Research Manager - Vehicle Software Products, Core & Occupant

Description

The company is hiring a customer research manager to lead researchers and analysts in the global customer research product research group, within vehicle product management.

The group supports the Core Experience and Occupant Experience software product teams, bringing customer insight into decisions about in-vehicle experiences.

The portfolio covers comfort controls, displays, infotainment, connectivity, entertainment, user interface generations and releases, AI assistants, user profiles, and other digital vehicle experiences.

You will work closely with product teams from early requirements through launch and in-market performance.

You are a customer-focused people leader who pairs solid research practice with strategic judgment and a consultative approach. You will guide a set of custom research projects, grow your team's skills, and turn complex customer findings into clear, timely product direction.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted research adviser to the Core Experience and Occupant Experience teams and their key cross-functional partners.
• Learn what stakeholders prioritise, including their product plans, decision deadlines, and what they need to learn from customers.
• Turn business priorities into compelling research proposals that fit product milestones and the group's research roadmap.
• Frame each study by defining the decision it supports, the target customer, learning goals, scope, timing, resources, and how findings will be used.
• Work with stakeholders to build research stimuli that show how product intent connects to customer reactions.
• Present the customer view in cross-functional meetings with clear, persuasive, evidence-based stories.
• Plan and run qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method research that gives product teams timely, usable insight.
• Turn findings into short, decision-ready outputs covering customer needs, implications, opportunities, and recommended next steps.
• Spot links across studies, customer themes, product areas, and technologies, and share those read-across insights with stakeholders.
• Lead, coach, and develop researchers and analysts, set clear goals and expectations, give timely feedback, and support their growth.
• Build a culture that is curious, collaborative, accountable, open to constructive challenge, and focused on continuous improvement.
• Manage portfolio priorities, work plans, milestones, budgets, supplier support, and stakeholder expectations.
• Oversee study materials, suppliers, logistics, fieldwork, analysis, reporting, and follow-through to meet agreed scope, timing, quality, and budget.
• Report status clearly to leadership and stakeholders, raise risks early, and negotiate trade-offs in scope, timing, and resources.
• Manage research suppliers, budgets, schedules, tools, and facilities according to company processes and policies.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree.
• 7+ years of relevant experience.
• Working knowledge of vehicle or product development processes and how customer research shapes product decisions.
• Experience leading or using primary research to inform product decisions.
• Proven people leadership, including setting goals, coaching, managing performance, and developing team members.
• Proven ability to juggle multiple projects, priorities, schedules, and stakeholders in a complex, shifting environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication, with the ability to produce clear, concise, actionable research deliverables.
• Strong presentation, facilitation, negotiation, and persuasive storytelling skills, and the ability to speak to technical, business, program, and leadership audiences.
• Proficiency with AI-enabled tools to improve the speed, quality, and effectiveness of research and daily work.
• Creativity, resourcefulness, sound critical thinking, and strong problem-solving, organisation, and stakeholder management.
• Legally authorised to work in the United States.
• Preferred: experience in automotive, mobility, connected services, consumer technology, digital products, or other complex hardware-software ecosystems.
• Preferred: software product development experience.
• Preferred: a post-graduate degree.
• Preferred: direct market research experience across qualitative, quantitative, formative, generative, and evaluative methods.

Conditions

This is a hybrid role, requiring you to work from Warren, Michigan at least three days a week, or at a different frequency set by the business.

Travel is expected to be under 25%.

This role is not eligible for relocation benefits; any relocation costs are the selected candidate's responsibility.

The company does not provide immigration sponsorship for this role. Do not apply if you will now or in the future need sponsorship from the company, including employer-of-record filings on a government form or any work authorisation that requires a written submission or other immigration support from the company (for example H-1B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, or J-1).

The company is committed to a workplace free of unlawful discrimination that actively fosters inclusion.

Candidates may be asked to complete a role-related assessment and/or a pre-employment screening before starting.

Benefits

• The company offers well-being support from day one, covering work and home, along with a total rewards package.
• Details of the total rewards package are available from the company's benefits resources.