Optical Lab Manager Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

General Motors Research and Development is seeking a Group Manager to lead a multidisciplinary team advancing optical systems, display technologies, user experience, and infotainment demonstrations for future vehicles and mobility experiences. Working within the research strategy and project roadmap established by the Research Program Lead, you will provide technical direction for the group’s assigned work and build the people, partnerships, prototypes, and demonstrations needed to move research from concept through downstream adoption. The role combines deep technical leadership and people‑leader accountability for talent, organization, operating plans, budgets, headcount, execution, and stakeholder alignment. The successful candidate will bring a strong physics background and technical credibility to lead researchers working across optics, photonics, display science, optical modeling, human‑machine interaction, UX, infotainment, and vehicle integration. The candidate will be expected to remain engaged in the technical work while creating the conditions for the team to do its best research and deliver visible, decision‑ready outcomes.

• Lead the day‑to‑day execution of the optics, display, UX, and infotainment research for the the connected immersive experience research program, translating approved objectives and roadmap commitments into focused work plans, staffing, experiments, prototypes, vehicle or laboratory integrations, technical reviews, and decision‑ready demonstrations.
• Provide technical leadership across optical systems, photonics, display science, head up display systems, holography, waveguides, computational optics, sensing, human factors, multimodal interaction, UX, and infotainment, while maintaining research rigor and connecting fundamental science to vehicle‑level experience, usability, manufacturability, safety, reliability, and production feasibility.
• Lead, coach, recruit, and develop a diverse multidisciplinary team; build capability, foster inclusion, encourage initiative and innovation, and maintain clear accountability for execution.
• Own the group’s operating plans, budget, capital, headcount, facilities, tools, staffing, workload, partnerships, and resource allocation within approved program priorities, escalating conflicts, risks, dependencies, and recommended tradeoffs to the Research Program Lead.
• Create compelling UX and infotainment demonstrations that translate research into coherent, polished, and credible in‑vehicle, simulator, laboratory, or other representative experiences, coordinating researchers, designers, software engineers, vehicle‑integration teams, suppliers, universities, and other partners.
• Communicate progress, evidence, readiness, risks, resource needs, and transition opportunities to R&D leadership and stakeholders; support intellectual‑property generation, technology transfer, compliance, safety, quality, data integrity, and responsible research practices without owning the overall research strategy or project roadmap.

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, engineering, applied physics, physical science, or a related technical discipline
• Strong physics background with demonstrated understanding of physical principles relevant to optics, photonics, light‑matter interaction, imaging, displays, perception, or related technologies
• Broad automotive experience spanning R&D and the vehicle‑development lifecycle, with the ability to connect research, engineering, design, product, manufacturing, supplier, and vehicle‑integration needs
• Significant progressive experience in research, advanced engineering, optical systems, display technologies, vehicle technology, UX, infotainment, or a closely related field
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and delivering complex R&D programs or technology portfolios
• Proven ability to translate research strategy into executable technical work, manage ambiguity, make evidence‑based decisions, and connect research outcomes to product or business impact
• Demonstrated initiative and innovation, including proactively identifying opportunities, starting high‑value work, challenging conventional approaches, and turning novel ideas into credible demonstrations or vehicle‑relevant outcomes
• Experience with optics, optical system design, display technologies, head up display systems, holography, waveguides, photonics, computational optics, optical modeling, or related fields
• Experience translating research into prototypes, integrated demonstrations, validated concepts, or production‑ready technologies
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, headcount, staffing, workload, schedules, risks, suppliers, and external partnerships
• Strong written, verbal, visual, and executive communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non‑specialist audiences
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusion, talent development, coaching, research integrity, safety, quality, and continuous improvement

• Master’s or Ph.D. in physics, applied physics, optics, photonics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, human factors, or a related discipline
• Experience with vehicle displays, head up display systems, augmented‑reality experiences, infotainment, multimodal interaction, human‑machine interfaces, or other advanced in‑vehicle experiences
• Experience creating or leading high‑visibility technical demonstrations for executive, customer, engineering, or product audiences
• Experience with MATLAB, optical design and ray‑tracing tools, computational modeling, machine learning, image processing, simulation, or custom modeling‑code development
• Experience integrating hardware, software, UX, displays, optics, and vehicle systems in laboratory, simulator, prototype, or production environments
• Record of patents, publications, invited presentations, recognized research contributions, or successful technology transitions
• Experience working with global, geographically distributed, cross‑functional, academic, supplier, and startup teams
• Familiarity with formal project‑management, risk‑management, Design for Six Sigma, Lean, Red X, or other continuous‑improvement practices

GM does not provide immigration‑related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This includes direct company sponsorship, entry of GM as the immigration employer of record on a government form, and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g., H1-B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc). This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week {or other frequency dictated by their manager}. This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.

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