Team Leader – Motorsports Cylinder Head Team

Job Description

Onsite: This role is categorized as onsite. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to Pontiac, MI five times per week.

We are seeking a Team Leader for the GM Motorsports Cylinder Head Team in Pontiac, Michigan. This role will lead the day-to-day execution of cylinder head machining, development, inspection, scheduling, and support activities across multiple racing programs, Chevy Performance Parts, GM Powered Solutions, in addition to occasional support for our production engine teams. The ideal candidate brings deep hands-on cylinder head machining experience, strong technical judgment, and the ability to coordinate work across engineering, inspection, engine build, CNC porting, and program management teams.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the daily operation of the cylinder head department, including workload planning, timing, prioritization, and execution across active motorsports programs

• Coordinate cylinder head work for programs including LMDh, GT3, Chevy Performance ZZ632, LSX454 off-road racing engine, performance parts CNC ported catalog cylinder heads, related development efforts, and helping the Advanced Engineering team on airflow development for future engine programs.

• Own scheduling and communication with engineers, program managers, CCA, engine build, the CNC porting team, the inspection room, parts room, shipping, and outside partners

• Support machining, development, and finishing of cylinder heads using equipment including Newen single-point and Serdi valve seat machines

• Provide technical leadership on Newen single point programming, cutter speed and feed selection, cutter and tool setup, seat pocket machining, spring pad machining, valve grinding, guide honing, porting, deburring, and pressure testing

• Oversee setup, fixturing, repeatability, and process discipline to ensure precision, quality, and consistency

• Support flow bench activity, port development, intake manifold and exhaust system evaluation, and restrictor-related work

• Ensure proper setup and use of gauges and precision measuring tools, including Sunnen valve guide gauges, depth micrometers, micrometers, bore gauges, and air gauges for cam bores

• Coordinate chamber and port scans, review inspection reports and cam inspection reports, and work with the inspection room team to resolve issues quickly

• Partner with CNC machinists to adjust machining strategy for ports and chambers as development needs change

• Write and manage work orders for machining, etching, transducer machining, milling, and special processing

• Work with designers on prints for special parts, locators, and other shop-support hardware and special tooling as needed

• Coordinate work associated with outside machine shops including Schwartz for cylinder heads, including LMDh head support and transducer machining requirements

• Support Spintron-related hardware preparation, including different spring setups and cam combinations

• Maintain awareness of race engine delivery dates, part quantities, Build and testing time, shipping schedules, and prepare parts and heads for shipment to locations such as Elden, CCA, Grand Blanc, and other internal or external destinations

• Manage long-term storage and etching requests for cams, followers, heads, and related components

• Oversee ordering of tooling, parts, consumables, honing oils, grinding oils, washroom and grinding room supplies, and other departmental needs

• Support a safe, organized, and efficient work environment across the machine shop, washroom, and grinding room

• Schedule and lead meetings as needed to keep work moving and ensure alignment across the team

What You’ll Need (Required Qualifications)

• 5 or more years of related experience

• Strong hands-on experience in cylinder head machining and motorsports engine hardware preparation

• Demonstrated knowledge of valve seat machining, guide sizing and honing, valve grinding, spring pad machining, seat pocket machining, and cylinder head development processes

• Experience with Newen single-point machining and Serdi valve seat equipment

• Strong understanding of precision measurement methods, tooling setup, fixturing, and repeatable machining practices

• Experience working with flow bench testing, port development, deburring, pressure testing, and inspection review

• Ability to translate engineering requests into clear shop execution plans, work orders, prints, and deliverables

• Strong coordination skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities across a fast-moving racing environment

• Proven ability to work effectively with engineers, technicians, machinists, inspection teams, engine build teams, suppliers, and program leadership

• Strong organizational skills in scheduling, ordering, inventory awareness, and follow-through

• Comfortable leading day-to-day shop activity while also driving continuous improvement in quality, timing, and execution

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• Minimum 10 years’ experience supporting high-performance or racing engine programs

• Experience with cylinder head development for prototype or competition applications

• Familiarity with CNC porting coordination and inspection scan review

• Experience supporting specialized machining for transducers, special fixtures, and development hardware

• Experience working in a highly collaborative environment where machining, inspection, engineering, and build teams must move quickly and stay tightly aligned

• Leadership experience preferred

Why join us

This role is an opportunity to lead a critical function within GM Motorsports. The Cylinder Head Team directly supports the quality, performance, and readiness of race engine hardware across multiple programs. The right leader will combine craftsmanship, urgency, and coordination to help the team deliver precise, repeatable, race-ready components on time.

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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 onsite. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location on a full-time basis. This job is not eligible for relocation benefits. Any relocation costs would be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

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