Also called: Vehicle Program Chief Engineer, Vehicle Line Director
Senior leader responsible for an entire vehicle model, from first sketch to the car rolling off the line.
You run a meeting where the design team wants a sleeker roof, the safety team needs a stronger pillar and finance wants it cheaper. You make the call, then fly to the proving grounds to drive the latest prototype yourself.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in engineering plus 15+ years in the auto industry; master's or MBA common.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering.
Growing about average. Tracks engineering managers.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps track programs and trade-offs; leading thousands of people and owning a vehicle's success stays human.
Classes: Physics, Business, Speech or debate, Auto shop.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9041.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.