Customer Engineering Director

At Nauto you can make an impact at a high-impact company. We believe technology can help prevent collisions and save lives with predictive-AI that detects driver state and vehicle surroundings in real-time. More than 90% of car crashes can be attributed to human error. Nauto technology is designed to predict risk and alerts the driver with advance warning to help prevent collisions, improve driver safety, and save lives.

Our customers and prospects include many of the largest commercial fleets in the world along with vehicle manufacturers (OEMs), insurance providers, and autonomous vehicle companies. The company is backed by Greylock Partners, BMW iVentures, General Motors Ventures, Toyota AI Ventures, and SoftBank, and is well-positioned for continued growth.

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Automotive Customer Engineering Director to lead our customer engineering team. In this role, you will be responsible for managing customer relationships, understanding their technical requirements, and ensuring the successful execution of engineering projects. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in automotive engineering, excellent communication skills, and a proven ability to collaborate effectively with customers and internal teams.

Key Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related field. Advanced degree preferred.
• Extensive experience (15+ years) in automotive engineering, with a focus on customer-facing roles such as customer engineering, account management, or technical sales.
• Strong engineering leadership experience in embedded Software Development.
• Deep understanding of automotive systems, components, and technologies. Familiarity with automotive product development processes and industry standards.
• Proven track record of successfully managing customer relationships and delivering engineering projects on time and within budget.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, with a collaborative and customer-focused approach to problem-solving.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed to meet with customers and support project activities.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships with automotive OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and Tiered suppliers. Serve as the primary point of contact for customer engineering inquiries, feedback, and technical discussions.
• Work closely with customers to understand their technical requirements, product specifications, and project objectives. Translate customer needs into actionable engineering tasks and project plans. Work as technical conduit in conjunction with Project Management.
• Lead cross-functional engineering teams to ensure the successful execution of customer projects. Define project scope, timelines, and deliverables. Monitor project progress and address any issues or risks that may arise.
• Provide technical guidance and expertise to both customers and internal engineering teams. Help identify innovative solutions to technical challenges and ensure that customer requirements are met or exceeded.
• Collaborate with customers during the product development process, from concept to production. Provide input on design decisions, feasibility assessments, and validation testing.
• Act as a liaison between customers and internal teams to address technical issues, resolve conflicts, and ensure customer satisfaction. Work proactively to anticipate and mitigate potential problems.
• Support opportunities for new business development and expansion of existing customer relationships. Participate in customer meetings, presentations, and industry events to promote our engineering capabilities and services.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing customer engineering team. Provide coaching, feedback, and training to team members to support their professional growth and development.

We also have all the best benefits, including:

• Stock options
• Coverage for (health, dental, vision) including qualified dependents
• Healthcare spending accounts (FSA, HSA)
• 401K
• Commuter assistance
• Beautiful modern workspace. Many perks including cafe with meals, snacks and drinks provided.
• Up to 20 weeks of parental leave
• Flexible PTO

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment that fosters learning from each other. We celebrate people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to providing a work environment free of harassment and discrimination.

To all recruitment agencies: Nauto does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our job’s alias, Nauto employees or any other company location. Nauto is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.