Manager, NAR Launch & TestOps

We are CARIAD, an automotive software development team with the Volkswagen Group. Our mission is to make the automotive experience safer, more sustainable, more comfortable, more digital, and more fun. To achieve that we are building the leading tech stack for the automotive industry and creating a unified software platform for over 10 million new vehicles per year. We’re looking for talented, digital minds like you to help us create code that moves the world. Together with you, we’ll build outstanding digital experiences and products for all Volkswagen Group brands that will transform mobility. Join us as we shape the future of the car and everyone around it.

Role Summary

The Manager leads the NAR Launch & Test Ops Team, a hands-on regional team responsible for steering and securing North American launches in close collaboration with VWoA, AoA & CARIAD SE. The role coordinates launch milestone maturity, U.S. test activities at regional test facilities, and delivery readiness for MEB/MQB platform-level scope and T1/T2 functions across all platforms. The role also actively brings together regional stakeholders and constructively moderates resolution of topics that are not directly within CARIAD responsibility but create, or may become, blockers or risks for CARIAD delivery.

This role manages a compact team structure that includes NAR Delivery Unit 1.1 launch steering, T1 country management, T2 country management, and T2 TestOps enablement. The manager actively coordinates test and launch, participates in management drives, tracks regional test scope and results across all regional suppliers & partners funded by CARIAD SE, supports remote test automation and test bench operations, and escalates launch blockers through the appropriate cross-functional channels to drive timely resolution.

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Role Responsibilities

Regional Test Scope, Funding & Results Coordination

• Coordinate regional funding test scope, and test result tracking for work contracted by CARIAD SE at the VWGoA ECC/EPC, including launch-related test cases across U.S., Canada, and Mexico market deltas.
• Work with CARIAD SE stakeholders and regional technical teams to clarify planned development and validation scope, assumptions, priorities, and expected deliverables.
• Maintain visibility of scope changes, funding needs, and performance records, escalating gaps or conflicts for management review.
• Maintain transparency on large-scale regional validation demand, including test case volumes, facility capacity, and associated cost assumptions needed to secure NAR launches.

Regional Test & Launch Activity Coordination

• Coordinate regional test and launch activities for NAR Launch & Test Ops, including MEB/MQB platform-level scope, T1/T2 country management deliverables, and launch milestone maturity across platforms.
• Participate in management drives and ensure open items, blockers, and decisions are captured, tracked, and routed to the appropriate owners.
• Provide regular status, risks, and recommended next steps to leadership and stakeholders based on agreed testing, validation, and launch-readiness inputs.
• Steer U.S. test activities at regional test facilities by coordinating priorities, readiness inputs, open risks, and issue follow-up across brands, CARIAD SE, and local technical teams.
• Coordinate internal and external resources involved in regional test execution, issue triage, and validation follow-up, while escalating resource constraints for decision-making.
• Review weekly technical status from system-level leads and regional partners, identifying trends, dependencies, and blockers that require follow-up.
• Follow up with CARIAD SE and regional technical departments to drive resolution of launch blockers and confirm alignment on mitigation actions.
• Actively convene regional stakeholders and constructively moderate cross-functional resolution of topics outside direct CARIAD ownership when they create, or are expected to become, delivery blockers or launch risks for CARIAD scope.
• Coordinate T1 and T2 launch deliverables, including regional back-end integration, alignment with 1.1 and 1.2 scope, and transfer of responsibilities where needed to avoid duplication.