Executive Director, Brand Owner, Car Audio

Location:

Garching - Bavaria, Germany - Parking 1-5 Business Campus

Additional Location:

Karlsbad - Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Job Family:

Engineering

Worker Type Reference:

Regular - Permanent

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

Career Level:

M5

Job ID:

R-53603-2026

Description & Requirements

About the Role

The Car Audio Brand Experience Team designs innovative Branded Audio consumer experiences that positively impact lives through advanced products and technologies. This role leads the brand experience vision, develops customer relationships, and manages cross-functional teams to deliver brand experience product bundles with customer partners. Key responsibilities include:

Leading cross-functional teams to create production-ready experience packages, combining hardware, software, and consumer-focused features, and presenting them as brand and customer proposals.

Delivering reusable assets for production integration and validation in automotive environments, ensuring speed and quality.

This position acts as the primary technical and business interface for stakeholders worldwide and collaborates with consumer and professional divisions to align technologies and roadmaps. It is critical for expanding the brand experience portfolio across assigned brands and customers.

Your Team

You will report to the Brand Experience VP and have 5-7 direct reports, including: Regional Brand Manager, Brand Architect, Project manager, Android Lead, Brand UX Lead, and Product Owner.

What You Will Do

Strategy & Leadership

Build and lead Brand Experience Strategy.

Manage a small, nimble, powerful direct brand experience team, plus larger supporting matrix teams.

Lead the translation of the brand experience vision into a technical vision, feature ideas, and feasible technical path aligned with customer needs

Coordinate the brand's portfolio strategy and positioning with Consumer and Pro Divisions

Lead the determination of Commercial/Strategic/Technical Feasibility - Lead PLM Lite Process – risk eval & go/no-go analysis

Align internal delivery planning with OEM facing customer roadmaps

Collaborate with other Brand Owners, adjacent stakeholders, internal teams, external partners & vendors to come up with new UI/UX and audio related technologies and best practices.

Evaluate new ideas coming out of innovation pipeline for potential brand experience inclusion

Customer & Stakeholder Engagement

Act as Brand Ambassador and “CEO” to Lead the brand experience vision, development, customer relationship, business model, and direct plus cross-functional teams to define, match, and deliver compelling brand experience product bundles with customer partners

Serve as single point of contact for Customer Account Management Team for the brand – Support the jointly developed customer engagement strategy on pursuits

Represent & Promote brand and experience both internally and at the customer - build relationships, support tech day events, present brand and customer proposals

Signoff on production proposals during PLM200 concept freeze and approval

Overseas Brand Confirmation validation for production vehicles with branded systems

Delivery & Execution

Manage overall team that builds, tests, and delivers Brand Features to Project Teams, with market leading speed and quality

Assign business value to objectives during PI Planning. Approves Sprint and Release scope (what/when)

Oversee the creation of internal documentation for holistic brand experience and/or OEM adaptations through Brand Experience concept freeze and approval (PDM)

Drive development of demo cars integrating brand experience package and features

Authorities

Approve production proposals during concept freeze and approval.

Decide inclusion of new ideas and concepts into roadmap

Determine delivery plan & roadmap and OEM facing customer roadmaps

Accountabilities

Brand Experience Strategy

Concept freeze and approval (business sections).

Achievement of business goals / outcomes / pursuit success

Ensure on-time deliveries with project team

Success Measures (KPIs)

PI predictability and release scope adherence

Feature acceptance rate

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): Direct feedback on user satisfaction.

Net Promoter Score (NPS): Measures customer loyalty and likelihood to recommend.

Roadmap hit rate

Net earnings – both value and trend

What You Need

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related demonstrated technical expertise

20+ years of combined brand, audio, product, and business-related experience.

5+ years in leadership, customer relationship management, and supplier relationships, preferably in automotive and/or luxury audio.

A mature approach toward leadership and soft skills: building trust and long-term internal team relationships to influence consistent, positive outcomes.

Functional audio architecture knowledge of automotive infotainment and audio systems.

Demonstrated acumen in business case development, program management, make/buy, commercial, and product bundling/sales strategy, feature ideation, and consumer validation.

Ability to communicate advanced and complex concepts and ideas persuasively and concisely to all levels of the business.

Experience leading a team to drive time critical projects to completion.

What is Nice to Have

A combination of Engineering and Business Degrees (eg. Ba ENG + MBA)

Strong recommendations from automotive industry colleagues

Automotive Business & Engineering Landscape Knowledge

Passion for the power of brand as a unifying concept for bundles of experience products

Passion for acoustics and sound reproduction

What Makes You Eligible

Be willing to travel up to 25%, domestic and international travel

Be willing to work in a Office (Hybrid)

What We Offer

Flexible work environment, allowing for full-time remote work globally for positions that can be performed outside a HARMAN or customer location

Access to employee discounts on world-class Harman and Samsung products (JBL, HARMAN Kardon, AKG, etc.)

Extensive training opportunities through our own HARMAN University

Competitive wellness benefits

Tuition Reimbursement

Access to HARMAN Campus Fitness Center and Cafeteria

An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development

#LI-RV1 #LI-Hybrid

About HARMAN: Where Innovation Unleashes Next-Level Technology

Ever since the 1920s, we’ve been amplifying the sense of sound. Today, that legacy endures, with integrated technology platforms that make the world smarter, safer, and more connected.

Across automotive, lifestyle, and digital transformation solutions, we create innovative technologies that turn ordinary moments into extraordinary experiences. Our renowned automotive and lifestyle solutions can be found everywhere, from the music we play in our cars and homes to venues that feature today’s most sought-after performers, while our digital transformation solutions serve humanity by addressing the world’s ever-evolving needs and demands. Marketing our award-winning portfolio under 16 iconic brands, such as JBL, Mark Levinson, and Revel, we set ourselves apart by exceeding the highest engineering and design standards for our customers, our partners and each other.

If you’re ready to innovate and do work that makes a lasting impact, join our talent community today!

Important Notice: Recruitment Scams

Please be aware that HARMAN recruiters will always communicate with you from an '@harman.com', ‘@careers.harman.com’ or ‘@harmanglobal.avature.net’ email address. We will never ask for payments, banking, credit card, personal financial information or access to your LinkedIn/email account during the screening, interview, or recruitment process. If you are asked for such information or receive communication from an email address not ending in one of the above email domains about a job with HARMAN, please cease communication immediately and report the incident to us through: harmancareers@harman.com.

You Belong Here

HARMAN is committed to making every employee feel welcomed, valued, and empowered. No matter what role you play, we encourage you to share your ideas, voice your distinct perspective, and bring your whole self with you – all within a support-minded culture that celebrates what makes each of us unique. We also recognize that learning is a lifelong pursuit and want you to flourish. We proudly offer added opportunities for training, development, and continuing education, further empowering you to live the career you want.

HARMAN is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process, please contact us at harmancareers@harman.com. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable law.