Assistant Program Manager (Apm)

Job Description

Job Description: Assistant Program Manager (APM), GMNA Design - Color, Materials & Finishes

Work Arrangement

This role requires an employee to be onsite on a full-time basis.

The Role

GM's Design Organization is seeking an Assistant Program Manager (APM) who will represent Design in Engineering and Program Teams, ensuring that our vehicles have world-class craftsmanship, quality, usability, and an engaged customer experience. The successful candidate is highly skilled at program management, creative problem solving, and cross-functional collaboration, with a strong attention to detail to deliver extraordinary products that meet General Motors' purpose to pioneer the innovations that move and connect people to what matters.

This role has a dedicated focus on Color, Materials and Finishes (CMF). The APM will closely support the CMF Studio and related Design partners to ensure CMF strategies, properties, and execution are fully integrated into program deliverables, aligned with brand and customer expectations, and delivered with excellence throughout the Global Vehicle Development Process (GVDP).

If this sounds like your next step, we'd love to hear from you! There has never been a more exciting time to work for GM!

What You'll Do

• Directly support the Program Manager in cross-functional execution of GVDP and Design sub-process deliverables, managing Design and CMF milestones with a goal of 100% on-time performance with quality.

• Represent the voice of Design - with a specific emphasis on CMF requirements, constraints, and opportunities - cross-functionally to ensure deliverables and decisions are met per process and to drive accountability as the neutral voice of the program internally.

• Facilitate Program Operations Meetings (POPs) to track and resolve program issues, including documenting decisions and tracking action items to closure.

• Act as CMF Design's single-point-of-contact for all cross-functional stakeholders for assigned programs, including Brand Studio, Brand, Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, and suppliers as needed.

• Make program status highly visible, anticipate potential program risks, and support issue escalation, particularly where CMF content, materials, or finishes may impact timing, cost, quality, or brand experience.

• Demonstrate ability to bring stakeholders together to resolve issues quickly and effectively.

• Work with all levels of the organization, including facilitating CMF Design reviews and Executive / VP of Design reviews as needed.

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships between Brand Studios, Engineering, Material Development, Sustainability, and Design functions.

• Utilize Momentum timing tools and author CMF Design change requests in the Program Change Management (PCM) system.

• Maintain the Design Fabrication CMF Bill of Properties (BoP) and ensure property data is accurate and current.

• Coordinate and support CMF property builds (e.g., color/trim bucks, material boards, appearance properties) with Design Fabrication and Brand Studio, including timing, content, and quality checks.

CMF-Focused Responsibilities

• Partner with the CMF Studio to ensure CMF strategies, palettes, and material selections are appropriately captured, tracked, and communicated through all program phases.

• Support the tracking and alignment of DSI/DSO, CMF-related property standards, and material specifications as they relate to program deliverables.

• Collaborate with Engineering, Purchasing, and suppliers to understand material feasibility, manufacturing constraints, and cost impacts associated with CMF decisions.

• Help ensure CMF deliverables (color approvals, materials and finishes, grain, gloss, and texture targets, etc.) are integrated into program gateways and GVDP checkpoints.

• Monitor and escalate risks related to color approvals, material lead times, supplier readiness, and property availability, driving cross-functional action to maintain timing and quality.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in design, business, engineering, or equivalent work experience.

• 5+ years of relevant experience.

• Experience supporting design or engineering functions.

• Strong facilitation skills with ability to adapt style to suit different audiences and situations.

• Ability to be predictive and proactive in a high-tempo work environment that is dependent on collaboration, decisiveness, and innovative thinking.

• Excellent influencing and negotiation skills.

• High level of project management skills.

• Detail-oriented problem-solver.

• Self-motivated with the ability to work with minimal direction.

• Strong team-building and interpersonal skills.

• Managerial courage.

Additional Attributes (Preferred but not Required) - CMF Focus

• Hands-on CMF Studio Collaboration

Experience working directly with a Color, Materials & Finishes (CMF) studio or CMF design team within an automotive or related consumer product environment.

• Materials & Finish Knowledge

Basic fundamental knowledge of automotive interior and exterior materials and finishes-including paints, plastics, textiles, leather, metals, decorative trims, and graphics.

• CMF Development Process Familiarity

Familiarity with CMF development workflows such as color approvals, material sampling, property and appearance builds, and supplier engagement throughout the design and validation phases.

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us

We believe we all must make a choice every day - individually and collectively - to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Benefits Overview

From day one, we're looking out for your well-being-at work and at home-so you can focus on realizing your ambitions. Learn how GM supports a rewarding career that rewards you personally by visiting Total Rewards resources.

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.

All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws.

We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.

Accommodations

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