Exterior Hardware DRE

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.

About the Role

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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Requirements

• Strong engineering fundamentals and program management expertise.
• Cross-functional leadership and ability to drive issue resolution across multiple organizations.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $42.00 - $48.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Benefits

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Schedule

This is a hybrid contract position based out of Warren, MI.