Design Engineer

Design Responsible Engineer, Auburn Hills, MI (Onsite)

Summary: The Active Aerodynamic System Design Responsible Engineer (DRE) owns the design and engineering release of active aero systems (e.g., active grille shutters, active air dams) for production vehicles. The role defines and delivers component-level objectives aligned to vehicle functional targets and leads the system from concept and packaging through design, analysis, validation, and launch, coordinating suppliers and cross‑functional teams and supporting testing, plant activities, and issue resolution.

• Lead supplier design reviews and ensure designs meet requirements and specifications.
• Deliver systems that meet quality, performance, timing, weight, and cost targets.
• Collaborate with advanced engineering to define and package designs prior to sourcing.
• Provide regional, on‑site mechatronics component support as needed.
• Develop and maintain boundary diagrams, interface matrices, parameter diagrams, DFMEA, and DVP&R.
• Ensure integration with adjacent components, network communications, and ECUs.
• Manage design integrity and releasing in NX/Teamcenter, including EBOM, change management (CCD/WebCN), and hardware/software releases/changes (including DVP&Rs).
• Plan and execute analysis and validation activities (e.g., CAE/CFD, kinematic/compliance modeling), including benchmarking and competitive/technology investigations.
• Drive issue management, root cause analysis, and corrective actions; support quality and warranty initiatives and field concerns.
• Support RFQ activities, technical evaluations, and business cases; identify innovative, cost‑effective solutions to meet functional objectives.
• Own program timing and deliverables, meeting vehicle program milestones and communicating status via issue lists, timelines, and technical presentations.
• Coordinate regulatory compliance activities with suppliers and internal compliance teams.
• Direct suppliers in developing, testing, and releasing hardware and software to meet vehicle‑and subsystem‑level functional/behavior objectives; support requirements development with EE systems engineering (VF specs) and supplier requirements analysis (RAR).

• Minimum 5 years of product development experience preferred (less than 5 years must include strong justification with strong relevant experience but absolutely no less than 3 years)
• Able to work independently and ‘hit the ground running’
• Comfortable owning a component or system from concept through launch
• Experience with mechatronics or moving systems
• Examples include actuators, deployable mechanisms, shutters, flaps, cooling systems, or other electromechanical products
• Experience owning supplier designed components
• Experience leading suppliers and holding them accountable
• Familiarity with system integration into the vehicle
• Understands requirements, testing, launch, and validation activities

• Exterior components or plastics experience
• Injection molding or design for assembly exposure
• Plant or launch experience
• Ability to read and understand CFD reports (not perform them)
• Aero experience is helpful but not required

• Not a CAD or studio designer role
• Not a CFD / CAE specialist role
• Not a software engineering role;
  Software and aero knowledge are useful at a system level, but this role does not write code or perform deep analysis.

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Fields of study:
  Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics; other degrees may be considered with strong, relevant product experience.

• Travel is typically less than 20 percent
• Mostly local to the Metro Detroit area
• Occasional Windsor, Canada travel
• Mexico travel is possible but unlikely