Exterior Lighting Enigneer

Design Release Engineer - Exterior Lighting

We are seeking a highly motivated and technically skilled Design Release Engineer (DRE) - Exterior Lighting to support the development and launch of future vehicle programs involving headlamps, tail lamps, daytime running lamps (DRLs), fog lamps, signal lighting, illuminated grilles, and associated lighting components and systems.

The Design Release Engineer serves as the primary owner of assigned lighting components throughout the entire product development lifecycle, from concept and design through validation, production launch, and warranty support. Acting as the "CEO" of the assigned parts, the DRE is responsible for balancing quality, performance, timing, cost, weight, manufacturability, regulatory compliance, and supplier execution while ensuring successful program delivery. This role requires strong engineering fundamentals, program management expertise, cross-functional leadership, and the ability to drive issue resolution across multiple organizations.

• Lead the design, development, validation, release, and launch of exterior lighting systems and components.
• Own component execution from concept through production, service, and warranty phases.
• Develop and maintain engineering drawings, component technical specifications (CTS), Statements of Requirements (SOR), and Bills of Material (BOM).
• Ensure lighting designs meet styling, functional, optical performance, safety, regulatory, manufacturing, quality, and cost requirements.
• Collaborate with Design Studio, Vehicle Integration, CAE, Manufacturing Engineering, Purchasing, Supplier Quality, and Validation teams to deliver robust lighting systems.
• Execute engineering changes and manage release activities through established change management processes.

• Serve as the single-point owner for assigned lighting components and drive execution against program milestones.
• Develop, manage, and communicate detailed timing plans to ensure successful program delivery.
• Lead program reviews and communicate technical status, risks, and mitigation plans to leadership and stakeholders.
• Coordinate prototype builds, validation hardware, tooling readiness, and launch activities.
• Identify and resolve issues that impact quality, performance, cost, weight, or timing.
• Drive cross-functional decision-making and issue resolution across internal organizations and supplier partners.

• Lead development activities to ensure compliance with global lighting regulations and vehicle safety requirements.
• Support optical performance targets including visibility, illumination, photometric requirements, appearance, and durability.
• Conduct and support Design Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (DFMEA), Design Reviews Based on Failure Modes (DRBFM), and Design Reviews Based on Test Results (DRBTR).
• Track validation plans and testing activities, ensuring all design requirements are verified before production.
• Investigate field issues and warranty concerns and lead root cause analysis and corrective action implementation.
• Utilize lessons learned and continuous improvement processes to enhance future designs and customer satisfaction.

• Partner with Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers to achieve design, quality, cost, and timing objectives.
• Support sourcing activities, supplier technical reviews, and component development plans.
• Ensure designs support Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles.
• Collaborate with manufacturing facilities to support tooling, build events, launch readiness, and production issue resolution.
• Support feasibility reviews and ensure successful integration of lighting systems into vehicle architectures.
• Drive supplier accountability for quality, timing, validation, and deliverables throughout the program lifecycle.

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Experience in automotive product development, design engineering, systems engineering, or design release engineering.
• Strong understanding of automotive exterior lighting systems and vehicle development processes.
• Ability to read, interpret, and create engineering drawings and technical specifications.
• Working knowledge of GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, and engineering drawing standards.
• Experience utilizing CAD software such as CATIA, NX (Unigraphics), or equivalent.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and project management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and effectively lead cross-functional teams.

• Experience with headlamps, tail lamps, signal lighting, DRLs, illuminated exterior features, or lighting electronics.
• Knowledge of LED, OLED, matrix lighting, adaptive lighting systems, and lighting control modules.
• Experience with automotive regulatory requirements…