Customer Reliability Manager (m/f/d)

HARMAN’s engineers and designers are creative, purposeful and agile. As part of this team, you’ll combine your technical expertise with innovative ideas to help drive cutting-edge solutions in the car, enterprise and connected ecosystem. Every day, you will push the boundaries of creative design, and HARMAN is committed to providing you with the opportunities, innovative technologies and resources to build a successful career.

A Career at HARMAN

As a technology leader that is rapidly on the move, HARMAN is filled with people who are focused on making life better. Innovation, inclusivity and teamwork are a part of our DNA. When you add that to the challenges we take on and solve together, you’ll discover that at HARMAN you can grow, make a difference and be proud of the work you do everyday.

About the Role

The Customer Reliability Manager (CRM) is the link between Harman's validation test teams and the customer project. CRM plays a crucial role in ensuring that products meet customer needs before they are widely released. The position requires a mix of technical expertise, project management, customer engagement, and analytical skills. This position does not have any direct reports; however, it does provide supervisory inputs to the entire Product Reliability (PR) team associated with its assigned customer. You will be part of a team of CRMs from differing backgrounds and levels of experience within validation.

What You Will Do

• Manage and coordinate projects within the Product Reliability (PR) team, supporting multiple OEM/HARMAN customers.
• Track and plan demand and budget, utilizing business cases and change requests.
• Serve as the primary contact between internal departments, global project teams, and external customers.
• Participate in team meetings, design reviews, and project task forces; lead task forces and manage escalations.
• Lead RFQ estimations for PR, based on customer requirements and HARMAN strategy.
• Assess customer requirements in close collaboration with PR teams and other HARMAN departments.
• Organize and moderate customer workshops, reviews, lab walks, and other representative activities.
• Establish and monitor schedules and milestones relevant to customers and HARMAN.
• Review test reports and create/maintain Design Verification Plans & Reports (DVP&Rs).
• Participate in defining and aligning test equipment with both internal and external partners.
• Support engineering and other stakeholders in validation-related matters.
• Manage and coordinate re-qualifications, change requests, and verification of VAVE measures.
• Define and track CRM-Initiatives and transformation goals.
• Act as deputy for the Regional CRM Lead, ensuring communication with internal and external stakeholders, prioritizing tasks, and making operational decisions within the defined scope of responsibility.
• Drive collaboration across cross-disciplinary teams (e.g., Hardware, Software, Domain Experts).

What You Need to Be Successful

• University degree in Engineering (Electrical, IT, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering, or related discipline).
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in Automotive industry.
• Minimum 2-3 years of experience in Team-Management and/or Project Management
• Excellent skills in project management and time management
• Good verbal and written communication skills (German and English).
• Advanced test solutions knowledge for the automotive industry.
• Knowledgeable with Automotive international reliability standards and specific automotive OEM specifications. Familiar with TS16949, ISO17025 standard, and other quality certifications.

Bonus Points if You Have

• Demonstrated experience functioning in a highly collaborative, and demanding environment.
• Good knowledge of PPAP, DFMEA, PFMEA, Control Plans, MSA.
• Proficient in problem-solving methodologies.
• Experience collaborating globally

What Makes You Eligible

• Be willing to work in Karlsbad
• Willingness to travel both domestically and abroad.

What We Offer

• HARMAN offers a diverse and inclusive work environment that fosters and encourages career development opportunities, professional training and competitive market base compensation
• You will also receive top-notch employee discounts on Harman’s Consumer Audio (JBL, AKG, HARMAN Kardon) and Samsung products
• Flexible work schedule with a culture encouraging work life integration and collaboration in a global friendly working atmosphere and good work-life-balance
• Attractive salary package based on the Metall & Elektro Tarif Baden Wurttemberg and an Employer contribution towards a company pension plan
• Professional development opportunities through HARMAN University’s business and leadership academies which also includes extensive technical trainings
• Internal talent management leadership acceleration programs
• “Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program

HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.