Section Lead, OTA Onboard Development at Mercedes-Benz… · Shanghai

We are seeking a highly skilled OTA Section Lead to manage the daily operations of the Software Update / OTA section and drive onboard development. This role focuses on overseeing a cross-functional team, acting as the primary escalation point, and ensuring local onboard developments meet the expectations from our customers.

Key Responsibilities 1. Team Leadership & Task Management

• Monitor work progress, distribute workload, and manage daily operations for a team of Software Architects, Function Owners, System Spec Engineers, and Technical Project Managers.
• Empower team members through continuous coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback.
• Assist with daily people supervision tasks including recruitment, attendance, LEAD Goal Agreements, and training.

2. OTA Onboard Development

• Lead the development and integration of the in-vehicle OTA client (Update Manager).
• Ensure the OTA client correctly interfaces with the central gateway and MB.OS architecture.

3. Alignment & Milestone Tracking

• Serve as the technical bridge between Mercedes-Benz R&D China and other development organizations
• Track onboard software development progress against global vehicle project timelines.
• Ensure OTA client maturity aligns with critical vehicle integration gates, such as prototype phases and start of production.

4. Risk Management & Reporting

• Identify technical risks, hardware dependencies, and integration bottlenecks early in the development cycle.
• Define mitigation strategies, take ownership of resolving complex technical or process problems, and escalate critical blockers.
• Regularly report on software maturity, defect rates (bug burn-down charts), and integration status to management.

Education & Experience

• Master degree or above, major in Automotive Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering, or other related fields.
• 7 years of working experience in automotive software development, E/E architecture, or connected vehicle services.
• 2 years of proven experience in a leadership role (e.g., team lead, section lead, technical lead, or lateral management) within the automotive or tech industry.
• Demonstrated experience in leading cross-functional teams to deliver complex software or system engineering projects, preferably in the OTA or Software Update domain.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong leadership, team-building, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Solid understanding of the complete automotive software development lifecycle, V-model, and ASPICE standards.
• Deep problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to dive into technical or project management bottlenecks and guide the team to a solution.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to tailor technical messaging for both engineering teams and upper management.
• Fluent oral and written English communication capability.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience working with global teams and managing both internal staff and external technical partners.
• Broad technical understanding of vehicle networks, operating systems (Linux, QNX, Android), cybersecurity, and cloud-to-vehicle communication.