Nagendra Suresh
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Toptal member since April 7, 2025
Nagendra is an engineering lead with 19+ years of experience in automotive and embedded systems development, including ADAS, AMT, infotainment, and safety systems. He has delivered complex and innovative programs for global OEMs. With a proven track record in quality, team scaling, and aligning tech with business goals, Nagendra is skilled in leading cross-functional teams, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and customer collaboration. He holds PMP, ISO 26262, and IIM certifications.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Engineering Program Management (EPM)
- Jira
- Leadership Strategy
- Microsoft 365
- PTC Integrity Lifecycle Manager
- People Management
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Team Leadership
Work Experience
Engineering Manager
Aptiv
- Delivered a world-class infotainment system for a leading Indian OEM, featuring a 3-display setup and rich feature set that elevated the in-vehicle user experience.
- Headed core software teams overseeing diagnostics, CAN/Ethernet communication, Power modeling, AUTOSAR Classic Platform, and AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform to enhance platform reusability and ensure architectural consistency.
- Integrated Atlassian tools such as Jira and Polarion organization-wide for unified issue tracking and established a robust CI/CD pipeline, enabling continuous build automation and faster delivery cycles.
- Scaled engineering operations by building a high-performing team of 30+ engineers across India and Europe, increasing delivery velocity by 25% through agile transformation.
- Collaborated directly with OEMs and tier 1 partners to align program goals, manage change requests, and ensure milestone success for multiple concurrent projects.
- Championed functional safety practices across teams, contributing to ISO 26262 ASPICE process maturity and internal safety audits with minimal findings.
- Spearheaded the transition of foundational software assets to a reusable platform architecture, reducing future program onboarding time by 30%.
- Mentored mid-level technical leads and project managers, fostering a culture of ownership, continuous learning, and technical excellence across the team.
- Presented program status and risk mitigation strategies to executive stakeholders, enabling faster decision-making and sustained customer confidence.
- Drove the successful delivery of safety-critical ADAS software components for global OEMs, meeting ISO 26262 standards and achieving zero major field issues.
Senior Engineering Project Manager, ADAS and Passive Safety Electronics
ZF
- Delivered production-grade software for Airbag ECUs across multiple OEM programs, ensuring safety, diagnostics, and quality standards compliance. It was the 1st airbag product in INDIA to achieve a 5-star rating in Global NCAP safety ratings.
- Collaborated directly with global OEMs, providing calibration support, requirement clarifications, and resolving field issues to ensure program alignment and satisfaction.
- Managed a team of 30+ members of software engineers, validation experts, and project leads to execute simultaneous airbag and ADAS software programs.
- Led the end-to-end software delivery for ADAS ECUs, coordinating across sensor fusion, platform, and integration teams to enable advanced driver assistance features.
- Enabled a 5-star crash safety rating for customer vehicle programs by delivering robust and responsive Airbag ECU software, meeting all regulatory and OEM test benchmarks.
- Implemented robust diagnostic strategies and UDS-based fault handling in both Airbag and ADAS software, enhancing system reliability and serviceability.
- Ensured software compliance with ISO 26262 standards, driving internal safety reviews and supporting safety audits in collaboration with functional safety teams.
- Integrated Jira and Polarion into the organization's workflow for defect tracking, requirement management, and traceability across ADAS and Airbag programs.
- Improved team delivery efficiency by introducing CI/CD practices and code review frameworks and building automation for consistent, high-quality output.
- Mentored junior engineers and facilitated knowledge sharing across global locations, e.g., India and Germany, contributing to sustained team growth and capability building.
Senior Engineering Team Leader, AMT and Application Engineering
ZF
- Headed software program management for an off-highway autonomous tractor system, integrating perception, control, and diagnostics for driverless operations.
- Delivered platform and application software for AMT ECU, ensuring smooth gear shifting, vehicle safety, and seamless OEM integration.
- Managed software development for a camera-based ADAS platform, including lane assist, AEB, and other safety features compliant with ISO 26262 standards.
- Collaborated with global OEM stakeholders to define software architecture and system behavior, accelerating field trial readiness and enhancing system usability.
- Implemented Agile program management practices that reduced development cycle times by 20% and improved visibility across system teams and leadership.
- Automated software and system testing, diminishing project variant delivery lead time from nine months to three months, reducing lead time by 66%.
- Built and relocated the DLC team from Germany to India. Created and managed a strong team of software, systems, and application engineers and cross-functional teams.
- Collaborated with OEM stakeholders throughout the AMT software development lifecycle, ensuring transparent communication and alignment on technical goals, test results, and delivery timelines.
- Acted as a single point of contact for OEM escalations, resolving issues quickly through cross-functional coordination and real-time updates, strengthening customer confidence.
- Built strong working relationships with cross-cultural global teams, fostering trust and smoother collaboration between engineering and OEM partners.
Software Engineer
L&T Technology Services
- Developed low-level drivers for microcontroller peripherals including ADC, PWM, SPI, UART, and I2C, ensuring reliable integration and performance.
- Led board bring-up activities on new hardware platforms by integrating BSP components and validating target interfaces through diagnostic tools and scripts.
- Designed and implemented bootloader software for flash-based microcontrollers, enabling secure firmware updates via CAN and UART protocols.
- Created custom memory drivers for EEPROM and Flash, supporting diagnostics and error recovery mechanisms.
- Implemented error handling and diagnostics using NVM and DTC frameworks, meeting industry safety standards like ISO 26262.
- Conducted unit and integration testing on target boards using debuggers and oscilloscopes to validate timing-sensitive functionality.
- Collaborated with hardware teams to analyze schematics and hardware errata, resolving integration issues at the signal and register level.
- Maintained reusable driver libraries across multiple ECU platforms, reducing development effort and improving code consistency.
Project History
Autonomous Agricultural Tractor
Led software delivery for an autonomous agri-tractor using GPS and sensor-based navigation. Managed global teams, ensured safety compliance, and enabled on-time field readiness through agile execution and close OEM collaboration.
• Managed cross-functional coordination between hardware, software, and validation teams across geographies to ensure feature completeness and timely milestone delivery.
• Collaborated with global OEM stakeholders to define software architecture and system behavior, accelerating field trial readiness and enhancing system usability.
• Oversaw the integration and validation of off-road autonomous features, including geofencing, obstacle detection, and automatic route execution.
• Implemented Agile program management practices that reduced development cycle times by 20% and improved visibility across system teams and leadership.
Automated Manual Transmission
Delivered automated manual transmission (AMT) ECU software with smooth gear shift logic, diagnostics, and safety features. Led integration with OEM calibration teams, ensuring reliable performance and compliance with powertrain and vehicle standards.
• Managed a 30-member cross-functional team spanning design, development, integration, validation, and OEM calibration support.
• Delivered production-grade ECU software with real-time control logic, ensuring smooth gear transitions and fail-safe handling under various drive conditions.
• Collaborated with OEM calibration teams and tier 1 partners to align software behavior with powertrain characteristics and vehicle-level performance goals.
• Implemented robust diagnostics and fault management aligned with OEM specifications, including support for UDS over CAN.
• Drove successful system integration, meeting critical software maturity and production readiness milestones.
• Streamlined issue tracking and test cycles using Jira and Polarion, enhancing delivery visibility and quality assurance.
• Enabled software reusability and process improvements across multiple transmission platforms, improving time delivery for future programs.
Active and Passive Safety Electronics Projects
Led advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and Airbag ECU software delivery and integrated real-time sensor logic for driver assist and safety systems, focusing on diagnostics, compliance, and on-time launches through close OEM collaboration.
I spearheaded software delivery for multiple OEM platforms in the Airbag domain, ensuring compliance with stringent safety and timing requirements. I delivered key modules for crash detection, event handling, and deployment logic in alignment with ISO 26262 and customer standards. I also worked on continuous coordination with hardware, test, and systems teams to meet functional and quality benchmarks. Finally, I enabled successful launches through disciplined execution, safety-first development practices, and efficient issue management.
Education
Certification in Senior Management and Leadership
Indian Institute of Management (IIMK ) - Kozhikode, India
Bachelor's Degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad - Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Certifications
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Project Management Institute (PMI)
Functional Safety Profeesional - Level 1
TÜV SÜD
Skills
Tools
Jira, Microsoft Outlook, Polarion, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Docs, Zoom, Office 365
Paradigms
Lean Project Management, Agile
Other
Microsoft 365, People Management, Engineering Program Management (EPM), Project Management Professional (PMP), Team Leadership, Leadership Strategy, Automotive SPICE, PTC Integrity Lifecycle Manager, Corporate Governance, Corporate Finance, Capital Budgeting, Managerial Economics, Strategy, Project Management, Functional Safety, System Design, Leadership, Accounting, Supply Chain, Marketing, Electronics Engineering, Communications Engineering, Project Engineering, Team Building, Performance Management, Microsoft Teams, Quality Management, Business Communication, Stakeholder Engagement, SAP Supply Chain Management (SCM), Business Cases, Business Development, Personal branding, Engineering, Computer Science, Advanced Driver-assistance Systems (ADAS), Engineering Project Management, Cross-functional Team Management, Communications Management, Validation, Power Train, Radar, People Development, Automotive Systems, Automotive Controller Area Network (CAN), Active & Passive Safety, Airbags, Sensors & Actuators, Cross-cultural Management, Customer Support, Quality Control (QC), ISO 26262, Powertrain System, Transmission Systems, Brake System, Technical Project Management, Customer Service, Stakeholder Management, Embedded Systems, Embedded C, Microcontrollers, Microprocessors, Real-time Operating System (RTOS), CAN Bus, UDS, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), ADC, NV Memory, Embedded Hardware, Coding, NVmemory, Bootloader, Board Support Package, Debugging, Oscilloscopes & Tester Equipment
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