Denise Vallis

Experience

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  Bertrandt AG

  Jan 1990 - Jan 1993

  Design Engineer

  Designing BIW and injection molded production parts for Mercedes Benz, Opel, Porsche, and Valeo using manual drafting, CATIA, and CGS. Developing Class A surfaces of exterior panels and interior trim parts.

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  California Automotive Research and Development

  Jan 1995 - Jan 1996

  Design Engineer

  Designing various composite body panels for REVA and Samsung EV4 electric vehicles using CATIA. Updating and maintaining electrical schematic drawings for REVA and EV4 vehicles using AutoCAD.

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  Italdesign California (I.D.C. Inc.)

  Jan 1997 - Jan 2002

  Project Manager / Design Engineer

  PROJECT MANAGER: Leading engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure successful build of interior bucks, seating systems, instrument panels, and other vehicle subsystems. Tracking of project timelines, tasks, changes, risks, and budgets. Ongoing evaluation of manufacturing processes based on part/tool design, materials, equipment, and human resources. Collaborating with customers to ensure all requirements and expectations are met and to identify new opportunities. Defining which components will be purchased, be manufactured inhouse,and be outsourced. Managing outsourcing of work to suppliers.DESIGN ENGINEERING: complete systems for concept/prototype vehicles and interior bucks using CATIA. Developing BIW parts for manufacture in fiberglass, carbon fiber, aluminum, or steel. Designing armatures, frames, and tooling. Developing Class A surfaces in CATIA from clay pick or existing surface data for concept and production exterior and interior trim parts. Generating feasibility studies, occupant packaging, and door swings. Working closely with studio designers to ensure engineering solutions corresponded with design concepts.SPECIAL PROJECTS: Isuzu GBX interior, Honda Spocket electric sports vehicle lighting, Maserati Buran overhead and door systems, Peterbuilt instrument panel, Mitsubishi SSS instrument panel, and DINA Truck center console and body panel production tooling. Show less

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  Aria Group

  Jan 2002 - Jan 2005

  Project Manager / Design Engineer

  PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Leading engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure successful build of interior bucks, seating systems, instrument panels, and other vehicle subsystems. Tracking of project timelines, tasks, changes, risks, and budgets. Ongoing evaluation of manufacturing processes based on part/tool design, materials, equipment, and human resources. Collaborating with customers to ensure all requirements and expectations are met and to identify new opportunities. Defining which components will be purchased, manufactured in-house, and outsourced. Managing outsourcing of work to suppliers.DESIGN ENGINEERING: complete systems such as seats, lighting, doors, instrument panels, and center consoles for concept/prototype vehicles and interior bucks using CATIA. Designing armatures, frames, and tooling. Working closely with studio designers and their sketches to create concepts.SPECIAL PROJECTS: Toyota FT-SX concept car seating, Las Vegas Monorail subsystems, and Mitsubishi interior bucks. Show less

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  Magna Exteriors and Magna Interiors

  Jan 2005 - Jan 2007

  Senior Designer

  Design of Dodge Journey Interior Overhead Systems using CATIA. BOM Management of all Overhead System configurations (including build, validation, release, and change management) using Teamcenter Engineering. Assisting GM Doors team to kickoff Engineering BOMs in Teamcenter.

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  Siemens AG

  Apr 2007 - Jan 2016

  Automotive PLM Manager

  Leading sales strategy, from a technical perspective, at US “mid-market” automotive accounts to secure Teamcenter Product Lifecycle Management software sales. Providing insight on automotive OEM and Supplier industry trends, business processes, and technology to educate pursuit teams. Acting as a Management Stakeholder on key accounts to align and communicate with customer Executives.TECHNICAL ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT: Providing technical leadership to named accounts during sales pursuit and solution delivery. Working with customers to understand “As-is” business processes and data management needs in order to formulate solution roadmap, tasks necessary to close business, and implementation strategy. Assisting Services Manager in developing implementation budget and timeline. Project management including definition and tracking of implementation tasks and milestones, determining project risks, and monitoring budget. Leading weekly meetings with customers and project teams to ensure resolution of open issues and customer satisfaction. Regularly meeting with customers’ Steering Boards to report project status.PRESALES CONSULTING: Providing in-depth expertise during customer engagements to demonstrate Teamcenter’s ability to resolve data management issues and facilitate automotive business processes. Presenting proposed solutions to customer executives and managers. Developing and conducting seminars. Training new team members. Areas of expertise: Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), BOM/Configuration Management, PPAP Management, and CAD Data Management (CATIA and NX Integrations). Show less

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  Mahindra & Mahindra

  Jan 2016 - May 2021

  Program / Project Manager

  PROGRAM/PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Managing new and existing vehicle launches from product planning to SOP. Coordinating joint engineering efforts between Detroit, India, and Italy Product Development teams. Managing releases including ensuring the EBOM is complete, all parts meet correct milestone requirements, and configuration reflects Product Planning definition. Leading Change Management meetings, ensuring all cross-functional teams including System Leads, Purchasing, Manufacturing, and Management are involved in change impact discussions. Resolving conflicts between groups. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Working directly with CEO and other leaders to develop proposals for new business. Capturing effort and investment required to assist in creating project budget. Participating in market and competitive analysis. Preparing papers for Board Review. Working on special projects.METHODS & CONTROLS: Defining strategy on how to achieve executive initiatives such as meeting compressed vehicle development timelines, successful transfer of programs to India, ISO certification for North American Manufacturing facility, etc. Working with global teams to capture timing, tasks, deliverables, and dependencies. Developing plans of action including people, process, and technology required for success. Leading my employees to implement plans, track goal tasks, and enable others. Developing employee skills and training materials to spread knowledge to Engineering, Purchasing, Quality, Advanced Manufacturing, and Production teams. Traveling to Europe and India to oversee important events such as engineering sign-off with suppliers, safety vehicle builds, and pre-launch quality issue resolution. Preparing and presenting program status and strategy materials in Mahindra Executive level meetings. Show less

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  LIFT

  Jun 2021 - Mar 2023

  Senior Manager, Program Management Office (PMO)

  PROGRAM MANAGEMENT OFFICE: Run PMO including establishing Program Management structure, identifying opportunities for process improvement, and developing and implementing PMO best practices. Labor forecasting and leveling for Program Management team. Consolidating and checking all Tech Team labor forecasts for Executive budget planning meetings. Training new hires on PMO processes and reporting. Helping new PM hires ramp up on project work. Coordinating and preparing presentations for Executive and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) reviews. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT: Providing excellent program management to meet/exceed cost, scope, and timing goals on joint DoD, industry, and academia projects. Proposal development including writing sections, defining scope and deliverables, and building timing and cost plans. Coordinating with other Tech Team Managers on proposal assignments and setting review and submission schedules. Working with Program Controller to resolve contracting language issues and get new vendors on contract. Show less

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  Quantron AG

  Mar 2023 - Jun 2024

  Head of Program Management US

  Leading Class 3, 4, and 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) programs including managing cost, scope, and timing. Preparing status reports with project metrics, risks & mitigation, and open issues for board review. Engagement with potential new customers and proposal development for future programs. Team enablement including mentoring employees on best practices for managing projects, engineering bill-of-materials (BOMs), manufacturing BOMs, and Change Management. Also, ensuring designs meet engineering requirements and approving for release. Show less

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  Bollinger Motors

  Jul 2024 - now

  Program Director