Project Director, Process Innovation

The Project Director will be responsible for driving digital adoption in a full-scale production environment and redefining the future of automotive production by leading the transition from traditional assembly lines to the fully autonomous factory of the future. The role focuses on leading cross-functional teams, implementing technology use cases through agile sprints, and ensuring a measurable impact on productivity. This leader will be a key contributor to the Technology Innovation Group, ensuring that the team’s work aligns with Hyundai Motor Group’s vision.

This leadership position is primarily responsible for leading the development and deployment of several projects involving use cases, or DX Apps:

• Apply the right methodology at scale to identify opportunities in factory operations, both internationally and locally, and translate them into use-case projects with clear impact targets. The leader will oversee several agile squad teams responsible for conducting these assessments across operational processes.
• Oversee the development of applications by the squad teams, as well as value capture and change management across the Maintenance and Assembly domains.

Strategic Leadership

• Shape and implement the autonomous manufacturing vision for HMGICS as a center of excellence for global plants.
• Position HMGICS as a global benchmark for innovation in mobility and manufacturing.
• Lead multiple core businesses or projects, exerting significant influence across two or more organizations.
• Provide leadership to the team and create a workplace culture aligned with HMGICS’s principles, practices, and values.
• Create a culture of teamwork and empower employees to take ownership of and responsibility for their own career paths.
• Work closely with top management, including the CEO and CFOs, to ensure that the impact is verified and captured appropriately.
• Engage stakeholders across multiple functional teams and domain areas to understand their needs and define and align on application requirements.

Lead Digital Transformation Initiatives & Product Ownership

• Establish connections and collaborate with teams in other regions of the world to obtain the Voice of the Customer, understand software practices and data governance, and identify manufacturing or similar business use cases, including business requirements and needs.
• Drive the development and deployment of advanced applications in maintenance transformation and assembly automation.
• Foster a “digital-first” culture through workforce upskilling and change management initiatives.
• Lead multidisciplinary squads comprising production teams, technology teams, and translators to implement Industry 4.0 use cases across key areas, including Assembly and Maintenance.
• Leverage solutions developed by the R&D team, as well as external vendors, to implement these use cases, thereby unlocking the next level of productivity while maximizing ROI.
• Drive change management with the Operations team to establish new solutions as work standards.
• Evolve the Use-Case Roadmap (URM) based on the identification of new pain points and needs in the production environment, as well as the availability of new technologies in the Technology Roadmap (TRM).
• Lead the development of multi-year strategic technology roadmaps and business case presentations while staying up to date with emerging technologies.

Technology Implementation

• Oversee the integration of advanced technologies, including automation, robotics, AI, and IoT, into production.
• Lead the planning and implementation of applications, including overseeing the software development, validation, integration, and deployment of multiple systems and platforms.
• Align projects with the HMGICS Technology Roadmap for smart factory development.

Data-Driven Problem-Solving

• Drive teams to perform data analysis to identify operational bottlenecks and system impediments, and take ownership of the continuously evolving current state of production capabilities, bottlenecks, and pain points.
• Facilitate solution-brainstorming workshops to develop practical and sustainable solutions as a team. Embed solutions to improve work processes and system functions based on the team’s data analysis results.
• Foster a data-driven and business-led mindset to ensure that use-case implementation delivers a positive ROI at HMGICS and can be scaled to other HMG plants worldwide.
• Provide project management guidance to Operations teams to implement and sustain solutions.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Automation, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
• More than 15 years of combined experience in technical and software application deployment.
• Experience in management consulting, manufacturing process change management, or technology consulting related to Industry 4.0.
• Extensive knowledge and a proven track record of delivering digital transformation projects globally and locally.
• Excellent stakeholder management, interpersonal, and managerial skills, with strong change management experience.
• Strong leadership and problem-solving skills, as well as experience in manufacturing process optimization, including Lean or Six Sigma certification, combined with data analysis skills.
• Hands-on involvement in IoT, AI, robotics, automation, or data analytics projects.
• Strong knowledge of digital platforms, cloud solutions, and enterprise IT systems.
• Familiarity with smart factory technologies, including MES, ERP, PLM, and digital twins.
• Expertise in data-driven decision-making and KPI monitoring.
• Excellent change management and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Strong people-management skills.
• Ability to lead multi-site initiatives and manage a program portfolio.
• Industry-leading expertise in the relevant area.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills across global teams.
• Ability to translate digital strategy into measurable business outcomes.
• A visionary mindset to position HMGICS as a global benchmark for innovation.