Distinguished Engineer, System Engineering Excellence Leader

Introduction: A Career at HARMAN Automotive

We’re a global, multi-disciplinary team that’s putting the innovative power of technology to work and transforming tomorrow. At HARMAN Automotive, we give you the keys to fast-track your career.

• Engineer audio systems and integrated technology platforms that augment the driving experience
• Combine ingenuity, in-depth research, and a spirit of collaboration with design and engineering excellence
• Advance in-vehicle infotainment, safety, efficiency, and enjoyment

About the Role

• We are looking for an experienced and highly motivated individual to join our team as the Lead of "System Engineering Excellence." This role is critical in driving our systems engineering efforts to become the benchmark in the automotive industry. The position is based in Bangalore, India and reports to the Lead of CoE Engineering Excellence & Continuous Improvement.
• The System Engineering Excellence Lead as the central system engineering authority and transformation driver, executing the standardization of systems engineering practices, processes, tools, and architectures across all SBUs while ensuring full end‑to‑end orchestration of the system lifecycle from requirements to delivery, including alignment between disciplines (SW, HW, validation).
• The role combines deep systems engineering expertise with significant program leadership to enable cross-functional collaboration, lead transformation initiatives, and continuously improve engineering quality, efficiency, and predictability across the organization.
• The role provides strong project management in enterprise-wide engineering transformation programs and builds systems engineering capability across the organization. This includes coaching cross-functional teams on processes, architectural thinking and system-level best practices.
• The role combines strategic vision with highly skilled hands-on leadership to embed engineering excellence into system architecture, including simulation, the identification of commercially relevant efficiency gains, and the realization of market-driven requirements far faster lifecycles and processes in product line engineering. The large experience and skills required for this role will enable the incumbent to manage highly complex issues at both functional and organizational levels, end to end.

What You Will Do

• Drive Automotive Systems Engineering Excellence
  Lead and continuously enhance the systems engineering program, setting industry benchmarks and ensuring a future-proof engineering ecosystem across the automotive domain
• Enable Cross-Functional Collaboration
  Orchestrate efficient collaboration across divisions, projects, and product lines at different lifecycle stages to maximize synergies and delivery performance
• Accelerate Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Champion continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen engineering excellence, innovation, and scalability of system engineering processes
• Establish Benchmark Leadership
  Act as the central authority for engineering performance benchmarking and adoption of emerging system engineering technologies
• Lead Transformation at Scale
  Drive end-to-end transformation programs in systems engineering with measurable business impact across all divisions

What You Need to Be Successful

• Bachelor or Master's degree in engineering or equivalent studies
• Proven project management skills, e.g. Certifications like PMP

• More than 15+ years proven experience in systems and system-of-system engineering in the Automotive Industry
• Deep knowledge of
  • System procedures, methods, and technologies
  • Software driven systems and SDV
  • Configuration and version management
  • Test strategy
  • Development of reusable products/assets
  • Standards like ASPICE, FuSA and SOTIF
• Strong leadership and team collaboration skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects/products at different stages of their life cycle
• Experience consulting with and advising a distributed global large-scale engineering organization
• Ability to articulate vision and influence decision-making outcomes with internal stakeholders, external suppliers, and customers
• Excellent communication and problem-solving abilities
• Fluency in English; proficiency in German is a plus

Bonus Points if You Have

• Prior experience in a strategy consulting firm with automotive customers
• Hands-on experience in system engineering, especially MBSE

What Makes You Eligible

• Be willing to travel up to 40%, domestic and international travel
• Be willing to work in an office in India
• Successfully completing a background investigation and drug screen as a condition of employment

What We Offer

• HARMAN FlexConnect Program, offering a flexible hybrid work environment that fosters stronger collaboration, meaningful connections, and innovation through a minimum of three in-office days per week.

• Access to employee discounts on world-class products (JBL, HARMAN Kardon, AKG, and more)

• Extensive training opportunities through our own HARMAN University

• Competitive wellness benefits

• Tuition reimbursement

• “Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program

• An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development

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HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.