Staff Lead Engineer - Airbags

General Motors•Warren, MI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Join a team shaping the future of automotive interiors and occupant safety. The Staff Lead Engineer, Restraints / Airbags / Steering Wheels is a senior technical leader responsible for end-to-end ownership of frontal airbags, side airbags, and/or steering wheel systems. This role is ideal for experienced engineers who thrive in fast-paced, high-visibility environments and want to influence how next-generation vehicle interiors are designed, validated, and launched. As a senior technical engineer, you will set system direction, drive robust execution, and ensure your systems meet safety, cost, quality, and timing targets across multiple global programs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an accredited university.
10+ years of experience in restraints or restraint systems engineering, including one or more of the following: Driver, passenger, side, or roof-rail airbags Steering wheel systems and integrations
Proven expertise in several of the following areas: Cushion construction and airbag folding CAE / airbag modeling and simulation Injection-molded trim and die-cast components Leather wrapping and appearance-critical surfaces Wire harness integration and routing Inflator ballistics and performance Stamping and other primary structure technologies Evidence-based engineering, test data analysis, and correlation
Strong knowledge of regulatory, performance, and validation requirements for restraint systems.
Demonstrated success launching interior subsystems through SOP, including issue resolution and change management.
DFSS Black Belt certification.
Excellent analytical, communication, and collaboration skills, with the ability to lead independently and own outcomes.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Engineering, mechanical disciplines preferred.
Prior Design Release Engineer (DRE) experience for interior or restraint systems.
DFSS Master Black Belt certification.
Experience working with global cross-functional teams and tier-1 restraint suppliers.

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Execution: Lead the design, development, validation, and launch of airbag and steering wheel systems from concept through SOP.
Serve as the go-to technical expert for cushion construction, inflator integration, trim, and steering wheel subsystems.
Provide day-to-day technical guidance and mentoring to engineers to strengthen technical rigor and execution quality.
Ensure delivery to all program milestones on time, on cost, and on quality, including adherence to DFMEA, DVP&R, and drawing standards.
Innovation, Strategy & Continuous Improvement: Identify and drive improvements in materials, processes, and system architectures to enhance quality, manufacturability, cost, and execution speed.
Lead departmental read-across, lessons-learned, and closed-loop corrective action to prevent recurrence of issues across programs.
Champion adoption of best practices and standards for restraint systems and interfaces (airbag modules, steering wheels, wiring, trim, etc.).
Ensure restraint strategies align with and enable corporate safety and regulatory imperatives.
Problem Solving & Cross-Functional Influence: Lead resolution of complex, high-visibility technical issues, including those impacting customer safety, quality, or launch readiness.
Coordinate and support urgent or off-hours issue resolution when required (e.g., plant builds, test incidents, field concerns).
Influence cross-functional teams (Safety, Manufacturing, Quality, Suppliers, Validation, Program Teams) without direct authority to drive aligned decisions and actions.
Program Leadership & Collaboration: Manage multiple programs and priorities concurrently, balancing near-term launch needs with longer-term architecture and strategy work.
Collaborate with internal teams, suppliers, and global partners to define requirements, negotiate trade-offs, and ensure robust system delivery.
Support travel to plants, test facilities, and supplier sites as needed for high-risk builds, supplier engagement, and program support.