Technician

About the role

The Build/Strip Crash Test Technician supports the Vehicle Safety Test Team within the Vehicle Safety Integration Department by preparing vehicles for crash tests, installing instrumentation, assisting with test execution, and performing detailed post-test teardown and documentation. This hands-on role focuses on physical crash testing and passive safety development, requiring strong mechanical aptitude, attention to detail, and the flexibility to work across a variety of vehicle safety testing programs. The role operates in a hands-on, shop and laboratory-based environment focused on crash testing and vehicle safety development, involving frequent vehicle disassembly, fabrication work, and instrumentation installation on both prototype and production vehicles, requiring regular standing, lifting, bending, and mechanical tasks in a fast-paced automotive R&D setting. This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Ypsilanti, MI, fully onsite.

Responsibilities

• Review test plans with engineers to clearly understand pre-test requirements, test objectives, and post-test evaluation criteria.
• Prepare vehicles for crash testing by recording vehicle specifications and test-related fluids, replacing fluids with approved non-flammable substitutes, and ballasting vehicles to achieve target test weights.
• Apply test markings, targets, paint, and tape to vehicles in accordance with test procedures and safety standards.
• Modify prototype vehicle components and restraint systems to meet specific test configurations and safety development needs.
• Perform precise measurements using a 3D Coordinate Measurement Machine (CMM) to verify vehicle dimensions and test setups.
• Install crash test instrumentation, including accelerometers, pressure sensors, voltage and current monitoring equipment, and associated sensor wiring and cable routing.
• Document all instrumentation installation details, including locations, routing, and configuration, in designated database systems.
• Remove and reinstall interior and exterior vehicle trim as required to support instrumentation setup and test preparation.
• Conduct post-test teardown activities by carefully removing instrumentation and assessing vehicle condition.
• Perform structural inspections of tested vehicles, including door and pillar skinning, to support safety analysis and data collection.
• Remove interior trim, fuel tanks, and related components after testing to facilitate detailed inspection and evaluation.
• Maintain accurate documentation of all vehicle modifications, instrumentation changes, and test-related work in database systems.
• Order parts, tools, and equipment as needed to support ongoing crash testing and vehicle safety programs.