Head - Design & Development - Chennai

Design & Development · Key Responsibilities: · Responsible for setting direction, developing and implementing strategy for product development and process engineering for the division in alignment to divisional business plan and long term objectives · Develop and implement the pr ...

Job description

Design & Development

Key Responsibilities:

1. Responsible for setting direction, developing and implementing strategy for product development and process engineering for the division in alignment to divisional business plan and long term objectives

2. Develop and implement the product development & process engineering Return on Investment (ROI) for the products / projects

3. Oversee critical product development and process engineering projects, achievement of project milestones and provide technical expertise

4. Responsible for product development & process engineering technology management, define and ensure adherence to Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) process and systems

5. Lead and set direction for the PED & MED & D&D team

Indicative Tasks

1. Responsible for setting direction, developing and implementing strategy for product development and process engineering for the division in alignment to divisional business plan and long term objectives

Work with marketing head to identify market / customer needs, product development / process engineering road map to address customer requirements (for example, OE customers' requirements, exports market requirements, voice of customers, target share of business from existing / new customers)

Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to gain understanding and identify requirements for product development / process engineering strategy and roadmap (for example, Customer interactions and RFQs, Marketing, R&D,Quality, Production, Project Engineering Leads, Process Engineering Leads)

Prepare long term product development and process engineering plan to cater to market / customer requirements (for example, long lead development projects, complex development projects, new customer / new market requirements)

Plan short term projects addressing immediate market / customer requirements (for example, customer critical projects, internal process improvement projects)

Evaluate the technology used internally, advancements in the field of auto component design and development, decide the best practices to adopt for product development / process engineering (for example, product design tools / software, ME best practices, special tooling development, customer specific requirements)

Collaborate with concerned stake holders to drive identified product development / process engineering / technology upgrade projects

Ensure adherence to product development / process engineering plan and budgets, seek to control cost of development and identified process engineering projects

Review and monitor escalated issues including non conformance to product development guidelines / timelines, technical specifications and other challenges in product development / process engineering (for example, bottlenecks in development, customer reviews / feedback, PPAP adherence)

1. Develop and implement the product development & process engineering Return on Investment (ROI) for the products / projects

Estimate anticipated costs for short term and long term product development / process engineering / technology projects factoring in various parameters (for example, development cost, CAPEX, tooling cost, manpower cost, technology cost)

Review relevance of identified projects for product development / process engineering to the long term divisional business strategy, build business cases for justifying the projected expense vs. anticipated returns (for example, projected revenues from new products, cost savings from process improvement initiatives, cost benefits from productivity improvement projects)

Define anticipated ROI along with timelines from new product / process engineering initiatives to justify the actual development costs, process engineering costs, manpower and other investments involved (for example, tooling costs)

Ensure cost of development for product / process engineering initiatives are within defined budgets, analyse variances if any and document the reasons for the same, identify actions for course correction (for example, alternate vendors for procurement, alternate toolings, resource optimisations, alternate technology applications, value engineering projects)

Review project timelines and identify opportunities for reducing product development time to avoid escalation of project costs (for example, scaling up of manpower, rigorous product reviews, resolution of bottlenecks, driving concerned stake holders)

Review manpower strategy for the product development / process engineering team, track and monitor project allocations, bench strength to optimise manpower utilisation and reduce costs (for example, allocation during project peaks, project organisation structure for maximum productivity)

Provide information, updates and MIS regarding cost of product development / process engineering initiatives to all stakeholders (for example, Finance, Senior management) as per defined timelines in prescribed formats

1. Oversee critical product development and process engineering projects, achievement of project milestones and provide technical expertise

Review critical product development / process engineering projects and define outcomes, deliverables and timelines, with respect to the product development roadmap / divisional business plan

Collaborate with concerned stakeholders (for example, Marketing, Quality, Product development / Process Engineering project teams) to review the micro level project plans, development milestones and timelines for the critical technology projects

Oversee, manage the implementation of critical projects and ensure adherence to defined plans, SLAs, deliverables and timelines (for example, APQP milestones, customer validation, productionisation, final handover to production)

Review the manpower resourcing for projects, oversee project resource allocation to projects and review the bench strength in the product development / process engineering team (for example, recruitment of technical experts, buffer for anticipated attrition)

Review the material requirement, BOM generated for projects, oversee material procurement / development and control the cost and quality in line with budgets defined

Review the CAPEX and tooling requirements for process engineering projects, ensure progress as per target timelines and defined budgets

Conduct timely audits of projects, review status, provide updates to stakeholders (for example, Senior Management, Marketing, R&D, Customers, Quality, Production), drive necessary actions for course correction in case of delays

Provide technical guidance / inputs to team (for example, design changes for cost viability, integration of product and process design, resolving issues from field / customer trials, smooth migration from development to production)

Collaborate with R&D for execution of break through development projects (for example, alternate raw materials for cost reduction, enhanced product performance / customer satisfaction)

1. Responsible for product development & process engineering technology management, define and ensure adherence to Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) process and systems

Define and develop the new product development process for the division, as per the APQP guidelines, detail out stakeholders involved, steps and procedures to be followed (for example, guidelines for design reviews, product reviews, proto trials, PPAP documentation)

Identify various systems, software to be used for product development, define and oversee implementation of rules, process and guidelines (for example, control guidelines, release guidelines, confidentiality of access)

Review the defined steps / gates for product development, analyse the requirement of additional gates / milestones and implement for critical projects (for example, customer specific validation requirements, export market requirements, customer audits)

Ensure strict adherence to APQP guidelines / standards, review non conformances and drive corrective actions as required (for example, deviation approvals, adherence to process and design FMEA, customer specific requirements)

Review and take steps to ensure absolute confidentiality of product development plans, milestones (for example, coding of projects, access control to sensitive data, policies for data sharing / data control (internal and external), do's and don'ts for interactions with suppliers / customers)

Scan the market, collaborate and connect with forums and technical experts to understand the technological advances and developments relevant to product development / process engineering (for example, competitor projects, research papers and patents)

Ensure that the company maintains technological advantages over competitors by adopting the most relevant and cost effective product development / process engineering advancements / best practices in the market

1. Lead and set direction for the PED & MED & D&D team

2. Implement the manpower strategy, plan, cost and expense budgets through the functional heads (for example, Product Development Lead, Process Engineering Lead)

3. Ensure there is a plan for continuous improvement and learning process for employees in product development and process engineering team
4. Provide information, inputs, guidance to the team members for effective performance, review team performance and provide periodical, constructive feedback
5. Ensure workforce productivity and resource allocation are managed as per project priority / budgets
6. Develop and implement plan for skill availability and skill training across different functional / project teams
7. Coach and mentor team to achieve higher standards of performance, quality and productivity
8. Regularly communicate with team members through formal and informal channels like department reviews, product development reviews, etc.
9. Avoid conflicts, foster good employee relations by implementing employee relations strategy in collaboration with HR / Employee relations
10. Motivate team to apprise themselves of the advancements / best practices in product development and process engineering
11. Drive awareness and ensure adherence to safety standards / procedures at all levels within the function