About the Role

We are looking for an experienced General Manager R&D; to lead the Engineering and Product Development function for Aluminium Products, including Passenger Car Alloy Wheels and Suspension Components such as Steering Knuckles.

The role will have end-to-end responsibility for Product Design, FEA/CAE, Mold & Tool Design, Process Engineering and Program Management, ensuring successful product development and launch in line with customer requirements, quality standards, cost and project timelines.

The ideal candidate should have strong experience in a Tier-1 automotive aluminium die-casting environment, with a proven track record in new product development, customer technical interface, APQP/PPAP, product engineering and team leadership.

Key Responsibilities

1. Product Development & Customer Engineering

- Lead end-to-end product development from RFI/RFQ through design, validation, production launch and stabilization.
- Drive project execution through the APQP gate system in line with IATF 16949 requirements.
- Own project schedules, milestones, technical reviews, risk management and timely escalation to senior management.
- Lead customer technical discussions, design reviews, feasibility assessments and resolution of technical issues.
- Translate customer requirements into robust product and engineering deliverables.
- Interface with customers on technical matters and represent the organization at customer technology events, seminars and exhibitions.
- Ensure timely completion of engineering deliverables and customer approvals.

2. Product Design, CAE & FEA

- Lead product concept development and optimization using CAE/FEA, focusing on strength, durability, weight reduction and performance.
- Drive Design for Manufacturability (DFM) in collaboration with Manufacturing, Process Engineering, Quality, Tooling and Production teams.
- Lead technical feasibility studies for RFI/RFQ and ensure timely responses to customers and Marketing.
- Strengthen correlation between physical testing and FEA/CAE simulation and develop advanced simulation capabilities.




- Drive product benchmarking against global and domestic automotive products and implement relevant best practices.
- Promote continuous improvement in product design, engineering methodologies and product performance.

3. Mold Design, Casting & Process Engineering

- Lead development and optimization of casting design, die/mold design, machining and associated manufacturing processes.
- Utilize Mold Flow / casting simulation to improve casting robustness and manufacturability.
- Apply DOE, statistical methods and engineering analysis for process optimization.
- Drive improvements in die-casting processes to reduce cycle time, scrap, rejection and manufacturing cost.
- Coordinate with Production and Tool Room for successful introduction of new molds/dies and tooling.
- Develop and standardize tooling practices to improve overall mold/die performance.
- Develop and manage capable mold/tooling vendors in India and overseas.

4. Program Management & APQP/PPAP

- Collaborate with Marketing, Manufacturing, Quality and other cross-functional teams to deliver product development programs.
- Ensure product and project approvals at customer end as per agreed timelines.
- Drive design verification and validation, production trials and PPAP approval.
- Ensure smooth transfer of newly developed products from R&D; to Production through effective pilot-phase monitoring.
- Lead APQP/PPAP reviews and customer approval activities in coordination with Marketing, Manufacturing and Quality.
- Ensure timely and effective closure of internal and customer technical issues.

5. Team Leadership & Capability Development





- Lead and develop a high-performing Engineering/R&D; team covering Product Design, FEA/CAE, Mold Design, Process Engineering and Program Management.
- Build specialized engineering capabilities and develop a robust internal talent pipeline.
- Conduct periodic reviews of department performance, project status, risks and deliverables with senior management.
- Establish goals, conduct performance reviews and provide coaching and development to team members.
- Drive retention and development of key engineering talent.

Ideal Candidate Profile

- 15-20 years of relevant industry experience, preferably in an Automotive Tier-1 Aluminium Die Casting organization.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in a leadership/managerial role within R&D;/Product Engineering.
- Strong experience across one or more of the following:

- Passenger Car Alloy Wheels

- Steering Knuckles

- Lower Control Arms
- Sub-frames
- Other aluminium automotive structural/suspension components
- Strong expertise in Product Design, FEA/CAE, New Product Development, Mold/Die Design and Process Engineering.
- Hands-on understanding of Aluminium Die Casting, Casting Simulation/Mold Flow, machining and manufacturing processes.
- Strong understanding of APQP, PPAP, IATF 16949 and customer gate review processes.
- Experience in customer-facing technical discussions, design reviews and product approvals.
- Knowledge of materials, product engineering, casting simulation and correlation with production processes.
- Exposure to DOE, process optimization, benchmarking, tooling development and continuous improvement.
- Understanding of automotive technologies, industry trends and emerging product/process technologies.
- Exposure to engineering/product/process patents will be an advantage.
- Strong cross-functional leadership, project management and team-building capabilities.

Candidates may share their updated profiles via email at [email protected] with a subject line : "GM- R&D; Mehsana". Suitable candidates will be contacted for further discussions.

📌 GM R&D : Aluminium Products (Alloy Wheels & Knuckles) (Mehsana)
🏢 Steel Strips Wheels
📍 Mehsana