Technical Specialist - HVAC Modules and Cabin Air Filters

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
Technical Specialist - HVAC Modules and Cabin Air Filters
The Technical Specialist for HVAC Modules and Cabin Air Filters is the global technical authority and enterprise voice for front and rear HVAC modules and cabin air filters. This role establishes corporate technical direction, owns subsystem strategy, and is accountable for the long-term technical health, reuse, quality, cost, mass, investment, and performance of the HVAC module portfolio.
The Technical Specialist leads the definition, integration, development, validation, release, and control of HVAC module systems. The role requires a high degree of independent judgment, creativity, initiative, and accountability in solving complex and ambiguous engineering problems. The Specialist influences vehicle architecture, program engineering, release engineering, suppliers, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, and global execution teams to ensure consistent implementation of robust solutions.
The Technical Specialist also provides technical leadership to component-level Technical Specialists, develops organizational knowledge, and operates with broad autonomy under the general direction of the Engineering Technical Leader.
What You'll Do

• Set and communicate enterprise technical strategy for front and rear HVAC modules and cabin air filters.
• Make independent, data-driven decisions on complex technical issues with significant program, customer, cost, quality, or timing impact.
• Establish standards, best practices, specifications, inherent criteria, and reusable solutions across programs and vehicle segments.
• Lead alignment among architects, DREs, release engineers, suppliers, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, and other stakeholders.
• Influence senior leaders and executives by translating complex technical issues into clear recommendations, risks, tradeoffs, and decisions.
• Anticipate future technology, customer, regulatory, and business needs and convert them into actionable subsystem roadmaps.
• Coach and provide technical direction to component-level Technical Specialists and engineering teams.
• Take accountability for issue escalation, technical closure, lessons learned, and continuous improvement across the HVAC module portfolio.

Develop Industry Leading BOM and Subsystem Strategies

• Establish, maintain, and obtain approval for global BOM strategies that balance cost, mass, investment, quality, performance, timing, and customer expectations.
• Conduct performance, technology, and cost benchmarking to identify competitive opportunities and risks.
• Create family and variant maps, current-application assessments, and program rollout plans that maximize reuse and minimize complexity.
• Define best-fit subsystem and component solutions for vehicle segments, architectures, and program requirements.
• Develop sourcing strategies and support supplier development, technical capability assessment, and supplier qualification.
• Maintain global requirements, including SSTS and CTS templates, and ensure alignment across programs and regions.
• Create, govern, and continuously improve best practices, inherent criteria, specifications, typical sections, and technical standards.
• Provide wants and needs that guide future technology, innovation, and subsystem roadmaps.

Provide Technical Governance and Decision Leadership

• Serve as the global technical authority for HVAC module and cabin air filter decisions.
• Provide vehicle architects, program DREs, and release engineers with approved best-fit BOM strategies, subsystems, components, specifications, and technical criteria.
• Approve BOM selections, peer reviews, program Statements of Requirements, and sourcing recommendations within the role's delegated authority.
• Ensure the availability, accuracy, and traceability of engineering math, cost, quality, performance, and other imperative data.
• Review complex technical proposals, identify risks and tradeoffs, and provide clear corrective actions and decision recommendations.
• Lead HVAC module integration across component-level technical areas and ensure that subsystem requirements are complete, compatible, and robust.
• Guide requirements definition, design, analysis, development, validation, release, and engineering change control.
• Serve as a key technical stakeholder in program gate reviews and communicate readiness, risks, and recovery plans to senior leadership.

Resolve Issues and Protect Program Execution

• Lead or support resolution of complex build, plant, field, PRTS, and launch issues.
• Approve engineering changes as required and ensure technical changes are properly evaluated, documented, and controlled.
• Direct root-cause analysis and corrective-action development for issues involving performance, fit, function, quality, reliability, manufacturability, or customer satisfaction.
• Provide timely escalation of risks that could affect program timing, launch, cost, quality, or customer experience.
• Partner with DREs, release engineers, assembly plants, suppliers, and quality organizations to drive issues to sustainable closure.

Drive Continuous Improvement and Technical Excellence

• Support DREs and release engineers with assembly plant and field issue resolution.
• Convert lessons learned into updated strategies, specifications, best practices, inherent criteria, and design guidance.
• Lead or support cost-reduction, mass-reduction, quality-improvement, investment-reduction, and complexity-reduction initiatives.
• Apply robust engineering, Design for Six Sigma, DRBFM, DFMEA, PFMEA, GD&T, CFD, and other appropriate methods to improve technical decisions.
• Promote common processes, reusable solutions, and knowledge sharing across global programs and engineering organizations.
• Use approved engineering analytics, automation, and AI-enabled tools to improve requirements analysis, benchmarking, technical-document review, issue-trend analysis, knowledge capture, and decision support while maintaining engineering judgment, data integrity, confidentiality, and applicable GM controls.

Your Skills & Abilities

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• At least five years of experience in HVAC module design release and/or development.
• Knowledge of GM HVAC module test procedures, validation methods, and engineering best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to establish technical direction and make sound decisions independently in complex or ambiguous situations.
• Demonstrated ability to simplify complex technical concepts and communicate clear recommendations to peers, stakeholders, senior leaders, and executives.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and build alignment across organizations.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
• Working knowledge of Vis Mock-Up and Teamcenter.
• Working knowledge of DRBFM, DFMEA, and PFMEA processes.
• DFSS Black Belt certification.

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge

• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Ten or more years of experience in HVAC module design release, development, and/or validation.
• Demonstrated engineering leadership experience, including technical team leadership, subsystem ownership, supervision, or mentoring.
• Demonstrated expertise in HVAC module design, integration, validation, and technical governance.
• Design or development experience with a Tier 1 HVAC module supplier.
• Completed DFSS projects related to HVAC module performance, reliability, quality, or customer satisfaction.
• Demonstrated ability to select components and subsystem solutions based on vehicle segment, customer, architecture, and program needs.
• Demonstrated ability to predict or influence J.D. Power IQS outcomes through design and integration decisions.
• Working knowledge of GD&T and CFD analysis.
• Knowledge of GM program timing systems and VDP deliverables.
• Experience using engineering data analytics, workflow automation, Microsoft Copilot, Power Automate, ChatGPT, or approved enterprise GPT tools to improve engineering productivity and decision quali ty.

GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This includes direct company sponsorship, entry of GM as the immigration employer of record on a government form, and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g., H1-B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.)
This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week {or other frequency dictated by their manager}.
The selected candidate will be required to travel <25% for this role.
Relocation benefits are available for candidates who qualify under company policy.
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