Zone Manufacturing Engineer – General Assembly (Vehicle Assembly)

About this role

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

The Role As a Zone Manufacturing Engineer, you will own a defined zone in General Assembly and lead it from concept through launch to steady-state production. You will work largely autonomously with occasional guidance, applying your expertise in equipment/tooling, process flow, and material movement to ensure safe, efficient, and high-quality vehicle assembly. This role operates in both centralized manufacturing engineering and plant environments where creativity, initiative, and independent judgment are critical.

What You’ll Do Zone Ownership & Launch Execution • Lead all new programs, model changes, and current production activities within an assigned General Assembly zone.

• Ensure all tooling, conveyors, material handling, and automation requirements for the zone are defined, procured, installed, and validated per launch timelines.

• Define all zone-related changes, including product and manufacturing requirements (tooling, workstation setup, facilities, conveyance, etc.).

• Develop and maintain visual management for the zone during project installation and validation; lead regular review meetings.

• Support build events at the plant, resolve launch issues, and ensure lessons learned from previous launches are captured and applied.

Process & Tooling Engineering • Lead development of robust manufacturing processes, including sequence and flow of operations for effective utilization of people, material, machines, and facilities.

• Design, specify, and integrate equipment and tooling, from concept through construction, plant installation, launch, and continuous improvement.

• Develop tooling Statements of Requirements (SORs) and manage tooling, stations, or specific technology projects to timing, cost, and performance targets.

• Support the design, build, and validation of tools with suppliers; provide technical direction and oversight to external partners.

• Ensure design documentation and spare parts planning are completed to support long-term equipment reliability.

• Complete all tooling/equipment-related launch tasks and documentation required by the launch team.

Cross-Functional Integration & Planning • Lead interfaces with cross-functional partners (Process, Materials, Product Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Operations, etc.) to develop and align on common tooling, processes, and standards across the department and related groups.

• Participate in product and cross-functional meetings to support product/process interface and manufacturability.

• Participate in regular integration planning meetings (install requirements, phasing, pull-ahead plans, conveyance interface, etc.).

• Support development of material plans and part presentation for zone process content.

• Lead deep-dive reviews of process development and implementation for the assigned zone.

Material Flow & Logistics Integration • Develop efficient material flow concepts and strategies for future material movement into and within the zone.

• Support creation of business cases for critical tooling-to-container interfaces and material presentation strategies.

Quality, Risk & Safety • Complete process risk assessments (such as PFMEA) for assigned programs to identify and mitigate process risks.

• Support execution of build validation plans and integrate lessons learned into zone designs and processes.

• Participate in safety observation activities and partner with safety/ergonomics teams to ensure tools, workstations, and processes meet or exceed company standards.

Systems, Documentation & Governance • Maintain status of process change requests and related documentation in engineering and manufacturing systems.

• Support virtual or digital builds to validate process and tooling readiness prior to physical builds.

• Maintain zone tooling requirements and cross-check against standard and special tool lists.

• Define specialized power tool and fastening requirements and coordinate with appropriate stakeholders.

• Ensure maintenance training is on track for all critical equipment in the zone.

• Support program financial reviews related to zone tooling, equipment, and process investments.

Work Environment • Work will involve some weekends, holidays, off-shift support, and travel, which may be extensive at times during product program launches.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications) • 2–4 years of experience in Manufacturing.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field; equivalent relevant manufacturing experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.

• Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems independently and drive issues to resolution.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across functions and levels.

• Proven ability to manage multiple, highly complex projects and assignments with a high degree of autonomy and accountability for results.

• Demonstrated initiative in going beyond assigned work to improve outputs and support others.

• Strong project management skills (planning, risk management, stakeholder alignment, and execution to timeline).

• Flexibility with changing work hours and environments to meet project timelines and support plant operating schedules.

• Willingness and ability to work weekends and holidays as required.

• Ability to travel, sometimes extensively, during product program launches.

• Demonstrated

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