Tushar Wankhede
Technical Program Manager and Automation Architect with over 16 years driving complex engineering initiatives in the Automotive Domain — blending deep technical expertise in software architecture, sensor/ECU integration, and automation with strong program leadership to ship from concept to delivery.
- 16+
- Years in automotive
- 50%
- Test cycle reduction
// based in
Troy, Michigan
01 — About
Bridging engineering depth with program leadership.
Technical Program Manager and Automation Architect with over 16 years of experience driving complex engineering initiatives within the Automotive Domain. I blend deep technical expertise in software architecture, sensor/ECU integration, and automation with strong program management skills to lead cross-functional teams from concept to delivery.
Proven ability to optimize system performance, streamline testing processes, and build cutting-edge digital applications. Passionate about mentoring engineering teams, mitigating project risks, and aligning technical solutions with strategic business objectives to enhance overall efficiency and product quality.
02 — Expertise
Core competencies
A toolkit spanning vehicle hardware, automation architecture, and the program rigor to ship at scale.
Program & Delivery
- Agile · Scrum · SAFe 5/6
- Kanban · Risk Mitigation
- ASPICE · ISO 26262
- Lean Six Sigma (BB/GB)
Automation & Testing
- HIL Test Automation
- CI/CD Integration
- Fault Injection
- EoL Diagnostics
Automotive & Hardware
- HIL · ADAS · SDV
- FPGA · Firmware
- CAN · XCP over Ethernet
- Camera / Radar / LiDAR · ROS2
Languages & Tools
- Python · Java · C/C++ · C#
- AWS · Git · Bitbucket
- Jira Align · Splunk · Wireshark
- Power BI · GitHub Actions
Emerging
03 — Experience
A career across the vehicle lifecycle
Technical Program Manager & Automation Architect
Feb 2025 – PresentFord Motor (via Akkodis) · Allen Park, MI
- Own end-to-end HIL system development, upgrades, and expansion across global teams in Mexico, Europe, and North America.
- Architect automation frameworks and APIs bridging test scripts, HIL simulators, real-time models, and physical hardware.
- Publish HIL usage data to Splunk via APIs + GitHub Actions for real-time visibility across development cycles.
Sr. Architect, Manufacturing Leads
Jan 2023 – Jan 2025General Motors · Warren & Milford, MI
- Lead architect for Vehicle as a Tester (VaaT) initiative — drove plant build performance from 23% to 82% in weeks.
- Delivered 50% reduction in test cycle time and 80% improvement in product quality ratings.
- Built SDV 2.0 in-vehicle and on-premise tooling; designed APIs bridging vehicle systems with IT infrastructure.
ADAS Vision System Lead
Jul 2022 – Jan 2023General Motors · Warren & Milford, MI
- Led test engineers automating vision-based system procedures on HIL benches.
- Designed and built automation bench supporting system and sub-system development.
Controls Integration Engineer
Jan 2021 – Jul 2022General Motors · Warren & Milford, MI
- Built the Vehicle Verification Tool, an automation solution that improved project delivery timelines by 30%.
- Executed VeSCoM processes across GM programs during development and pre-production.
Autonomous Software Engineer
Mar 2016 – Jan 2021General Motors · Warren & Milford, MI
- Improved system reliability 15% via camera re-initiating logic for autonomous vehicles.
- Built Linux/Python XCP firmware update tool for Radar/LiDAR/Camera ECUs.
- Fabricated AV ECU pipelines over ROS; developed camera intrinsic calibration tooling.
V&V and Performance Engineer
Dec 2014 – Mar 2016Tata Consultancy Services · Milford, MI
- Engineered V&V methods for Rear Vision Systems; assessed NHTSA/FMVSS111 compliance.
- Achieved $500K annual cost savings by automating performance test scripts.
EWD Development Engineer
Oct 2012 – Mar 2014Renault & Nissan venture (via TCS) · India
- Implemented A* algorithm to solve ECU board bus routing without overlap (20,000+ LOC).
- Reduced manual engineering effort by 98%, productivity up 94%.
Formula 1 Software Developer (KERZ / Ferrari)
Dec 2009 – Sep 2012Ferrari (via TCS) · Italy
- Developed C#.NET KERZ ECU calibration tool using XCP over Ethernet for F1 energy management.
- Improved sub-system efficiency 8–12%, reliability +40%, downtime -20%.
04 — Education
MBA, IT Systems & Finance
Vinayaka Missions Sikkim University, India · 2009–2011
BE, Information Technology
Nagpur University, India · 2005–2009
05 — Certifications
- DFSS Black Belt
- DFSS Green Belt
- Oracle Certified
- Lean Six Sigma
- SAFe 5 Scrum Master
- SAFe 5 Practitioner
- SAFe 6.0
06 — Beyond work
Life outside the bench.
Family
Based in Troy, MI with my wife Payal (MS Computer Science, Oakland University) and our daughter Aadhya.
Volunteer
Supported Michigan's Department of Health with COVID-19 contact tracing and the state's vaccination drive.
Interests
06 — Contact
Let's build what's next.
Open to advisory engagements, technical program leadership, and automation architecture roles.