About the roleAs the Head of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), you will serve as the central authority for enterprise-wide change management, configuration control, and product traceability. You will maintain and ensure the growth and maturity of the unified systems that track every change, update, and release across core engineering, hardware, software, and field operations.
As a foundational leader, you will be the primary point of contact for the implementation, execution, and coordination of the PLM strategy. You are expected to build and grow this function as a scalable function within the organization, ensuring 100% traceability from early R&D through production and deployment.
This role is onsite 5 days a week at our Santa Clara, CA office!
What you'll do- Strategic Leadership & Function Building: Lead a high-performing PLM and Configuration Management function. Serve as the primary enterprise point of contact and subject matter expert for all product lifecycle processes, cross-functional coordination, and change execution.
- End-to-End Traceability & Configuration Control: Ensure strict, complete traceability of all product configurations. Maintain single source of truth accuracy across the organization's critical documentation, processes, and releases.
- Cross-Functional Change Management: Oversee the enterprise Change Management process across hardware, software, and operations. Drive the Change Control Board (CCB) mandate, ensuring rigorous review, approval, and a seamless implementation of all matters of change requests across the whole organization.
- Unified Hardware, Software & Operations Integration: Ensure a unified lifecycle approach that bridges physical hardware releases, software deployments, and updates to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Ensure software releases are explicitly tied to compatible hardware revisions and operational protocols.
- Scalable Process Architecture: Design, document, and implement robust, scalable PLM processes tailored for a rapidly growing organization.
- Enterprise Tooling & Systems Integration: Lead the integration and continuous improvement of enterprise PLM software (e.g., Teamcenter, Windchill, Enovia, or Arena). Drive the integration of the PLM system with ERP systems for manufacturing/supply chain and QMS for compliance.
- Release Management Oversight: Serve as a key stakeholder in release management for production releases. Work closely with Systems Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and Field Operations to ensure that all prerequisites, safety validations, and compliance requirements are met before new baseline releases are deployed.
- Compliance & Audit Readiness: Ensure all PLM processes support rigorous regulatory and safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262, UL 4600). Maintain an audit-ready posture for all configuration records, design histories, and operational procedure versions.
What we're looking for - Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Information Systems, or a related technical discipline.
- Domain Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in Product Lifecycle Management, Configuration Management, or Systems Engineering within highly complex, safety-critical domains (e.g., autonomous vehicles, aerospace, robotics, medical devices).
- Leadership Experience: 5+ years of leadership experience managing PLM/Configuration Management functions and directing enterprise-wide engineering operations.
- Process Design: Proven track record of designing and implementing scalable change management processes across hardware, software, and operational teams in a growing organization.
- Systems Expertise: Deep administrative expertise with tier-1 enterprise PLM and ERP systems (e.g., Siemens Teamcenter, PTC Windchill, Dassault Enovia, SAP, Oracle).
- Technical Depth: Strong understanding of hardware/software dependencies, including experience managing Software Bills of Materials (SBOM) alongside physical hardware variants.
- Soft Skills: Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to act as the primary interface for complex cross-functional implementations.
Preferred Qualifications- Certifications: Professional certification in Configuration Management (e.g., CM2 / CMII Comprehensive Certification).
- Industry Focus: Direct experience working within the automotive, autonomy, or commercial trucking spaces.
- Compliance Knowledge: Familiarity with automotive, aerospace, or autonomous systems regulatory frameworks and Quality Management Systems (QMS).
Salary Range - $180,000- $260,000
