Deputy Chief Vehicle Assessment Specialist
Nissan Motor Corporation, United Kingdom
Job Description
Deputy Chief Vehicle Assessment Specialist (DCVAS), Europe
In its pursuit of continuously improving the performance of its vehicles and seeking to surpass customer expectations, Nissan created an independent and empowered team called CVAS (Chief Vehicle Assessment Specialists) to influence vehicle development. Since then, the CVAS team has grown to have representatives in each major region. The team is now looking for a Deputy-CVAS (DCVAS) to support the European region.
The mission of the DCVAS is to improve vehicle marketability before the vehicles reach the customers. Working closely with the existing Euro CVAS and Platform CVAS based in Japan, this leader will be tasked with making sure that each vehicle meets the customer requirements for the European region. The candidate will be a car enthusiast who enjoys evaluating vehicles, keeping abreast of competitors’ performance and market trends around the world.
The successful candidate will bring high-level engineering and customer-driven management and operational skills to the role. The candidate will work alongside a diverse group of professionals and must influence both the marketing and engineering departments with his/her findings.
The role will be based in Cranfield, UK.
Major Responsibilities
Working closely with a variety of departments, the DCVAS will be an experienced collaborator. Specific responsibilities include:
Support brand growth and product competitiveness in the Europe region through performance target setting and achievement validation activities.
Accurately assess vehicle performance from customer & media viewpoints; identify/advise improvement requirements in key milestones/stages of product development.
Maintain independent viewpoint from other functions with emphasis on actual vehicle competitiveness in latest market conditions.
Show sensitivity and evaluation skill in the areas of dynamic performance, IT/HMI, AD and CCS and transfer this information into meaningful direction for the product planning and engineering communities within Nissan.
Ensure relationships among relevant departments are maintained/enhanced.
Ensure that the company maintains a positive commitment to customer satisfaction and continuous quality improvement.
Conduct all business matters within the highest standards of honesty and integrity
Job Specification
CANDIDATE SPECIFICATION: KEY SELECTION CRITERIA
Ideal Experience
Significant experience of a role involving vehicle evaluation. Possible roles include Marketability or Vehicle Attribute Development.
A track record of influence on vehicle designs that have driven top press reviews and customer satisfaction.
High standard of driving skill.
Understanding of the vehicle development process in an OEM or automotive supplier.
Ability to assess vehicle test data to support subjective evaluation.
Understanding vehicle characteristics from the point of view of customer.
Skill to clearly and concisely communicate evaluations to relevant stakeholders.
Confidence to work alone or part of a team.
Ability to interpret and apply customer and other external feedback (such as media reviews, syndicated surveys, customer clinics, etc.)
A degree in engineering is required; an advanced engineering degree is preferred.
Critical Competencies for Success
The ideal candidate will embrace and demonstrate Nissan Motor Company’s key leadership competencies:
Customer Orientation – This candidate is customer focused and brings an uncommon sense of the wants and don’t want from customers. The perspective is built from understanding competition, trends and geographic and customer segment preferences based on research. He/she will be dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services.
Collaboration Skills – The candidate must possess proven people skills that are well suited to working in a diverse, entrepreneurial and global organization. He/she builds and sustains excellent relationships at multiple levels, and across functions, geographies and cultures; gets things done without compromising principles; is seen as a team player; easily gains trust and support of peers; encourages collaboration within and across the business unit. The candidate will have the credibility and strength of character to stop projects at gate reviews when not fulfilling expectations.
Passion & Drive –The selected individual will have a passion for cars, inspiring and driving the organization to push itself to do its utmost to meet customer expectations and beat the competition. Utilizing a collaborative, team oriented approach to achieve results, the candidate has a track record of holding team members accountable for delivering results. They will be strategic and rigorous in prioritization of issues and projects and takes pride in shared success, teamwork and continuous process improvement.
Cranfield Bedfordshire United Kingdom