$250M
Powertrain program budget
Managed scope, suppliers and engineering priorities at Fisker.
Technical Program Engineering Leader
Patrick Salem
Clarity. Alignment. Execution.
I help complex engineering programs turn complexity into clarity, alignment and execution.
Explore my experienceEngineering. People. Delivery.
A technical foundation.
A human approach.
StrategyEngineeringValidation
Automotive
Aerospace
ADAS
Autonomous mobility
Selected program impact
Scope. Focus. Engineering delivery.15 min
Shorter supplier meetings
Reduced from 3 hours at Fisker by focusing on blockers and next steps.
L3
Autonomous mobility roadmaps
Co-developed five-year SAE Level 3 roadmaps at CA PurpleSky.
9
Direct reports supervised
Led ADAS component work and supplier coordination at Faraday Future.
01 / ApproachSystems thinking. Practical leadership.
Make the complex
work clear.
I connect engineering, suppliers and leadership around clear priorities, visible owners and practical next steps.
My background spans electric and hybrid vehicles, ADAS, autonomous mobility and aerospace electronics. My work includes a $250M powertrain program, FF 91 sensor delivery and fly-by-wire electronics requirements.
Project delivery
Scope, schedules, budgets and technical milestones.
Stakeholder management
Clear communication across customers, partners, suppliers and teams.
Cross-functional leadership
Connecting hardware, software, systems and validation.
Organizational alignment
Translating priorities into decisions, owners and next steps.
Influencing without authority
Building trust through clarity, coordination and follow-through.
Engineering leadership in practice
Connect systems
and interfaces.
Translate system requirements into hardware, firmware and software requirements. Coordinate interface documentation, component integration and validation.
Keep execution
moving.
Coordinate engineering, suppliers and prototype work through resource plans, schedules, technical reviews and budget tracking. Focus meetings on blockers, owners and next steps.
Represent engineering
priorities.
Translate senior engineering priorities into decisions, communication and next steps. Align technical and business partners across offices, companies and time zones.
02 / LeadershipTrust. Influence. Follow-through.
How I lead
Lead beyond the org chart.
I lead without needing the org chart. I represent senior engineering priorities, translate decisions, and keep teams aligned.
Build trust across functions.
I build trust with technical and non-technical partners alike: engineering, product, operations, finance, legal, people, and executive teams.
Make influence practical.
I influence the way hard programs need it, by creating clarity, simplifying decisions, and following through on next steps.
Grow leaders.
I also grow engineers and managers into leaders people want to follow.
A perspective informed by research
Why how a leader
shows up matters
In laboratory public-goods games, cooperative behavior spread through up to three degrees of separation and persisted across later rounds.
Cooperation can travel through people
One person cooperates.
The first action in this illustrative cascade.
Another person responds.
Increased cooperation continues in rounds 3–6.
The effect reaches further.
Increased cooperation continues in rounds 4–5.
A third step of influence.
Observed in the game with costly punishment.
This is an illustrative pathway, not a plot of individual results. Each row follows the same person across later rounds. The third-degree effect was observed in the game that allowed costly punishment.
03 / Engineering experienceFrom requirements through validation
Different systems.
A consistent approach.
Connect the technical work.
Keep people aligned.
Move delivery forward.
Fisker Inc.
Senior Program Manager
Manhattan Beach, CA / Remote
Led a customer- and partner-facing powertrain program across internal teams, suppliers, milestones and technical deliverables.
- Managed a $250M program budget and led 10 engineers and technical professionals, reporting to the VP of Powertrain.
- Coordinated scope, schedules, KPIs, budget priorities and supplier deliverables across a remote operating model.
- Represented senior engineering priorities, translating product and technical context into decisions, communication and next steps.
- Reduced supplier meetings from three hours to 15 minutes using Agile-style prioritization.
CA PurpleSky
Senior Principal ADAS DRE Engineer and Project Manager
CA PurpleSky Design & Engineering, LLC · Long Beach, CA
Connected autonomous mobility strategy, architecture, research and prototype execution.
- Co-developed technical and systems architecture and five-year roadmaps for SAE Level 3 vehicle platforms.
- Led statements of work, technical and software reviews, resource planning, budget tracking and gateway reviews.
- Supported requirement negotiations, technical recruiting, prototype build coordination and stakeholder communication.
Faraday Future
Senior Principal Engineer DRE and Project Manager
Gardena, CA
Led ADAS component delivery for the FF 91 across suppliers, design release, integration and validation.
- Led engineering execution for L3+ Highway Driving Assist with ACC Stop&Go and the full ADAS sensor suite; coordinated Tier-1 supplier engineering within approved budget and schedule.
- Managed radars, a stereo vision camera, sensors and mounting hardware; supervised nine direct reports.
- Maintained hardware interface consistency, reviewed control-interface documentation and tracked Jira issues, supplier risks, hardware/software delivery dates and supplier schedules in MS Project.
Parker Aerospace
Project Engineering and Design — Aerospace Electronics
Irvine, CA
Developed aerospace electronics requirements and supported fly-by-wire control systems with traceability and compliance awareness.
- Developed Remote Electronics Unit requirements and Electrical Interface Control Drawing objects in DOORS.
- Translated parent system requirements into hardware, firmware and software requirements.
- Created controller/subsystem reuse criteria to reduce development cost; supported Tier-1/Tier-2 compliance, proposals, integration schedules and diagnostics strategy.
Fisker Automotive
Design Release Engineer — Hybrid Control Module
Anaheim, CA
Supported hybrid vehicle control module development from requirements through validation.
- Created Statements of Requirements and defined controls and algorithms aligned with vehicle and subsystem requirements.
- Coordinated hardware development, interfaces, suppliers, integration and validation.
- Performed controller testing, troubleshooting, DVP&R documentation and issue tracking.
Earlier engineering experiencePanasonic at GM · Ford · Daimler Chrysler
3 years / Warren, MI
Panasonic Automotive Systems (at GM)
Senior Design Release Engineer
Led customer integration projects for automotive electrical components, including audio systems. Supported design, testing, traceability, integration, validation, cost and schedule targets.
2 years / Dearborn, MI
Ford Motor Company
Supplier Technical Assistance Project Engineer
Managed quality engineering and supplier technical assistance project plans. Coordinated requirements, resources, budgets, schedules and release teams.
5 years / Auburn Hills, MI
Daimler Chrysler Corporation
Systems Engineer — Vehicle Systems
Led vehicle systems implementation and improvement projects. Supported electrical requirements, suppliers, integration, validation and on-time delivery.
04 / Technical expertiseEngineering depth + delivery discipline
Technical depth.
Connected thinking.
Systems, people and tools brought together to support engineering execution.
01 / Engineering
Systems & interfaces
I clarify what each component must do and how hardware and software connect, then coordinate integration, design reviews and validation.
- Systems and electrical engineering
- Vehicle systems and component integration
- Requirements definition and traceability
- Hardware/software integration
- Design reviews and validation planning
- ADAS and autonomous systems
- Aerospace electronics
- Interface control documentation
- Prototype build coordination
02 / Leadership
Programs & people
I align teams and suppliers around clear priorities, owners, schedules and budgets. I keep risks and decisions visible and follow through on blockers.
- Customer- and partner-facing programs
- Budget, schedule and resource planning
- Supplier coordination and risk tracking
- Cross-functional team leadership
- Stakeholder management
- Representing engineering priorities
- Agile methodology
- Technical and gateway reviews
- Influencing without authority
03 / Practice
Tools & standards
DOORSJiraConfluenceMS Project
Aerospace requirements guidance
DO-254DO-160ARP4754DO-178B
AI prompt engineering to support technical product delivery.
05 / Education & teachingA technical foundation. Shared knowledge.
Understand it.
Help others apply it.
MS
Information Systems
Master of Science
Lawrence Technological University
BS
Electrical Engineering
Bachelor of Science
Lawrence Technological University
Southfield, Michigan
Professional organizations
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
American Society for Engineering Education
Teaching & technical communication
North Orange County Regional Occupational Program
Instructor, Engineering Design
Designed and launched a three-course engineering program. Taught 100+ students across five AP classes, achieved a 90% pass rate and introduced AI prompt engineering activities.
90%student pass rate
Irvine Valley College
Associate Faculty
Taught Introduction to Engineering to approximately 30 undergraduate students and supported course planning and curriculum alignment.
ITT Technical Institute
Instructor / Assistant Professor
Taught six engineering courses per semester with an approximately 95% pass rate. Earned 2003 Instructor of the Year and TPAP awards, plus Instructor of the Quarter recognition.
06 / Leadership toolkitsOriginal resources by Patrick Salem
Leadership toolkits
I’ve built
Two 90-day operating kits I designed for engineering and program leaders.
Preview
Lead your own team
The People-First Leader Checklist
A 90-day kit for leading your own team, with five core habits, a habit tracker, team roster and team check.
- Core 5 habits
- Team roster
- Team check & scorecard
Preview
Lead across teams
The Connector Playbook
A 90-day kit for leading across teams, suppliers and partners, with connection mapping, handoff tracking and decision tools.
- Core 6 habits
- Handoffs & decisions
- Connection check
07 / Technical guidesAutonomous vehicles & robotics
Technical guides
Reference guides I created on functional safety, HARA, SOTIF and cybersecurity-related safety risks for autonomous vehicles and robotics.
Preview
Functional safety
Functional Safety & Autonomy Playbook
A 12-step reference playbook for functional safety on autonomous programs, from standards and HARA through safety cases and production monitoring.
- Worked examples
- Decision matrices
- Safety templates
Preview
Hazard analysis
HARA & SOTIF Guide for Autonomous Systems
A guide to HARA and SOTIF for vehicles and robots, covering ASIL and PL ratings, and where cybersecurity threats become safety hazards.
- Automotive & robotics
- Risk-rating matrices
- Worksheets
08 / Connect
Let’s make
the work clear.
For conversations about engineering leadership, systems development and program delivery, connect with me on LinkedIn.
Connect on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/patricksalemResume available by request.
Please message me on LinkedIn for a copy.