Manager, Vehicle Attributes Engineering

The Vehicle Attributes Engineering Manager is the people leader for GFTX Quality Engineering, Vehicle Attributes. This role sets direction for the team that owns end-to-end vehicle-level attribute performance across noise, vibration, harshness (NVH), cabin refinement, body sealing / water management, ride quality, steering feel, and braking performance. The manager hires, coaches, and performance-manages Staff and Senior engineers and Quality Engineering technicians; allocates talent to the highest-risk attributes and launches; and is accountable for attribute outcomes in production and new program launches (prototype → pilot → production). The team partners Quality Engineering, Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Validation, and Service to discover, contain, and permanently close attribute issues that protect product quality and the customer experience.

Unlike a Staff engineer who is the technical authority as an individual contributor, this manager sets team strategy, operating cadence, and priorities; develops people; and represents vehicle attributes in plant leadership, program gates, and executive forums. This is not a player-coach substitute for Staff technical depth, and it is not overall vehicle quality management (see Vehicle Quality Engineering Manager). It is the people leader who sets direction for the Vehicle Attributes team and owns the results the team delivers. The successful candidate combines technical credibility in vehicle attributes with first-principles problem solving, people leadership, executive-ready communication, and the ability to balance performance, cost, mass, manufacturability, and timing across multiple programs.

- Set direction for the Vehicle Attributes team across strategy, operating cadence, priorities, and the attribute operating system
- Hire, coach, performance-manage, and develop Staff and Senior Vehicle Attributes Engineers and Quality Engineering Technicians, and build succession so critical domains are not single-threaded
- Allocate team capacity across attribute domains, production issues, and new launches based on data and business risk, and hold delivery through development, pilot, production, and volume ramp
- Own vehicle-level attribute outcomes, escalate systemic risks with options and recovery plans, and represent attributes in program reviews, launch gates, and Director/VP forums
- Lead the highest-complexity root-cause work for NVH, BSR, wind/road noise, powertrain sound quality, water leaks, ride, steering, and braking through validated corrective and preventive action
- Set the standard for subjective and objective vehicle evaluations, including instrumentation, data collection, and acceptance criteria, and institutionalize advanced diagnostics so findings become production-ready countermeasures executed by the team
- Monitor quality signals, prioritize the highest-impact attribute risks, partner Quality, Manufacturing, Process, and Design Engineering on robust processes and PFMEA/control-plan quality, and direct containment, sorting, rework, and repair campaigns when outbound or field quality is at risk
- Drive competitor and industry benchmarking into target direction, design recommendations, and test-methodology improvements, and present clear trade-off options across performance, cost, mass, range, assembly complexity, and timing
- Own high-quality attribute documentation and new-product attribute readiness from prototype through production, including continuous improvement and audits when risk warrants
- Raise evaluation rigor, data quality, and DMAIC problem-solving so failure modes are caught early, and build an engineer-led team with technician execution rather than technician-led work with no people leader through launch

- Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Acoustics, or a closely related field, or equivalent experience

- 10+ years of automotive engineering in vehicle attributes, NVH, chassis/ride & handling, body sealing, or vehicle integration/quality engineering with increasing responsibility, plus 3+ years leading engineers and/or technicians

- Demonstrated people leadership: hire, coach, performance-manage, and develop technical talent, and set direction for a team and hold it to results

- Technical credibility across multi-attribute vehicle performance spanning several of wind noise, road noise, powertrain sound quality, BSR, water leaks/sealing, ride quality, steering, and braking, including target setting, cascade, and production sustainment

- Proven ability to drive complex, cross-functional root-cause investigations from discovery through validated corrective action and sustained process control, and institutionalize the method so the team can repeat it

- Hands-on vehicle evaluation experience covering subjective drive appraisals and objective measurement (microphones, accelerometers, data acquisition, leak/sealing tests, chassis instrumentation), plus deep working knowledge of acoustics, vibration, vehicle dynamics, and body sealing to challenge design and process assumptions from first principles

- Proficiency with NVH/dynamics analysis tools and data workflows (e.g., LMS/Simcenter Test.Lab, HEAD Acoustics ArtemiS, MATLAB, or equivalent), strong Excel/PowerPoint/Word reporting, ability to read mechanical drawings, understand manufacturing process capability, and collaborate with production and supplier quality

- Excellent written and verbal communication, including concise, data-backed Director/VP briefings under tight timelines, comfort in a dynamic manufacturing and multi-program launch environment, a valid driver’s license, willingness to support proving-ground, factory, and field evaluations, and ability to lift and handle parts up to 30 lb.

- Preferred: prior people-leadership of a vehicle-attributes, NVH, chassis, or vehicle-integration team at a volume OEM, EV OEM, or autonomy/new-mobility program, plus experience with EV attribute challenges (e-drive whine, battery pack isolation, regen/brake blending feel, low-masking cabin noise)

- Preferred: familiarity with customer quality systems and external metrics (e.g., J.D. Power IQS, warranty taxonomy, social listening), working knowledge of CAE for NVH or vehicle dynamics with a track record of closing the loop to physical test, multi-program launch ownership and standing up an attribute operating system, and knowledge of lean manufacturing, GD&T, and structured problem-solving (8D, Six Sigma, Shainin, or equivalent)

Benefits

Along with competitive pay, as a full-time Tesla employee, you are eligible for the following benefits at day 1 of hire:

- Medical plans > plan options with $0 payroll deduction
- Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
- Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans, both have options with a $0 paycheck contribution
- Company Paid (Health Savings Accounts) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High-Deductible medical plan with HSA
- Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
- 401(k) with employer match, Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits
- Company paid Basic Life, AD&D
- Short-term and long-term disability insurance (90 day waiting period)
- Employee Assistance Program
- Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions, Accrued hours for Hourly positions), and Paid Holidays
- Back-up childcare and parenting support resources
- Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance
- Weight Loss and Tobacco Cessation Programs
- Tesla Babies program
- Commuter benefits
- Employee discounts and perks program