Senior Vehicle CAE Durability Engineer

About the company

My client is an innovative American automotive manufacturer focused on redefining affordable electric mobility. They are developing a new generation of purpose-built electric vehicles with an emphasis on simplicity, modular design, and customer customisation. They are looking for a Senior Vehicle CAE Durability Engineer to join their expanding team on a Contract basis. The role will be located in Troy Michigan, USA.

Responsibilities

• Lead durability, strength, and stiffness analysis for BIW, HV Battery structure, Trimmed Body, and full vehicle structures using nCode DesignLife and Optistruct; assess and guide design performance.
• Build, run, and debug full vehicle durability models using pre-processing tools such as ANSA and HyperMesh; maintain model quality and integrity.
• Post-process durability and stiffness simulation results using nCode / HyperWorks; analyse findings and recommend design improvements.
• Perform multiple full vehicle durability simulation iterations to identify optimized solutions and meet vehicle-level performance targets.
• Support component and vehicle testing activities; correlate CAE results with test data including RLDA and 4-poster test programs.
• Apply advanced engineering methods such as DOE/DFSS and Optistruct optimization tools to improve design performance.
• Prepare and present technical reports summarizing simulation results, findings, and achieved improvements.
• Communicate and collaborate with the design team, manufacturing team, and suppliers to achieve desired vehicle performance.

Requirements

• Our client is looking for an experienced, strategic Senior Vehicle CAE Durability Engineer (Contract) to join their growing team.
• This position will lead NVH, durability, strength, and stiffness simulations to drive the development and optimization of EV body, chassis, and closure structures.
• As a technical authority, this role will mentor engineers, define simulation methodologies, and shape the CAE direction of the program in a dynamic, startup‑paced environment.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis; visa sponsorship is not available.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent, from an ABET‑accredited or equivalent program. Master's degree is a plus.

Experience:

• 8+ years of automotive structures CAE experience, with 8+ years of direct experience performing full vehicle durability analysis.
• Experience with nCode, Optistruct / NASTRAN, ANSA, and HyperWorks.
• Experience performing random vibration analysis.
• Experience generating and validating block cycle schedules for component‑level fatigue testing.
• Experience planning RLDA and 4‑poster test programs.
• Experience with correlation of CAE and test results.
• Hands‑on experience with optimization tools and techniques using Optistruct.
• Knowledge of applying engineering fundamentals in product development.
• Experience with electric