ADAS Performance Specialist - Ride Comfort

Alten USA; Chelsea (MI); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Alten USA is seeking an experienced vehicle dynamics/CAE engineer to lead virtual analysis and in-vehicle development for steering and suspension systems. You will drive design optimization, coordinate CAE activities, and work across teams to meet ride and handling targets.

The role requires ABET-accredited degree, strong automotive dynamics knowledge, and experience with ADAMS/Car, MATLAB/Simulink, and NASTRAN. A valid driver’s license and US work authorization are required.

Qualifications

• ABET-accredited BS in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or equivalent.
• Experience in chassis design/development and/or vehicle dynamics engineering.
• Familiarity with design and development processes and DFMEA/DVP&R structures.

Responsibilities

• Lead CAE/virtual analysis for steering/suspension development and ride/handling objectives.
• Perform in-vehicle development to meet vehicle ride, steering, and handling targets.
• Coordinate testing and validation activities across teams and suppliers.

Skills

Vehicle dynamics

Communication

MS Office

Drivings license

Problem-solving

Education

ABET-accredited BS in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

ADAMS/Car

MATLAB/Simulink

NASTRAN

AMEsim

CarSim

NX/Teamcenter

Job description

We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life‑saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.

As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.

When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

Job Responsibilities:

• The overall objective is to minimize vehicle/suspension sensitivity to variation in forces induced by road surfaces, assembly build variation, vehicular architecture, and/or wear.

• Responsible for quality testing activities throughout all Program development phases; from up-front target setting and design definition, through in-vehicle testing on prototype properties, and then pre-production (pilot) properties.

• Ensure that critical components have appropriate targets/specifications to minimize sensitivity to brake rotor wear (judder), tire/wheel imbalance, vehicle lead/drift/pull, steering wander, torque steer, and vehicle shake (ride). This will be accomplished through a combination of simulation, objective testing, and subjective evaluation methods

• Responsible for in-vehicle development of the critical components to meet the vehicle’s overall ride, steering, handling, and tire performance objectives.

• Requires specialized driving skills for subjective ride, steering, routine handling and limit handling evaluations.

• Responsible for the leadership of all CAE/virtual analysis activity associated with steering/suspension hard-point development; steering/suspension component stiffness /damping specification; and ride/handling

• Performance optimization for all variants of a vehicle architecture, including formulation of design recommendations.

• Analysis/optimization of suspension/steering sub-system kinematics and compliance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or Equivalent from an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited university. Driving vehicles on CPG, Dynamics assessment, familiar chassis and Dynamics components, Validation vehicles

• Experience in chassis design/development and/or vehicle dynamics engineering experience.

• Solid understanding of system/component design/development processes.

• Experience with processes and simulation techniques associated with suspension/steering/brake system kinematics/compliance/vibration studies,vehicle ride/handling assessments, component structural analysis, and optimization.

• Experience with associated simulation tools: ADAMS/Car, Altair Motionview, Opti-struct, NASTRAN, AMEsim, CARsim, I-Sight, Matlab, Simulink, VI-Car realtime.

• Experience with driving simulator studies and associated preparation, validation, and loading of CAE/virtual models.

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to coordinate activities with the extended team.

• Familiarity with Design Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (Design Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (DFMEA) and Design Verification Plan & Report (DVP&R) structure.

• Formal training in Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) methods.

• Ability to extract component detail from NX, Teamcenter and CoDeP

• Demonstrated understanding of vehicle dynamics theory and application

• Experience with Suspension and Steering system kinematics and compliance as well as full vehicle ride and handling.

• Vehicle ride, steering and handling evaluation experience

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to coordinate activities with other department / functions

• Proficient use of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).

• Organized, self‑motivated, work as required to support projects.

• Excellent problem‑solving skills

• Valid driver's license is required as well as a clean driving record - will be required to drive company vehicles.

• Demonstrated understanding of vehicle dynamics theory and application

• Experience with Suspension and Steering system kinematics and compliance as well as full vehicle ride and handling.

• Vehicle ride, steering and handling evaluation experience

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to coordinate activities with other department / functions

• Proficient use of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc).

• Organized, self‑motivated, work as required to support projects.

• Excellent problem‑solving skills

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.

Compliance Notice:

Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Drug Screening Requirement:

As a federal contractor, Alten USA maintains a drug‑free workplace. All candidates selected for employment will be required to successfully complete a pre‑employment drug screening as a condition of hire.