Design Manager – ARFF Vehicles Automotive

The Design Manager – ARFF Vehicles is responsible for leading the vehicle design team to deliver compliant, manufacturable and customer-focused aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicle designs. The role will manage design activities across concept, detailed design and product release, ensuring integration with chassis, systems engineering, procurement and manufacturing to meet programme schedules, cost and quality targets.

NAFFCO is a global leader in fire protection systems and safety solutions. We design and manufacture high-quality fire and emergency vehicles, including in-house truck chassis production, providing fully integrated engineering and manufacturing capabilities.

• Lead and develop the ARFF vehicle design team, providing technical direction, workload allocation and mentoring to achieve project objectives.

  
  
  

• Establish, manage, and control all design activities related to chassis, cabin, and complete vehicle systems.

  
  
  

• Define and approve complete vehicle architecture, ensuring integration of chassis frame, suspension, axles, structural systems, braking, steering, drivetrain interfaces, cabin, and body structures (internal and external).

  
  
  

• Review, verify, and approve all engineering deliverables (3D models, 2D drawings, and BOM) prior to release.

  
  
  

• Own the design review process (DRs, PDR/CDR), manage design changes and ensure effective configuration control in PLM and ERP systems.

  
  
  

• Prepare and review technical drawings, specifications, BOMs and release documentation, ensuring accuracy and manufacturability.

  
  
  

• Work closely with Procurement and Supply Chain to support component selection, supplier technical assessment and cost optimization.

  
  
  

• Support prototype build, testing and commissioning activities, capture lessons learned and drive continuous improvement into production designs.

  
  
  

• Generate regular reports on design status, risks, technical issues and resource requirements for senior management and project stakeholders.

  
  
  

• Ensure implementation of design controls, verification and validation processes, and proper documentation in line with ISO standards and engineering best practices.

  
  
  

• Manage design deliverables across multiple ARFF vehicle programmes and variants.

  
  
  

• Ensure alignment between engineering, manufacturing, procurement and quality functions.

  
  
  

• Provide technical leadership to resolve design issues and support timely product releases.

  
  
  

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering or a related discipline.

  
  
  

• Proven experience (typically 7+ years) in vehicle body or automotive systems design, with at least 3 years in a design leadership or management role.

  
  
  

• Experience working with PLM and CAD tools (e.g., Teamcenter, NX, CATIA, SolidWorks) and ERP systems (Oracle preferred).

  
  
  

• Strong knowledge of vehicle integration, structural design, vehicle electrical systems and component specification.

  
  
  

• Demonstrable experience of design for manufacture, supplier coordination and managing design change processes.