Sr. Vice President / Area Head - Operational Excellence, TRATON R&D US, LLC

Position Overview

With its brands Scania, MAN, International and Volkswagen Truck & Bus, TRATON is one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. Its range comprises trucks, buses, and light-duty commercial vehicles. At TRATON, we are convinced that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. Together with our brands we have the power to bring about decisive change. With the right resources, tools and guidelines, we support our brands in making the future of transportation more sustainable.

In April 2023, TRATON embarked on an ambitious journey to integrate independent brand Research & Development (R&D) Organizations in Scania, MAN, International, and Volkswagen Truck & Bus into a single global TRATON R&D organization.

By integrating the capabilities and resources of our brands, we will accelerate the introduction of new technologies and solutions to deliver the most competitive products and solutions to our customers.

We currently have a great opportunity for an Sr. Vice President / Area Head – Operational Excellence (OpEx) on our TRATON USA R&D Team.

The individual will lead a team with the mission to build and scale world-class R&D capabilities across the TRATON Group. Your role is to strengthen how R&D works by developing efficient methods, modern processes, and digital capabilities that enable predictable, high-quality delivery across brands and sites.

TRATON Group R&D is the innovation and engineering backbone of the TRATON Group - driving research and development across the commercial vehicle industry, across our brands (International, MAN, Scania, and Volkswagen Truck & Bus). We are a global organization of around 9,000 employees working together to accelerate innovation, improve speed and deliver scalable solutions across the Group.

Operational Excellence (OpEx) plays a pivotal role in helping TRATON Group R&D work as one system - by shaping and evolving shared ways of working (Process and IT), process governance and enabling mechanisms that make cross-brand delivery more consistent, predictable and scalable.

Responsibilities

• Translate R&D strategy, methods, digitalization, and AI into practical execution capability. This means ensuring that processes, standards, and digital solutions are not only well designed, but embedded in daily engineering work and widely adopted across the organization.
• You lead and develop a global OpEx organization focused on R&D methods, governance, enablement, and selected digital capabilities, working closely with Group and Brand stakeholders to drive alignment and impact. You continuously evolve development ways of working and systems-oriented approaches—so they are pragmatic, scalable, and support both innovation and robust delivery.
• A core part of the role is to leverage data, automation, and AI to improve R&D effectiveness, reduce complexity, and accelerate learning and decision-making. You establish scalable ways of working that enable seamless collaboration across brands and locations, while keeping execution clear and focused.
• You shape governance and enablement models that support execution without adding unnecessary complexity, and you represent Operational Excellence at senior levels with credibility—building trust through clear priorities, practical implementation, and visible improvements in how R&D delivers.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology or Computer Science
• At least 18 years of experience in product design/development and/or computer science and /or technical program management experience
• At least 10 years of experience managing technical professionals and technical staff in engineering and design activities

OR

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology or Computer Science
• At least 16 years of experience in product design/development and/or computer science and /or technical program management experience
• At least 10 years of experience managing technical professionals and technical staff in engineering and design activities

OR

• PhD in Engineering, Engineering Technology or Computer Science
• At least 14 years of experience in product design/development and/or computer science and /or technical program management experience
• At least 10 years of experience managing technical professionals and technical staff in engineering and design activities

Additional Requirements

• Qualified candidates, excluding current employees, must be legally authorized on an unrestricted basis (US Citizen, Legal Permanent Resident, Refugee or Asylee) to be employed in the United States. We do not anticipate providing employment related work sponsorship for this position (e.g., H-1B status)

Desired Skills

• Senior leadership experience within R&D or product development in a complex, international environment, and are comfortable navigating multiple stakeholders, engineering disciplines, cultures, and governance models.
• Experience leading large-scale R&D enablement or transformation initiatives (e.g. development processes, operating models, systems engineering, quality/validation frameworks, or ways of working) where success depended on real adoption by engineering teams and measurable impact on delivery, quality, or time-to-market.
• Experience in leading broad development portfolios, balancing exploratory work, product commitments, and industrialization needs—setting clear priorities, managing technical and organizational trade-offs, and translating strategic ambition into a focused set of executable outcomes.
• Experience leveraging data, automation, and AI to enhance R&D effectiveness—improving decision-making, reducing manual work, accelerating development cycles, or strengthening validation and verification.
• Ability to turn frameworks into engineering outcomes, ensuring clear ownership, measurable progress, and sustained follow-through across large, multi-disciplinary teams.
• Excellent communications skills, with the ability to engage both executive stakeholders and technical experts. Additional languages are beneficial but not required.

Benefits And Compensation

We provide a competitive total rewards package which ensures job satisfaction both on and off the job. We offer market-based compensation, health benefits, 401(k) match, tuition assistance, EAP, legal insurance, an employee discount program, and more.

For this position, the expected salary range will be commensurate with the candidate’s applicable skills, knowledge and experience.

You can learn more about our comprehensive benefits package at

Company Overview

ABOUT TRATON

With its brands Scania, MAN, International, and Volkswagen Truck & Bus, TRATON SE is the parent and holding company of the TRATON GROUP and one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. The Group’s product portfolio comprises trucks, buses, and light-duty commercial vehicles. “Transforming Transportation Together. For a sustainable world.”: this intention underlines the Company’s ambition to have a lasting and sustainable impact on the commercial vehicle business and on the Group’s commercial growth.

About International

From a one-man company built on the world-changing invention of the McCormick reaper in 1831, to the 15,000-person-strong company we are today, few companies can lay claim to a history like International. Based in Lisle, Illinois, International Motors, LLC* creates solutions that deliver greater uptime and productivity to our customers throughout the full operation of our commercial vehicles. We build International® trucks and engines and IC Bus® school and commercial buses that are as tough and as smart as the people who drive them. We also develop Fleetrite® aftermarket parts. In everything we do, our vision is to accelerate the impact of sustainable mobility to create the cleaner, safer world we all deserve. As of 2021, we joined Scania, MAN and Volkswagen Truck & Bus in TRATON GROUP, a global champion of the truck and transport services industry. To learn more, visit

• International Motors, LLC is d/b/a International Motors USA in Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, and Utah.

EEO Statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to access the online application system or participate in the interview process due to your disability, please email [email protected] to request assistance. Kindly specify Job Requisition Number / Job Title and Location in response. Otherwise, your request may not be considered.