Manager - VA (Upperbody Architecture)
Mahindra Group · Posted Nov 3
Automotive, farm equipment, information technology, financial services, and hospitality services
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About the role
The role sits within Mahindra Group's automotive body engineering organization, focused on vehicle upper body architecture and body structure integration for passenger, electric, hybrid and commercial vehicle programs. It covers architectural layout definition, vehicle packaging, structural and interface management across BIW, closures, glass, roof systems, exterior trim and interior systems, along with safety and regulatory compliance. The Manager leads upper body architecture development from concept to production, resolves cross-functional packaging conflicts, and guides virtual validation, prototype builds and engineering change management.
What you will do
- Lead the definition and development of vehicle upper body architecture from concept to production.
- Establish architectural layouts for the upper body structure, ensuring alignment with vehicle platform strategy and product requirements.
- Define and manage critical interfaces between Body-in-White (BIW), Closures, Glass, Roof Systems, Exterior Trim, and Interior systems.
- Ensure optimized package space while balancing structural performance, occupant comfort, visibility, styling, and manufacturability.
- Drive architectural decisions supporting modularity and platform commonality.
- Lead upper body packaging activities, ensuring compatibility between structural, functional, and aesthetic requirements.
- Resolve cross-functional packaging conflicts involving roof, windshield, side glass, pillars, doors, tailgate, sealing systems, and interior trim.
- Support Digital Mock-Up (DMU) reviews and package validation throughout product development.
- Coordinate engineering changes impacting upper body architecture.
- Define architecture requirements for: Roof structure A, B, C & D pillars Windshield and backlite interfaces Side glass systems Door apertures Roof rails Tailgate/liftgate interfaces Weather sealing systems Exterior trim interfaces
- Ensure proper dimensional control, gap & flush, tolerance stack-up, and assembly feasibility.
- Collaborate with Styling, BIW, Closures, Exterior, Interior, Safety, Manufacturing, CAE, Validation, Supplier Engineering, and Program Management teams.
- Lead architecture and integration reviews across vehicle development milestones.
- Drive engineering trade-off decisions considering cost, weight, performance, timing, quality, and customer expectations.
- Mentor engineering teams on architecture principles, interface management, and vehicle integration.
- Ensure upper body architecture meets applicable safety and regulatory requirements, including: Roof crush performance Side impact requirements Occupant protection Pedestrian protection (where applicable) Visibility regulations ECE, FMVSS, AIS, and global standards
- Support crashworthiness and structural optimization activities in collaboration with CAE teams.
- Support virtual validation, prototype builds, and production trials.
- Analyze architecture-related issues during development and validation.
- Lead root cause analysis and implement corrective actions.
- Ensure robust engineering change management throughout the product lifecycle.
- Develop and standardize upper body architecture guidelines and best practices.
- Drive modular architecture initiatives across vehicle platforms.
- Capture and implement lessons learned for future vehicle programs.
- Promote innovation in lightweight design, manufacturability, and system integration.
Skills used in this role
What the employer is looking for
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related discipline.
- 12–14 years of experience in Automotive Body Engineering, Vehicle Architecture, or Vehicle Integration.
- Strong expertise in Upper Body Architecture and Body Structure Integration.
- Experience across complete vehicle development cycles from concept through production.
- Experience working with automotive OEMs or Tier-1 suppliers is preferred.
- Upper Body Architecture
- Vehicle Architecture & Integration
- Body-in-White (BIW)
- Vehicle Packaging
- Structural Interface Management
- Closures Integration
- Roof Systems
- Glass & Sealing Systems
- Exterior and Interior Interface Management
- Gap & Flush Engineering
- Tolerance Stack-up Analysis
- GD&T
- Digital Mock-Up (DMU)
- Design for Manufacturing (DFM)
- Design for Assembly (DFA)
- DFMEA
- Engineering Change Management
- Root Cause Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance (FMVSS, ECE, AIS)
Preferred qualifications
- Passenger Vehicles
- Electric Vehicles (EV)
- Hybrid Vehicles
- Commercial Vehicles
- CATIA V5/V6
- Siemens NX
- Teamcenter/PLM
- ENOVIA
- 3DCS or Variation Analysis Tools
- DMU/Vis Mockup
- Microsoft Office
- JIRA (preferred)
Benefits and support
- Compensation and benefits are detailed in the job posting
About Mahindra Group
The Mahindra Group is a multinational conglomerate federation of companies with a presence across more than 20 industries globally. The group holds leadership positions in utility vehicles, farm equipment, information technology, and financial services. Driven by its core purpose to enable people to Rise, Mahindra operates across over 100 countries.
- Industry
- Conglomerate
- Company size
- 327000+ employees
- Founded
- 1945-10-02
- Location
- Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- Funding stage
- Public Company
Leadership
Chairman
Group CEO & Managing Director
Group Chief Financial Officer
Group Chief Technology Officer
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