NASI - Lead Research & Development Engineer - Advanced Vehicle Development; AVD

NASI - Lead Research & Development Engineer - Advanced Vehicle Development (AVD)

Summary
The Lead Research & Development (R&D) Engineer oversees vehicle‑related R&D projects and acts as a liaison between U.S. and Japanese engineering teams, influencing technical and project decisions. The role leverages company history to connect with Subaru headquarters in Japan and collaborates with Subaru of America and Subaru Indiana Automotive. Responsibilities are split roughly 30% management support (coaching), 40% project and testing oversight, and 30% execution of tasks such as evaluation, research, and reporting.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead multiple large‑scale projects to meet timelines and budgets; identify necessary testing and research.
• Develop schedules and plans for project goals.
• Guide Subaru Corporation development and target specifications based on market needs.
• Determine project direction with oversight from the manager and General Manager.
• Incorporate results and data from other North American Subaru entities to enhance impact on Subaru Corporation.
• Proactively identify future issues and collaborate with engineers and managers to resolve them.
• Improve department processes: streamline test methods, refine procedures, allocate time efficiently, automate data collection/processing, and suggest projects to better achieve team goals.
• Support day‑to‑day tasks of interns and lower‑level engineers; provide preliminary reviews of technical reports and assist in communicating project timelines and technical goals.
• Assist the GM and manager in assessing employee performance; hold regular one‑on‑one meetings to follow up on task progress.
• Assign tasks to outsourced workers and contract employees; plan long‑term testing schedules and serve as contact for test equipment issues and troubleshooting.
• Coach and mentor team members, fostering professional development and organizational knowledge.
• Develop professional skills via courses and classes relevant to the team’s goals.
• Monetize departmental budget usage and discuss resource needs with upper‑level management.
• Create presentation materials for progress updates and facilitate product demonstrations for Subaru Corporation and Subaru of America executives.
• Communicate with vendor account managers, monitor budget burndown, adjust workflows to ensure timely delivery, and develop new evaluation testing approaches for ICE, HEV, and BEV performance targets.
• Act as key liaison between U.S. and Japanese engineering teams; update Japanese leads on current development status and collaborate on improving development efficiency.
• Define best practices for development vehicles and test procedures; update documentation and implement new processes to improve vehicle hardware and software updates.
• Consider U.S.‑specific user issues; independently develop solutions while balancing resource constraints.

Additional Responsibilities

• Maintain current knowledge of industry trends, new technologies, and best practices in ICE, HEV, and BEV development; share information with team members and recommend ways for engineers to stay up‑to‑date.
• Collaborate with engineers across disciplines (mechanical, electrical) and other departments to improve efficiency and utilize department‑specific skills.

Qualifications

• Education & Experience
  Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related field (required). 6‑8 years experience with a Bachelor’s, 4‑6 years with a Master’s, up to 2 years with a relevant Ph.D.
• Technical Expertise
  Proven experience in development, testing, and evaluation of charging systems; strong knowledge of charging communication standards (J1772, DIN
  70121, ISO
  15118‑2/20, J3400/NACS, OCPP 1.6/2.0); familiarity with CAN and PLC communication; proficiency with data analysis tools (Tableau preferred); skilled in Windows and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Project & Leadership Skills
  Demonstrated project management including budget oversight and timeline management; ability to teach technical knowledge and mentor team members; strong analytical and conceptual thinking.
• Industry & Market Knowledge
  Deep understanding of U.S. customer trends and demographics; ability…