Jr. Design and Release Engineer

About the Role

The Restraint Design & Release Engineer (DRE) is responsible for the design, development, and release of components such as the steering wheel, seat belts, and/or airbags to support vehicle programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and release restraint components and systems, working with suppliers and cross-functional teams.
• Write change notices and compliance reports.
• Manage and update systems and core documentation, including DVPR and DFMEA, to meet program timing and deliverables.
• Follow, track, root cause, and resolve issues found during development and serial life (warranty).
• Provide support to manufacturing plants for building issues found during pre-production, production launch, and serial life builds.
• Support the development and documentation of passive safety restraint requirements.
• For steering wheel responsibilities, assist with the development and validation of capacitive hands-on detection and heating electrical and performance requirements.
• Package and develop the complete restraint system by working with other engineering organizations.
• Interface with purchasing, product design office, manufacturing, and supply base groups to achieve program objectives.
• Review testing, parts, and data to support program requirements and applicable FMVSS, ECE, and other global certification requirements.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering.
• NX, Teamcenter, or comparable CAD and product lifecycle management software proficiency (through coursework, training, internship, or project work).
• Basic awareness of PFMEA, DFMEA, DVP&R, FEA, or CAE analysis concepts (through coursework, training, internship, or project work).
• Exposure to proactive quality methods, such as Design for Six Sigma (through coursework, training, internship, or project work).
• Exposure to structured problem-solving methods, such as Kepner-Tregoe or Shainin (through coursework, training, internship, or project work).

Qualifications

• Highly motivated and driven to achieve goals.
• Demonstrated teamwork, organization, and communication skills, with an interest in developing leadership capability.
• Good communication, problem-solving, computer, and presentation skills.
• Coursework, internship, co-op, project, or other exposure related to the design and development of airbag, seat belt, and/or steering wheel components.
• Coursework, internship, co-op, project, or other exposure to vehicle-level restraint systems.
• Familiarity with or academic exposure to FMVSS, homologation, testing, or certification processes.