Product Line Architect

Job description

Safran is an international high-technology group, operating in the aircraft propulsion and equipment, space and defense markets. Safran has a global presence, with more than 58,000 employees and sales of 16.5 billion euros in 2017. Working alone or in partnership, Safran holds world or European leadership positions in its core markets. Safran is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange, and is part of the CAC 40 and Euro Stoxx 50 indices.

In February 2018, Safran took control of Zodiac Aerospace, significantly expanding its aircraft equipment activities. Together with Zodiac Aerospace, Safran has more than 91,000 employees and would have around EUR 21 billion in adjusted revenue (pro forma 2016).

Safran is ranked among the Top 100 Global Innovators by Thomson Reuters and is featured on the 'Happy at work' rankings. The Group places fourth on the Universum ranking for the favorite companies of newly-qualified engineers in France.

Safran Seats is a world leader in aircraft passenger and crew seats. One million seats made by the company are now in service worldwide.

POSITIONSUMMARY: The Architect will work closely with the marketing, the R&T, the design Engineering, the Certification, Program Management, the Quality Assurance, the Manufacturing, and the Supply Chain.

POSITION MISSION: Based on marketing strategy (customer needs), the architect must structure the platform / product-line in order to meet the customer's needs and Quality and product cost by taking into account the internal and external Safran Seats constraints and requirements .

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

· Analyze market segments and customer needs with the marketing organization to develop new product architectures
· Understand product vision, business needs and all technical requirements
· Maintain product-line roadmap and architectural standards that assure product development projects optimally align with business objectives which include platform management
· Define product-line requirements and product-line architectural solutions (driving development work packages)
· Develop optimal architectural and design principles to improve performance, capacity, scalability and reusability of the product
· Interface with other Safran Seats departments/activities to insure concurrency of design philosophies with company strategy.
· Define product-line requirements that address market opportunities.
· Manages introduction of new concepts and technologies in the product w.r.t. TRL, market differentiation, risks analysis, technical debt management, ability to produce
· Ensure, liaising with Quality, Production and Customer Support, product return of experience in production and operational life is captured and used to enhance the product-line.
· Ensure and is accountable for the Design Authority role on the product-line itself during P3 & P2 projects
· Supports the product-line implementation in customer’s projects (P1 & P0) as the deputy to the chairman of the platform change control board
· Approve the global specification & deviations,
· Arbitrate between technical choices or compromises to ensure coherence of the products with its needs (eg. Approbation of major changes)).
· Maintains awareness of product “users” (marketing, bid & sales and program teams) w.r.t. product architecture, features, roadmap and return on experience
· Support pre-sales and product management teams in customers solution demonstrations
· Serve as technical coordinator during the proposal stage of projects, and provide technical guidelines and direction for the proposal package.
· Participate in all pre-pricing and proposal reviews to assure that proper scheduling and content are included.
· Participate in the development of the Safran Seats Technology Roadmap.
· Design, support and monitor cost reduction initiatives considering all levers & requirements for (re) design to cost
· Support functions, program management and project engineering teams to solution engineering efforts
· Define product-line validation policies so as to deliver products that meet system and project expectations
· Facilitate the creation, review, and sign off of project deliverables
· Provide support for production escalations and problem resolution for customers
· Assist technical team with issues needing technical expertise or complex systems knowledge

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

· The product-line architects have an in-depth knowledge of their products along their lifecycle and has experienced developing it in the engineering organization.
· Develop broad knowledge about current and future product features.
· Customer orientation
· Systems Engineering
· In a multi-disciplinary context mixing electrical/mechanical/SW (eg: automotive, defense…)
· Product Line Engineering, Modular Design
· Configuration Management
· Tradeoff analysis
· Excellent leadership skills, proactive
· Ability to influence without authority, experiences in transversal/X-teams work, Team player with experience leading and collaborating cross-team
· Basic design skills
· Proven problem solving skills
· Proficient with MS Office
· Able to multi-task and manage numerous projects/products/platform
· Design skills
· Tolerance stack-ups
· GD&T
· DFMEA-PFMEA
· Configuration Management Skills
· Cognizant of the current standards of the aircraft industry and warrant specifications including FAA and CAA/JAA rules applicable to the product.
· Proven problem solving skills

Desired Computer Knowledge and Skills :

· Systems Engineering tools
· Requirement Management : DOORS, Integrity, Jama, Polarion,…. or similar
· Functional design : UML modelling, Archimate, Magic Draw… or similar
· PLM (BOMs and Configuration Management) : Windchill, Enovia, Teamcenter, ARAS, Advitium, Audros…. or alike
· Proficient with MS Office

Communication Skill:

· Must have the ability to generate written communication and to operate required office equipment.
· Ability to read and review written communication.
· Speech and hearing abilities that allow individual to communicate clearly and distinctly in English.
· Must be able to speak publicly and give presentations.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT

· Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Material Science, Aeronautical, Aerospace, Mechanical, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Manufacturing, Industrial, Electrical, or Systems Engineering, or a related field is required. Master’s degree preferred.
· Minimum of 10 years of related experience, required.
· Minimum of 5 years proven experience in the commercial aviation industry is desired.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Statement

It is the policy of Safran to provide equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual preference, gender identity, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability, military or veteran status, citizenship status, genetics, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws. We are strongly committed to this policy and believe in the concept and spirit of the law.
If you are applying for a job in the United States and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our Human Resources Department at and let us know the nature of your request and contact information. Please note that only those inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this e-mail address.