Prototype Coordinator Jobs in Tennessee (NOW HIRING)

CVG Global Seating is seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Engineering Coordinator to support the planning, execution, and delivery of Program Management and Product Development initiatives within our Engineering organization. Beyond coordinating cross-functional project activities, this role plays an active part in engineering cost coordination-reviewing bills of materials, labor estimates, and other cost inputs, comparing them against actual material costs, and providing insight on the impact to product pricing. The Engineering Coordinator also serves as the central point of coordination for engineering change requests, ensuring changes are evaluated, documented, tracked, and communicated across the organization. Working closely with Engineering, Sales, Operations, Quality, Finance, and Supply Chain, the Engineering Coordinator ensures projects are completed on time, within scope, and within budget. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, excels at multitasking, and enjoys solving problems collaboratively-a great opportunity for professionals looking to deepen their project leadership and cost-analysis skills within a dynamic manufacturing and product development environment.

Project & Program Coordination

• Coordinate and track the end-to-end execution of project activities, ensuring alignment with scope, timelines, and budgets between the customer and CVG.
• Coordinate internal resources (Engineering, Sales, Manufacturing, Quality, Purchasing, Program Management) and third-party vendors for smooth project execution.
• Ensure timely and effective communication with customer representatives.
• Monitor project progress and provide regular updates to stakeholders and program leadership.
• Organize and participate in project meetings, including design reviews, gate reviews, and cross-functional working sessions; prepare agendas and take detailed minutes.
• Track project deliverables, design milestones, prototype builds, and validation activities to ensure deadlines are met.

Cost Coordination & Analysis

• Review engineering bills of materials (BOMs), labor estimates, and other cost inputs for accuracy and completeness.
• Compare estimated and standard costs against actual material costs to identify variances, drivers, and trends.
• Provide insight on how cost variances and cost drivers impact product pricing, supporting Engineering, Finance, and Sales in pricing decisions.
• Partner with Purchasing and Finance to validate cost assumptions and maintain accurate, up-to-date cost data throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Support cost roll-ups, should-cost analysis, and cost-reduction tracking for new and existing programs.

Engineering Change Coordination

• Serve as the coordination point for engineering change requests (ECR) and engineering change notices (ECN), managing intake, routing, and status tracking through to closure.
• Facilitate cross-functional review of proposed changes, ensuring cost, timing, quality, and supply chain impacts are evaluated and documented.
• Maintain BOM updates, revision control, and documentation associated with approved changes in coordination with the Engineering team.
• Communicate change status and impacts to affected stakeholders, ensuring alignment between Engineering, Operations, and the customer.

Documentation & Reporting

• Maintain comprehensive project documentation-including action items, change requests, cost reviews, and project reporting-ensuring all project information is accurate and up to date.
• Perform administrative tasks such as data entry, reporting, and document control as needed.

• 1-3 years of experience in project coordination, engineering support, cost analysis, or a related role.
• Authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.
• Experience reviewing bills of materials, cost estimates, or manufacturing cost data, with an understanding of how cost drivers affect pricing.

• Prior experience in the automotive, commercial vehicle, or industrial seating industries.
• Experience supporting product development or new product introduction (NPI) programs in a manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience with project management tools such as MS Project, Jira, Smartsheet, Asana, or Trello.
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency for cost analysis and reporting (e.g., pivot tables, VLOOKUP / XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH).
• Exposure to stage-gate / phase-gate development processes (e.g., APQP, PPAP) and engineering change management (ECR/ECN).
• Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement experience.
• Customer-focused approach, with the ability to balance internal and external stakeholder needs.
• Strong organizational and multitasking skills with a keen eye for detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities, with the ability to engage cross-functional stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Proactive, self-starter mindset with a strong sense of ownership and follow-through.
• Effective problem-solver who can anticipate issues and drive them to resolution.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and shifting priorities while maintaining focus on key deliverables.
• Continuous learner who seeks opportunities to grow project management, cost-analysis, and technical knowledge.