local workshop technicians to minimize downtime of autonomous vehicles

·Identify key operational and resource requirements and drive internal alignment on strategic roadmaps across multiple cross-functional stakeholders including product, operations, engineering, and more

·Develop human capital strategies for technician workforces maintaining autonomous electric vehicles, then recommend tools to monitor and track technician productivity post-commercial launch

·Routinely develop and communicate leadership updates on service and maintenance planning to key stakeholders and organizational committees, inclusive of strategic recommendations to company leadership as requested

·Support regular business reviews with detailed budget and planning milestone updates

Vendor/Partner Evaluation

·Identify priority partners and/or vendors necessary to deliver on ADMT’s service and maintenance roadmap, with a specific focus on requisite supply chain partners needed to enable business success

·Setup and manage procurement processes with priority partners and/or vendors for delivery of goods and services, including supporting commercial contract negotiations where appropriate (e.g. RFPs / RFQs, bids, bid selection, etc)

·Design Service Level Agreement (SLA) frameworks to guide the successful execution of service and maintenance-related activities by priority partners and/or vendors

·Support ongoing relationship management (including performance management) of priority partners and/or vendors to ensure long-term, mutually beneficial commercial relationships between ADMT and our partner ecosystem

Operations & Implementation

·Develop and manage project plans to put service, maintenance, warranty, and spare parts roadmaps into action, taking ADMT plans from strategy into implementation

·Manage internal and external stakeholders toward the delivery of a service and maintenance organization needed to support commercial launch of ADMT’s autonomous mobility service

·Drive process improvements that lead to increased operational efficiency, profitability, and decreased risk within core service and maintenance processes such as corrective maintenance, preventative maintenance, inventory management, invoice processing, and more

·Ensure compliance with all relevant safety and environmental regulations, as well as internal VW standards, surrounding service and maintenance

·Manage service, maintenance, and supply chain budgets to plan and support financial forecasting as needed

·Support the development of internal documentation and training content needed to ensure industry-leading maintenance processes

·Routinely audit field service and maintenance processes and provide feedback to internal and external partners in order to improve service safety and quality

Qualifications

Years of Relevant Experience:

6+ years of professional experience in a highly strategic role within OEM/Tier 1 automotive aftersales repair, service, and maintenance or an automotive service and maintenance-related field 

Education

•Bachelor’s degree

•MBA or Masters, or equivalent graduate certification

General Skills Necessary to Perform Role:

•Strategic Thinking – Strong business acumen, familiarity with corporate decision-making processes, and a structured problem-solving mindset capable of tackling highly-ambiguous strategic questions

•Program and Project Management – Demonstrated history of managing multiple complex workstreams toward the delivery of desired target outcomes

•Analytical Skillset – Comfortable working with data to generate business insights and drive executive decision-making

•Operational Excellence – Capable of designing and developing operational process flows that reduce operational risk while optimizing business outcomes, promoting stability, and meeting demanding SLAs

•Stakeholder Management – Ability to build strong cross-functional relationships and work effectively within a collaborative, team-based environment to achieve business goals

•Communication – Exceptional written and verbal communication skills

•Adaptability – Capable of successfully operating in fast-paced and dynamic environments with a high-level of autonomy

Required Skills:

·Experience with repair, service, and maintenance projects within a hardware-heavy industry such as automotive, aerospace, rail, other transportation, industrial technology, etc

·Understanding of maintenance processes, scheduling, contracting, warranties, and related documentation

·Familiarity with mobility, transportation, and the autonomous driving industry

·Proficiency in financial modeling, forecasting, and budget management

·Knowledge and demonstrated work experience with statements of work (SOWs) and service level agreements (SLAs)

·Comfort working with third-party strategic partners and vendors, including executing commercial contracts and managing external stakeholders to deliver according to project requirements

·Experience with industry procurement practices and processes (e.g. vendor RFP/RFQ)

Desired Skills:

·All skills noted in the “Required” section plus:

oExperience working within Service & Maintenance within the Volkswagen Group of America OR another OEM/Tier 1 automotive company in aftersales service

oTechnical and business knowledge of automotive maintenance contracts and spare parts supply chains, including experience with predictive maintenance

oIn-depth and hands-on experience in managing service and maintenance vendor activities

oSix Sigma Certification

oCertified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP)

oCertified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM)

Work Flexibility:

• Domestic & international travel required

In Silicon Valley (California), the salary range for this role will be $155,000 - $170,000, depending on education and years of relevant experience.

Salary is determined by geographical location and adjusted accordingly. Other benefits for this position include:

 · Eligibility for annual performance bonus

· Healthcare benefits

· 401(k), with company match

· Defined contribution retirement program.

· Tuition reimbursement

· Company lease car program

· Paid time off

Required Skill Profession

Vehicle And Mobile Equipment Mechanics, Installers, And Repairers