Sr. Chassis & Vehicle Integration Engineer

Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Our dedicated team members design, engineer, and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. School buses carry the most precious cargo in the world – 25 million children twice a day – making them the most trusted mode of student transportation. The company is the proven leader in low- and zero-emission school buses with more than 25,000 propane, natural gas, and electric-powered buses sold. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions.

About the role

The Sr. Chassis & Vehicle Integration Engineer is responsible for physical vehicle integration, packaging execution, prototype support, and manufacturing implementation across complex vehicle platforms. This role owns how propulsion, electrical, thermal, controls, and supporting vehicle systems physically integrate into the chassis while ensuring manufacturability, serviceability, durability, and production readiness. The Chassis & Vehicle Integration Lead is specifically responsible for the execution of physical integration within the chassis and manufacturing environment. This is a hands-on execution leadership role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, moves with urgency, and wants meaningful ownership over real-world vehicle integration and launch execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead physical integration of propulsion, electrical, thermal, controls, and body systems into vehicle chassis platforms.
• Own vehicle packaging, installation feasibility, routing, mounting strategy, and subsystem fitment while ensuring manufacturability, serviceability, durability, and production readiness.
• Support prototype builds, pilot phases, and manufacturing launch activities by identifying integration issues, resolving packaging conflicts, and driving rapid corrective actions directly within build environments.
• Work directly with manufacturing and operations teams to resolve build issues, improve integration execution, and maintain launch readiness throughout production ramp activities.
• Partner closely with propulsion, electrical, validation, manufacturing, supplier, and program teams to maintain alignment across integration activities, packaging constraints, and launch objectives.
• Coordinate technical execution activities with suppliers and external engineering partners to support packaging development, prototype readiness, and integration issue resolution.
• Lead rapid root cause investigations and corrective actions involving packaging conflicts, routing issues, subsystem interfaces, manufacturing variation, and field integration concerns.
• Develop and maintain integration layouts, installation requirements, engineering documentation, release support materials, and manufacturing implementation documentation.
• Support compliance activities related to FMVSS, customer requirements, and commercial vehicle integration standards.
• Provide direct feedback from prototype, launch, manufacturing, and field environments to improve future packaging strategies, integration standards, and production execution.
• Operate in ambiguity: create structure and drive execution in environments where requirements, packaging constraints, manufacturing realities, and operational challenges evolve simultaneously.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field from an accredited university.
• 5+ years of experience in vehicle integration, chassis design engineering, prototype support, or complex vehicle development.
• Strong understanding of vehicle integration, chassis systems, packaging, and manufacturing implementation.
• Hands-on problem-solving capability within prototype, launch, or manufacturing environments.
• Experience with CAD tool CATIA or NX.
• Strong understanding of manufacturability, serviceability, durability, and assembly impacts of integration decisions.
• Ability to troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, thermal, and subsystem integration issues.
• Strong communication and cross-functional coordination capability.
• Ability to work independently and drive issues to closure in fast-paced environments.
• Comfortable operating with urgency, ambiguity, and evolving priorities.
• All candidates must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with commercial vehicles, body-on-chassis platforms, or complex vehicle integration programs.
• Experience supporting low- or zero-emission vehicle platforms.
• Experience supporting fast-paced launches or rapidly evolving engineering organizations.
• Experience supporting plant-floor issue resolution, prototype builds, or manufacturing launch activities.
• Experience working with suppliers or external engineering partners on integration execution.

Benefits

• Continued professional development.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 14 paid holidays.
• Vacation time.
• 401k matching.

Work Conditions

• Office environment and production environment.
• Must work in a manufacturing environment with exposure to heat, cold, and noise.
• Fast-paced production area with moving objects and sheet metal.
• Occasional periods of standing or sitting for extended periods of time.
• Must wear appropriate PPE when and where required.
• Frequent weeks working 40+ hours.
• Frequent communication with people throughout the day.
• Up to 20% travel.