Research & Development Engineer

About the role

Company: Ulm Automotive LLC. Department: Engineering. Reports to: General Manager. Location: Bogart, GA (on-site). Employment type: Full-time, exempt. Direct reports: None; works alongside the President, Engineering Consultant, the Drafting Engineer, and outside design and engineering partners.

The Research & Development Engineer owns what comes next. Ulm builds luxury passenger vehicles on an incomplete Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis, and this role takes new interior systems, materials, and features from idea to a validated design that Production can build and the compliance file can defend: prototype builds, testing, data, and a clean handoff to drawings and BOMs. The work spans acoustic and thermal materials, seating and mounting structures, lighting and power systems, climate, and the fit-and-finish details that separate a luxury interior from a good one. It is equal parts bench, vehicle, and CAD, and the engineer in this seat will spend real time building and breaking prototypes personally.

Key Responsibilities

Concept & Prototype Development

• Take product concepts from the President of Operations, Sales, and design partners and turn them into engineered proposals with cost, weight, and manufacturability estimates.
• Build and iterate prototypes on the bench and in vehicles; source prototype parts and work with suppliers on samples and specifications.
• Evaluate new materials and components: lightweight panels, fasteners, adhesives, lighting, power and battery systems, and climate components.
• Benchmark competing upfitters and the in-class factory interior standards, and report what is worth adopting.

Testing & Validation

• Define test plans and acceptance criteria for new designs: structural, vibration and durability, thermal, acoustic, electrical load, and environmental.
• Run tests in-house where practical and manage outside labs for the rest, including tests that support federal certification of seating, anchorages, and interior components.
• Produce clear, data-backed test reports and design recommendations; keep the evidence file that Compliance and Quality will rely on.
• Support weight budget analysis with measured, not estimated, component weights.

Design for Production

• Apply design for manufacturing and assembly so new designs fit the stations, tools, and skills on the floor.
• Hand off released designs to the Drafting Engineer with complete specifications, tolerances, and material callouts; support drawing and BOM creation and the engineering change process.
• Support pilot builds on the line, capture what went wrong, and correct the design before the next unit.
• Contribute to design failure mode analysis on new systems.

Intellectual Property & Documentation

• Document inventions and novel methods as they are developed and support patent counsel with technical descriptions and drawings.
• Maintain the R&D project log, test equipment, and prototype inventory.
• Present project status, risks, and recommendations to engineering leadership on a regular cadence.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Automotive, Electrical, or Manufacturing Engineering.
• 4+ years of product development experience with hands-on prototype build and test responsibility, ideally in automotive, or specialty vehicle.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks preferred) and engineering documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to design a test, run it, analyze the data, and write it up so a non-engineer can act on it.
• Working knowledge of materials, fasteners, adhesives, and 12V electrical systems.
• Comfortable with shop tools and willing to build what you design.

Preferred Qualifications

• Automotive interior, seating, or trim development experience.
• NVH or acoustics background, or experience with sound and thermal insulation systems.
• Lithium battery, inverter, and low-voltage power system design experience.
• Familiarity with FMVSS testing for seating, anchorages, and interior materials.
• DFMEA and design for manufacturing training.
• Prior patent authorship or support desired.

Competencies

• Curiosity with discipline – explores broadly but closes projects with data and a decision.
• Hands-on builds and tests personally; does not wait for a technician to find out whether the idea works.
• Production empathy – designs for the floor that exists, not an imagined one.
• Rigor – keeps test evidence that would satisfy a regulator or a patent examiner.
• Communication – explains tradeoffs plainly to leadership, sales, and the floor.

Success in the First 12 Months

• 90 days: Owns the R&D project list with priorities agreed with the President. Prototype area and test equipment are set up. First material evaluation reported with data.
• 6 months: At least one new system validated and released to Drafting for production with a complete specification. Test evidence file established for certification-relevant components.
• 12 months: A pipeline of validated improvements is feeding production releases on a schedule, measured component weights are in the weight budget, and the invention record supports the company's patent filings.

Physical & Work Environment

On-site in an active vehicle manufacturing facility, split between an engineering office, a prototype bench, and the production floor. Work inside and under vehicles is routine; PPE is required in designated areas. Occasional travel to suppliers, test labs, and partner facilities 30%.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $90,000 to $120,000, commensurate with experience
• Annual performance bonus: discretionary, based on company and project performance
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid time off and holidays; professional training and certification support