Product Leader: Product Implementation And Lifecycle Management

REQUIREMENTS
Affirmative Action South African Citizen, currently residing in Gqeberha/ Kariega or willing to relocate
National Diploma in Engineering, Marketing or Finance discipline
A formal qualification in Project Management
A minimum of 3 years of Project Management experience from product definition to end-of-product

ESSENTIAL SKILLS
The ability to prepare professional, comprehensive presentations for decision-making at the Board level
Knowledge and understanding of the automotive industry
Understanding of the product emergence process (PEP) and change management processes
High level of attention to detail and project management skills
Sound understanding of business processes
Strong leadership qualities and the ability to lead and motivate cross-divisional teams under pressure
The ability to analyse and solve complex problems
Good interpersonal skills (negotiation and communication)
Advanced MS Office (MS Excel/ MS PowerPoint/ MS Word)
Excellent communication and presentation skills to multi-national groups

ADDED ADVANTAGE
A formal qualification in Project Management
Marketing experience
German and Portuguese language proficiency

RESPONSIBILITIES
Plan, lead and organise local cross-divisional meetings to ensure successful project implementation
Review open tasks and deadlines using timing plans to achieve a successful start of production (SOP)
Motivate and encourage team members by providing the necessary support, guidance and platform where open communication is encouraged to ensure products meet customer requirements while being economically viable
Represent the group at local and international product and platform team meetings to maintain the information flow
Consolidate divisional input to be submitted for Aeko's (investment, timing), and coordinate local Aeko meetings in preparation for Group forums to represent the company at international Aeko (Change Point) meetings thus ensuring changes are financially feasible and divisional inputs are plausible
Represent the group in model year meetings ensuring both the HUT and Platform changes in Brazil and Skoda respectively are implemented for the local product where necessary to ensure vehicle buildability
Represent the department in all complexity and variant reduction forums
Interfacing with the Fachgruppen (Specialist Group) team leaders by setting up regular feedback sessions to ensure part readiness for a successful SOP
Prepare business cases with cross-divisional input for local and international forums by ensuring all divisions timeously provided their cost impact for finance to create a business case
Develop strategy recommendation presentations for the company's production by liaising with international project leader counterparts ensuring that the best-suited product is developed and built
Evaluate the cross-divisional impact of decisions to mitigate risks for the organization
Manage projects within approved budgets, resources and timelines to get a financially viable product that meets market requirements