Job Description
Work Arrangement
These opportunities are categorized as on-site. Successful candidates are expected to work full time from the GM China Advanced Technical Center in Shanghai, China.
About GM China Design Studio
GM China Design Studio is both a production design studio and an advanced design studio. We shape meaningful vehicle experiences for GM brands serving customers in China and global markets, connecting near-term production programs with forward-looking exploration.
We are committed to creating an exceptional design environment where creativity, beauty, craftsmanship, and storytelling can thrive. Our teams work across disciplines and cultures to connect creative ambition with technical feasibility and coordinated delivery, helping transform design ideas into compelling vehicle experiences.
About This Evergreen Requisition
This evergreen requisition is established for talent pipelining purposes. GM China Design Studio is building a long-term pipeline of talent in Studio Engineering, Vehicle Packaging and Design Feasibility, and Design Project / Program Management to support current and anticipated business needs.
We welcome exceptional talent from around the world who are interested in contributing to production programs and advanced design exploration in our China studio. Opportunities may range from developing engineering studies or coordinating project deliverables to independently owning technical integration or complex design programs, depending on experience and business needs.
This posting covers related specialisms rather than a single role requiring expertise in every discipline. Candidates may specialize in studio engineering or project/program management; experience across both is welcome but not required. Engineering opportunities are not limited to a particular interior component or vehicle domain. These are individual-contributor opportunities, and a project or program management title does not imply people-management responsibility.
When submitting your application, please include:
- An updated resume or CV, indicating your primary specialization, relevant vehicle domains, and project experience.
- Relevant project examples or supporting materials, where available, that explain your contribution, problem-solving approach, and outcomes. Engineering applicants may share technical studies or design-integration examples; project/program management applicants may share project summaries, delivery achievements, or process improvements. A creative design portfolio is not required.
Please ensure all materials exclude undisclosed, confidential, proprietary, or otherwise sensitive information, projects, or data belonging to employers or clients. Share only information you are authorized to disclose; a non-confidential summary of your experience is welcome where detailed work cannot be shared.
Our recruiting and design teams will review your materials. If your profile aligns with a current or future opportunity, a recruiter will contact you to discuss next steps. This is an ongoing talent pipeline, rather than a commitment to an immediate vacancy; contact timing will depend on business needs and relevant opportunities.
If you do not meet every element below, we still encourage you to apply. We value sound judgment, collaborative problem-solving, relevant specialist capabilities, and the potential to grow.
The Opportunity
Help bridge creative design, engineering feasibility, and program execution within GM China Design Studio’s broader design delivery and studio operations environment.
Studio Engineering opportunities focus on enabling design through vehicle packaging, architecture studies, technical integration, and surface feasibility. Assignments may span overall vehicle proportions and layouts, interiors, exteriors, body systems, closures, occupant accommodation, or other design-related interfaces. Your scope will reflect your expertise and the needs of the program, rather than an expectation to cover every domain.
Design Project / Program Management opportunities focus on coordinating the people, decisions, dependencies, and deliverables needed to progress advanced and production design programs. You may support individual workstreams or take ownership of integrated program delivery, helping teams balance design intent, timing, content, cost, and quality.
You will collaborate with relevant partners across creative design, digital and physical modeling, Studio Engineering, vehicle architecture, engineering, human factors, manufacturing, product planning, and program teams. Assignments may also involve global studios, regional teams, and joint-venture partners.
What You May Do
Responsibilities will be selected according to your specialization, experience, and assigned program. You are not expected to perform every activity listed below.
Studio Engineering, Vehicle Packaging & Design Feasibility
- Develop initial vehicle layouts, package proposals, and alternative concepts using inputs from design, planning, engineering, and architecture teams.
- Conduct engineering, packaging, and “what-if” studies to explore future vehicle concepts, proportions, architectures, and technology integration.
- Create or evaluate architectural criteria, key sections, general arrangement drawings, and layout studies to support design development in relevant vehicle domains.
- Assess design surfaces and proposed solutions against applicable engineering, human-factors, performance, manufacturing, and regional requirements while protecting design intent.
- Investigate packaging conflicts, interferences, space limitations, and performance constraints; develop alternatives and communicate their implications for design, feasibility, and customer experience.
- Support the technical development of digital models, scale and full-size physical models, seating or package mock-ups, customer-research properties, and virtual or mixed-reality evaluations.
- Balance regional and global requirements with brand needs, architectural constraints, competitive references, and cost considerations.
- Coordinate technical studies and issue resolution with relevant specialists, tracking decisions and escalating unresolved trade-offs when appropriate.
- Prepare and present engineering studies, recommendations, and technical risks in studio reviews and cross-functional program discussions.
Design Project / Program Management
- Develop or maintain project plans, milestones, deliverables, dependencies, and action tracking for assigned advanced or production design work.
- Coordinate delivery across design, modeling, engineering, and program partners, supporting on-time completion and agreed quality expectations.
- Maintain alignment with approved program scope, content, architecture, targets, and timing; coordinate changes and make their impact visible to decision-makers.
- Represent design priorities in cross-functional discussions and communicate program requirements objectively within the studio.
- Track progress, anticipate risks and upcoming studio needs, and coordinate issue resolution or timely escalation with accountable partners.
- Facilitate studio operating meetings, cross-functional alignment sessions, milestone reviews, and leadership design reviews, with clear decisions, owners, and follow-through.
- Coordinate design-property and model-development needs with modeling and studio teams, supporting accurate forecasts of upcoming review assets and deliverables.
- Translate ambiguous or non-standard assignments into practical work packages, review points, and achievable milestones.
- Support discussions on timing, content, cost, and quality by clarifying options, dependencies, and consequences.
- Improve planning, reporting, meeting, and change-control practices to make program status clearer and delivery more efficient.
Contributions Shared Across Specialisms
- Help teams balance creative ambition with customer needs, technical feasibility, craftsmanship, quality, and delivery commitments.
- Build productive relationships across functions and influence outcomes through clear reasoning and collaboration rather than direct authority.
- Communicate progress, assumptions, trade-offs, and risks clearly, tailoring materials to technical, creative, and leadership audiences.
- Apply structured problem-solving while remaining adaptable in a fast-paced environment with evolving requirements.
- Follow applicable development processes and contribute improvements to tools, handoffs, and working practices.
- Share knowledge and, where appropriate, provide peer guidance without formal supervisory responsibility.
- Protect confidential design and program information throughout collaboration, reporting, and presentation.
What You May Bring
We welcome different career paths and levels of experience. The capabilities below describe potential areas of fit, not a cumulative checklist. Depth in studio engineering or project/program management is valued; expertise in both is not required.
Foundations Across Specialisms
- Relevant education, training, or equivalent practical experience. Backgrounds may include engineering, automotive or product development, industrial design, project management, business, or a related discipline, depending on the role.
- Experience appropriate to the opportunity, gained through professional work, internships, academic projects, or relevant technical and delivery assignments.
- An interest in how creative design develops into feasible, high-quality products and how multidisciplinary teams achieve that outcome.
- Strong communication, presentation, and collaboration skills, including the ability to explain complex issues and work constructively across functions and cultures.
- Initiative, analytical judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to organize priorities, anticipate issues, and remain effective under time pressure.
- Familiarity with product-development milestones, review gates, or collaborative delivery practices. Prior experience with GM’s Global Vehicle Development Process (GVDP) or internal systems is helpful but not a prerequisite; willingness to learn applicable processes is important.
Relevant to Studio Engineering Opportunities
- Engineering education or equivalent relevant technical experience, with the depth needed for the assigned responsibilities.
- Capabilities in one or more areas such as vehicle architecture, packaging, attribute integration, interior or exterior engineering, body or closure systems, surface integration, or design feasibility.
- Experience using Siemens NX or comparable CAD tools to develop, assess, and communicate technical solutions, appropriate to the assignment.
- The ability to interpret design intent and engineering criteria, develop alternatives, and explain trade-offs at component, system, or vehicle level.
- Understanding of relevant requirements such as occupant accommodation, access, visibility, usable space, manufacturing feasibility, or system interfaces, according to your domain.
- Experience with key sections, general arrangement drawings, dimensional comparisons, or competitive vehicle analysis is valuable for relevant opportunities.
- Previous design-studio experience is advantageous, while relevant capabilities from vehicle development, engineering consultancies, suppliers, or adjacent technical environments are also welcome.
Relevant to Design Project / Program Management Opportunities
- Experience coordinating or managing projects, workstreams, or programs in automotive, design, engineering, product development, or another relevant multidisciplinary environment.
- Capabilities in planning, scheduling, dependency tracking, risk and issue management, change control, and progress reporting, appropriate to the role.
- The ability to facilitate productive meetings, clarify ownership, support decisions, and follow through on commitments without relying on direct reporting authority.
- An understanding of how design deliverables, models, reviews, and engineering activities interact within a development schedule, or transferable experience with comparable product-development processes.
- The ability to turn ambiguity into clear plans and anticipate delivery needs before they become urgent.
- Experience coordinating complex production programs or multiple concurrent workstreams is valuable for more experienced opportunities, but is not required for every role in this pipeline.
Experience and Ownership
- For developing or earlier-career opportunities: relevant foundations, learning agility, and the ability to complete defined technical studies or coordination activities with appropriate guidance.
- For experienced or senior opportunities: the ability to independently own technical integration or project/program delivery within your specialization, resolve complex cross-functional issues, and provide clear recommendations to stakeholders.
We do not apply a single fixed years-of-experience threshold across this talent pipeline. The expected technical depth, program complexity, and level of independence will depend on the position. Prior people-management experience is not required.
Why Join GM China Design Studio
Connect advanced exploration with production impact in an internationally connected studio. Whether your strength is solving engineering challenges or coordinating complex design delivery, you can help preserve creative intent and turn ambitious vehicle concepts into achievable outcomes.
We welcome exceptional specialists and cross-disciplinary professionals at different stages of their careers. Your experience, judgment, and potential may align with an opportunity even if your background does not map perfectly to every item in this description.





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