Group Manager - Regional Development Lead (OEM) - PV

Apollo Tyres Ltd is an international tyre manufacturer and the leading tyre brand in India. The company has multiple manufacturing units in India and a unit each in The Netherlands and Hungary. The company markets its products under its two global brands – Apollo and Vredestein, and its products are available in over 100 countries through a vast network of branded, exclusive and multi-product outlets.

Job Title: Group Manager - Regional Development Lead (OEM) - PV
Location: Chennai R&D
Reports to (Position): Division Head
Department/Function:

Number of Direct Reports (Solid Line): NA
Number of Direct Reports (Dotted Line): 1
Number of Outsourced Reports: NA

Purpose of the Job: Responsible for Lead the OE Development function for an assigned customer portfolio, by defining the technical strategy, strengthening customer relationships, ensuring successful execution of development programs, and delivering business growth through cross-functional leadership.

Major Responsibilities:

  Own the end-to-end development portfolio for assigned OEM customers, ensuring successful execution from RFQ to SOP while meeting business, quality, cost, and timeline objectives.
  Lead customer engagement by acting as the primary technical interface with OEM R&D, Quality, Purchasing, and Program Management teams to strengthen strategic partnerships and drive future business opportunities.
  Define and approve the technical development strategy, including tyre specifications, construction, materials, design direction, and performance targets for all assigned programs.
  Review and approve technical proposals, benchmark studies, DFMEA, Data Books, development plans, and engineering changes to ensure robust product development.
  Drive cross-functional alignment across Materials, Compound Development, Simulation, Testing, Manufacturing, Plant Technology, QA, SCM, and Business teams to ensure timely project execution.
  Govern project execution by reviewing development progress, project risks, resource allocation, development costs, and milestone adherence, while ensuring timely escalation and resolution of critical issues.
  Partner with OE Sales and Business Development teams to understand future customer requirements, support RFQs, and enhance Apollo's competitiveness in strategic OEM programs.
  Lead technical reviews with customers, support nomination activities, and represent Apollo during development reviews, audits, and program discussions.
  Ensure compliance with APDP, Quality Requirements (QR), PPAP, CSQSR, regulatory requirements, and Apollo engineering standards throughout the project lifecycle.
  Drive resolution of critical product quality and field performance issues by leading technical reviews, root cause analysis, and implementation of sustainable corrective actions.

  Develop organisational capability by mentoring Product Development Managers and Development Engineers, driving succession planning, technical competency development, and a high-performance culture.

  Continuously identify opportunities to improve development efficiency, customer satisfaction, technical capability, and organisational effectiveness in line with Apollo's OE growth strategy.

Skills: 

Strong knowledge of tyre design, development, validation, and manufacturing processes.
In-depth understanding of OEM product development lifecycle (RFQ to SOP).
Expertise in APDP, PPAP, DFMEA, Quality Requirements (QR), and automotive quality systems.
Strong project and program management capability.
  Ability to analyse technical data and make sound engineering decisions.

Leadership & Behavioral Skills:
Proven ability to lead cross-functional and multi-disciplinary teams.
Strong people leadership, coaching, mentoring, and capability development.
Effective planning, prioritisation, and resource management.
Risk identification, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
Ability to drive execution in a fast-paced, multi-project environment.

Relevant Experience: 10-15 Years exposure to tyre design /Tyre manufacturing / Vehicle testing / OE Development

Education Qualification(s): BE - Mechanical, Polymer engineering.