Project Coordinator

Project Coordinator

LAEPPLE Automotive is a leading supplier in the automotive industry, specializing in high-quality components and systems for body components manufacturing. Our innovative technologies and efficient production processes set benchmarks in the industry. To grow our team in Detroit, we are seeking a Project Coordinator responsible for supporting the Program Manager with administrative, organizational, and cross-functional collaboration for customer programs from award through production launch and ongoing production. This role is responsible for coordinating project activities, maintaining program documentation, tracking timelines and deliverables, and ensuring effective communication among internal teams, customers, and suppliers. The Project Coordinator plays a critical role in supporting Program/Project Management and Engineering teams to ensure projects remain on schedule, risks are identified early, and customer requirements are met.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support Program Manager in planning, organizing, and executing customer programs.
• Maintain project schedules, milestone trackers, action item lists, and status reports.
• Monitor project deliverables and follow up with functional teams on outstanding tasks.
• Coordinate project meetings, prepare agendas, document meeting minutes, and distribute action items.
• Assist with project documentation and program record management.
• Assist in coordinating activities associated with new product launches.
• Track APQP deliverables, launch timing plans, and customer milestones.
• Support preparation and collection of PPAP documentation and customer submissions.
• Monitor prototype builds, validation testing schedules, and production readiness activities.
• Coordinate engineering change implementation activities.
• Serve as liaison between Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Purchasing, Supply Chain, Finance and Sales teams.
• Communicate project updates, timing changes, and critical issues to stakeholders.
• Follow up on assigned action items to ensure timely completion.
• Support escalation of risks and timing concerns to Project Managers.
• Support customer communication by preparing reports, presentations, and meeting materials.
• Coordinate customer visits, launch reviews, and project meetings.
• Assist with supplier communication related to tooling, timing, and project deliverables.
• Maintain records of customer requirements and program changes.
• Prepare weekly and monthly project status reports.
• Maintain project dashboards, KPI tracking, and program documentation.
• Track open issues, risks, and corrective action plans.
• Ensure documentation complies with company and customer requirements.
• Identify opportunities to improve project management processes and communication.
• Support implementation of best practices for program management and launch execution.
• Assist with lessons learned reviews and project closeout activities.
• Other duties and tasks as assigned.

Education and Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Manufacturing, Project Management or a related field. 1 3 years of experience in project coordination, manufacturing operations, engineering support, customer service, or program administration in an automotive manufacturing environment. 1-3 years of Class A surfaces and press tooling experience preferred. Experience in a Tier 1 automotive supplier environment is a plus.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (i.e. Excel, Powerpoint, Word, Outlook). Experience with Microsoft Project or other project management software is preferred. Familiarity with ERP systems (SAP a plus) and document management systems. Basic understanding of automotive launch processes, APQP and PPAP preferred. Strong organizational and time management skills. Excellent verbal and written communication abilities. Strong attention to detail and accuracy. Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines. Effective problem-solving and follow-through skills. Strong interpersonal and relationship-building capabilities. Ability to work effectively within cross-functional teams. Self-motivated with a proactive approach to project support.