Director of Engineering - Vehicle Programs

Director of Engineering - Vehicle Programs

Type: Full-time

Location: Bengaluru, India (Global Role)

Industry: Electric Mobility / Automotive

About Zeno

An unprecedented energy transition has begun. To meet 2040 net zero goals, over 2 billion electric two-wheelers (motorcycles) must be sold and $11 trillion in fuel consumption replaced. Zeno is building a tech platform to electrify this two-wheeler market, currently responsible for more than 4% of the world’s GHG emission.

Our mission is to accelerate the energy transition and democratize the benefits across Africa, India, and Latin America. With a focus on East Africa as a starting point, Zeno is building a new energy ecosystem with ground-up development of a fundamentally better electric motorcycle and associated battery swap network to drive a better experience for our customers.

We are looking for audacious, creative, and committed people to join us on this important mission. You will be joining a bold team consisting of leading engineers, operators and entrepreneurs hailing from companies that include Tesla, Apple, Google, SRAM, Ola Electric, LiveWire, Lucid, Bolt, Microsoft and SafeBoda, among many others. Zeno closed its seed round with Lower Carbon, Silicon Valley’s leading climate tech venture fund, Toyota Ventures, the VC of the world’s largest automotive, and 4DX Ventures, a leading early-stage investor in Africa and is preparing for an exciting Series A Raise.

What You’ll Do

Director of Engineering – Vehicle Program will lead the full development lifecycle of Zeno’s electric vehicle platform(s). This role is responsible for driving technical direction, program execution, cross-functional coordination and delivery of vehicle systems from concept through market launch and into mass production. This role is central to shaping the performance, safety, rider experience and ultimate market success of our next-generation electric vehicles.

The ideal candidate combines deep engineering expertise with strong leadership and program management skills in the automotive or mobility sector.

Key Responsibilities

• Own technical delivery of the vehicle program from concept, through development, validation, and production launch.

• Manage program timelines, engineering resources, and budgets; track KPIs and milestones. Ensure vehicle programs meet performance, cost, timing, and quality targets. Identify and mitigate program risks and roadblocks proactively.

• Define and manage technical roadmaps, architecture, and system integration strategies in alignment with business and product goals.

• Collaborate with the Director of Product to ensure alignment of program requirements and goals.

• Collaborate with the Powertrain and Software teams on powertrain integration, execution and validation.

Ensure technical excellence for the department. Responsible for development and management of robust engineering processes including design release management, DFMEA, inspection, validation and IQC.

• Responsible for development of structured processes and communication best practices to scale the department. Lead vehicle reviews and gate approvals with senior leadership.

• Own vehicle validation developing and executing effective DVP and providing efficient feedback to respective teams. Ensure compliance with safety regulations, homologation requirements.

• Own in- production vehicle quality and drive continuous improvements working closely with the Service team to address field issues through design and manufacturing improvements.

• Mentor and develop engineering managers, technical leads and other foster employee growth and success in the vehicle team.

What you bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Automotive, or Systems Engineering (Master’s or PhD preferred).

• 12+ years of progressive engineering experience, with 5+ years in a leadership role in automotive or mobility. Preferably electric two wheeler programs.

• Proven track record of leading complex vehicle development programs to production. Multi-disciplinary problem solver and low ego collaborator.

• Deep understanding of vehicle systems, integration challenges, and cross-functional development processes.

• Strong experience developing manufacturing partners and supply chain.

• Strong knowledge of industry standards and compliance requirements.

• Exceptional communication, organizational, and leadership skills.

• Experience implementing and enforcing PLM design release processes

• Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 40% as necessary.

Great to haves:

1. Entrepreneurial mindset with experience in startup or high-growth environments. Scrappy.

2. Global program experience with suppliers and teams across multiple geographies.

3. Proficiency with tools like PTC Creo, Solidworks, PLM systems, and program management software.

4. Experience with hands on assembly of prototypes, performing RCAs and field testing. At Zeno we like to get our hands dirty.

5. A passion for motorcycles and riding.

Why Join Zeno

• Be part of a mission-driven company electrifying the two-wheeler market in Emerging markets.

• High impact role: you will directly shape how our products are sourced, built, and distributed.

• Collaborative, cross-functional team working at the intersection of engineering, operations, and sustainability.

• Competitive compensation and benefits (tailor to your company’s package)

• Opportunity for personal growth, leadership, and driving innovation in a high-growth industry.