Nicole Waters

A headshot of Nicole Waters

Nicole Waters is an accomplished professional with over three decades of expertise in engineering, quality, and executive leadership within the automotive industry. She recently retired as the Global Director of Propulsion Systems Value Optimization & Benchmarking at Stellantis. In this role, she led program management and value optimization for a €43 billion global portfolio, encompassing conventional powertrains, hybrid systems, and high-voltage electrification components across global markets. Her contributions have left a lasting impact on the industry’s advancement toward innovative and efficient propulsion solutions.

In her prior role as the Global Controls Manager for EV, REEV, and Fuel Cell Propulsion Systems, Waters implemented control strategies and managed software programs using agile methods for new multi-energy architectures. Her team played a pivotal role in launching the CityBEV (500e) in Europe and developing EV portfolios for the Challenger/Charger and RAM platforms. As a Senior Manager of Vehicle Systems Quality Reliability Engineering, she managed a $16 million budget for reliability testing and delivered cost savings through innovative pre-production strategies. Her tenure also included contributions as Senior Manager of Powertrain Systems Quality Reliability Engineering, where she developed and launched corporate reliability methods and programs that enhanced durability and regulatory compliance.

Waters earned both a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Oakland University. She also completed the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business Diverse Leaders Program in 2023.

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