Job Description

The Role

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for an experienced enterprise manufacturing professional to define, prove, and scale GM's collaborative automation strategy focused on near-line and online material handling — including hoist and sub-assembly applications. As the Senior Manager- Advanced Manufacturing, you will lead a high-performing, cross-functional team working in close partnership with all centers, plants, the Autonomous Robotics Center team, R&D, and external suppliers. Your charge is to translate complex plant needs into safe, reliable, and standardized solutions built for scalable deployment across GM's global manufacturing footprint — delivering measurable improvements in safety, quality, efficiency, and technology leadership in alignment with our Factory of the Future vision.

As the Advanced Manufacturing Senior Manager focusing on the vertical integration of material handling type applications, you will establish the global vision and strategy for GM's deployment of uMan, lift assist, sub-assembly, near-line, and online cobot solutions across our manufacturing enterprise. Operating with a broad scope and navigating significant complexity, you will lead a high-performing team in translating plant-level challenges into scalable, safe, and ergonomic material handling solutions — directly supporting GM's Strategy and corporate KPI’s around safety, quality, and EBIT. This role carries full enterprise accountability for shaping standards, driving execution, and influencing senior leadership across all GM facilities globally.

What You'll Do

Strategy & Vision

• Own the global material handling strategy for human assist and cobot-enabled applications (uMan, lift assist, sub-assembly, near-line, on-line) across GM manufacturing.

• Translate GM’s safety, quality, cost, and ergonomic objectives into a clear roadmap for material handling technologies and standards.

• Anticipate emerging technologies in collaborative robotics, human assist, and automation; define how and when they should be piloted, industrialized, and scaled within GM.

Solution Development & Deployment

• Own and maintain the material handling application roadmap for all GM facilities, aligning regional and plant needs to enterprise priorities.

• Lead the identification, design, and deployment of uMan, lift assist, and cobot applications for sub-assembly, near-line, and on-line operations in all GM plants.

• Drive end-to-end solution delivery: from problem framing and concept development through trials, industrialization, standard work, and handoff to plant ownership, including defining and managing Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) for material handling applications.

• Champion a portfolio mindset for applications—prioritizing based on safety/ergonomic impact, business value, timing, and plant readiness.

• Ensure that solutions are highly reliable, maintainable, and compatible with GM Manufacturing Execution, safety, and GMS standards.

People Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a global team of engineers and leaders, setting clear expectations, aligning work to GM Behaviors, and fostering an inclusive, high‑performance culture.

• Build organizational capability in human–robot collaboration, lift assist, and advanced material handling through mentoring, training, and communities of practice.

• Provide clear direction and decision-making in ambiguous situations; remove roadblocks and empower teams to experiment, learn, and iterate.

Cross-Functional & Plant Engagement

• Serve as the primary enterprise contact for material handling applications with Global Manufacturing Engineering, plant leadership, Safety, Ergonomics, GMS, Industrial Engineering, and IT/OT partners.

• Engage directly with plant teams to understand their pain points, convert them into well-defined business problems, and co-create deployable solutions.

• Align with regional manufacturing leadership to prioritize deployments, secure resources, and ensure consistent adoption of standards.

• Represent the Material Handling vertical in governance forums, program reviews, and senior leadership discussions.

Standards, Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Establish and maintain global standards, best practices, and design guidelines for uMan, lift assist, sub-assembly, near-line, and cobot applications.

• Define and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for safety/ergonomics, OEE, quality, throughput, and total cost of ownership for deployed solutions.

• Implement robust feedback loops with plants to continuously improve solution designs, training content, and deployment playbooks.

• Ensure all solutions meet or exceed GM safety, ergonomic, cybersecurity, and regulatory requirements.

Your Skills and Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Technology, Robotics, Manufacturing, or a related discipline; advanced degree preferred.

• Demonstrated success as a Senior Manager or equivalent, leading complex engineering or manufacturing organizations.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing engineering, material handling, automation, robotics, or related fields, including:

  • Hands-on experience with collaborative robots, lift assists, or human-assist devices in active production environments.

  • Proven track record deploying automation or material handling solutions at plant or multi-site scale.

• Strong people leadership experience, including:

  • Leading other leaders and/or large, multi-disciplinary teams.

  • Developing talent through coaching, succession planning, and performance management.

• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in high-ambiguity environments — structuring unclear problem statements into executable portfolios of work.

• Proven cross-functional influence and stakeholder alignment skills, including plant leadership, engineering teams, and functional partners.

• Strong business acumen with the ability to articulate value in terms of safety, quality, cost, and throughput, and to make sound, data-driven tradeoffs.

• Excellent communication skills — able to convey complex technical and operational topics clearly to both shop floor teams and senior executives.

• Success in this role requires strong strategic leadership, deep technical expertise in automation and robotics, and the ability to translate ambiguous plant needs into high-value, scalable solutions that deliver measurable business impact.

What Can Give You a Competitive Advantage (Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience leading global or multi-region programs within automotive or high-volume discrete manufacturing environments.

• Direct experience with:

  • uMan or comparable human-assist platforms.

  • Near-line and online cobot applications, including safety risk assessment and integration with existing production equipment.

  • Sub-assembly material handling processes (kitting, lineside delivery, and point-of-use presentation).

• Experience collaborating with ARC on the development and deployment of advanced material handling and cobot applications.

• Working knowledge of ergonomics principles, industrial safety standards, and human–robot collaboration standards (e.g., ISO/ANSI/RIA for collaborative robots).

• Demonstrated success creating enterprise standards, playbooks, or deployment templates and driving adoption across multiple plant sites.

• Familiarity with digital manufacturing tools, including simulation, digital twin platforms, MES, and data analytics for plant performance monitoring.