R&D Carline Project Manager in England

About Us:

Chery Motors has always adhered to a technology-driven strategy, creating a vehicle brand with international competitiveness and influence as its corporate vision. Relying on the constant pursuit of technological innovation, Chery has become the first passenger vehicle enterprise in China to master the core technology of engine, gearbox, chassis, platform, and new energy, and the first one in China to export vehicle, CKD parts, engine and vehicle manufacturing technology and equipment to overseas markets. Chery has continuously deepened its globalization through the implementation of product strategy, localization strategy, and talent strategy. After more than 20 years of development, Chery’s sales and services network covers more than 80 countries and regions and has won the trust of over 11 million consumers worldwide.

Role Overview:

The Vehicle R&D Project Manager plays a central role in ensuring that vehicles developed for the UK and European markets meet technical, regulatory, and customer requirements. The role leads programme coordination for assigned carlines, managing prototype builds, engineering change control, and homologation readiness. The position works closely with the UK After Sales team and dealership network to ensure field feedback, service learnings, and quality improvements are incorporated into engineering development. The role also acts as a key bridge between UK R&D and headquarters engineering teams in China, ensuring effective global collaboration.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinate vehicle development programmes from prototype through to production readiness.
• Act as the primary liaison between UK R&D, After Sales, Product Planning and headquarters engineering teams.
• Manage prototype build activities including specification control and configuration management.
• Coordinate engineering change requests (ECRs), software updates and validation activities.
• Support UK and EU vehicle homologation programmes and coordinate with regulatory bodies such as VCA and DVSA.
• Work closely with the After Sales team to integrate field feedback, service insights and quality improvements.
• Track programme milestones, risks and deliverables across engineering, validation and product teams.
• Lead programme review meetings and provide status reporting to UK leadership and China headquarters.
• Support the transition from development vehicles to certified production models.
• Facilitate clear communication across international engineering teams.

Essential Qualifications & Experience:

• Degree in Engineering, Project Management or related discipline.
• Experience in automotive R&D or vehicle development project management.
• Strong understanding of prototype build processes and engineering change management.
• Knowledge of vehicle homologation processes (GB WVTA, EU WVTA, UNECE regulations).
• Experience coordinating cross-functional engineering teams.
• Strong project planning, risk management and reporting capability.
• Excellent stakeholder communication and coordination skills.
• Fluent English and proficiency in MS Project, Excel and PowerPoint.

Desirable Experience:

• Experience working within OEM vehicle development programmes (Full Cycle Development experience preferred).
• Knowledge of EV, PHEV or advanced vehicle technologies.
• Experience working with UK or EU regulatory approval bodies.