Design Release Engineer; Automotive Accessories

Position: Design Release Engineer (Automotive Accessories)
Kelly Engineering is seeking a  
** Design Release Engineer (Accessories)
** for a long-term contract opportunity with a global luxury automotive OEM in  
** Mahwah, NJ.
** If you are passionate about shaping the world we live in and are ready to reengineer your future, trust the experts at hiring experts.

** Compensation*
* Up to $50/hr.

** Overview*
* The Design Release Engineer will own the release process for assigned interior and exterior vehicle accessories, ensuring supplier-developed products meet engineering standards, certification requirements, fitment expectations, and release readiness before being sold under the OEM brand.

Typical commodities may include exterior side steps/running boards, roof rails, spoilers, lighting accessories, bumper accessories, protective trim, exterior trim, roof-carrying products, seat covers, cup holders, cargo partitions, bulkheads, cargo management products, and related interior or exterior accessory hardware.

** Responsibilities*
* + Own the design release process for assigned vehicle accessory commodities from requirements review through engineering approval and production release.

+ Evaluate supplier-developed accessory products for compliance with engineering, quality, safety, durability, homologation, and North American certification requirements.

+ Review supplier documentation, test reports, certification records, compliance evidence, validation data, and engineering sign-off packages.

+ Develop and maintain commodity plans covering scope, requirements, timing, open issues, risks, dependencies, approval routes, and release readiness.

+ Coordinate fitment trials, validation activity, benchmarking, and engineering evaluations for interior and exterior accessory products.

+ Partner with CAD and visualization resources to review packaging, fit, dimensions, clearances, interfaces, and product feasibility; direct CAD resources on required evaluations or changes.

+ Prepare engineering release documentation, gateway readiness materials, risk assessments, validation gap summaries, and sign-off recommendations.

+ Manage supplier action trackers, issue logs, open points, escalation summaries, and regular status reporting.

+ Collaborate with suppliers, SMEs, Chapter Leads, vehicle engineering, program, procurement, commercial, finance, and global engineering teams across the U.S., UK, and China.

+ Release approved products into engineering systems and support ongoing product lifecycle management for the North American market.

** Qualifications*
* + Engineering degree or equivalent technical qualification required.

+ 3-7 years of automotive engineering experience preferred, ideally within an OEM or Tier 1 supplier environment.

+ Previous Design Release Engineering, product development engineering, or accessory engineering experience.

+ Experience supporting automotive component or system delivery from concept, validation, and supplier development through production release.

+ Strong understanding of engineering release processes, change management, product lifecycle management, validation planning, and sign-off requirements.

+ Ability to review technical data, supplier test reports, certification records, compliance documentation, and engineering evidence packages.

+ Strong engineering judgment related to risk, failure modes, validation gaps, safety, durability, fit, function, and release readiness.

+ Experience coordinating suppliers, managing open issues, tracking actions, and driving engineering approvals across multiple priorities.

+ Working knowledge of CAD/model review and visualization tools; candidates do not need to be daily CAD modelers but must be comfortable reviewing models for fit, packaging, clearances, and interfaces.

+ Automotive accessory, exterior trim, interior trim, vehicle hardware, functional accessory, or related commodity experience preferred.

+ Knowledge of 3

DEXPERIENCE / 3D Experience strongly preferred; exposure to Digi-Buck, Vis-Mockup, WERS, AIMs, RMDV, APQP, PSW, Jira, engineering release systems, and change management tools is a plus.

** Employee Benefits*
* + Medical, Dental and Vision coverage

+ Paid Holidays and PTO

+ Retirement Savings Plan

** What happens next*
* _Once you apply, you'll proceed to next steps if your skills and experience look like a good fit. But don't worry - even if this position doesn't work out, you're still in the Kelly Engineering network. That means our team of expert engineering recruiters will have access to your profile, making your opportunities limitless._

As part of our promise to talent, Kelly supports those who work with us through a variety of benefits, perks, and work-related resources. Kelly offers eligible employees voluntary benefit plans including medical, dental, vision, telemedicine, term life, whole life, accident insurance, critical illness, a legal plan, and short-term disability. As a Kelly employee, you will have access to a retirement savings plan, service bonus and holiday pay plans (earn up to eight paid holidays per…