Product Development Engineer

About the role

Our client, a leading automotive manufacturing organization, is seeking an experienced Product Development Engineer to join their Product Development team in Detroit, Michigan. This role is ideal for an engineer with a strong background in automotive body structures, stamped metal components, crash analysis, and product development. The successful candidate will work closely with cross-functional teams and customers to develop innovative vehicle structures from concept through production launch.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize automotive body structure solutions from concept through production.
• Perform engineering analysis including crash simulations, structural assessments, manufacturing feasibility studies, and cost evaluations.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams to support prototype development, validation testing, and production launch activities.
• Manage multiple vehicle development programs while meeting customer and internal project milestones.
• Prepare and deliver technical presentations and engineering recommendations to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with customers, suppliers, and cross-functional teams.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to engineering processes, product development, and design standards.
• Utilize AI-driven approaches where applicable to improve engineering workflows and part design.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance as required.
• Travel occasionally to customer locations and manufacturing facilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical, Automotive, Manufacturing, Materials Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Master's Degree is considered an asset.
• Minimum of 4-5 years of experience in automotive product development or design engineering.
• Experience within the automotive industry, specifically involving metal, steel, stamping, welding, or vehicle structures.
• Previous experience with a Tier 1 or Tier 2 automotive supplier is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of automotive product development, body-in-white engineering, crash performance, lightweighting, durability, manufacturing feasibility, and APQP.
• Experience interpreting engineering drawings, GD&T, design specifications, and automotive standards.
• Familiarity with advanced high-strength steels, automotive manufacturing processes, and structural design is considered an asset.
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent programs.
• Strong communication skills and experience working directly with customers and suppliers.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced engineering environment.

Technical Requirements

• Experience with one or more of the following engineering tools is required: LS-DYNA, Meta, AutoForm, or equivalent automotive crash analysis or CAE software.
• Experience with CATIA or similar CAD platforms is considered an asset.