Application Engineer – Airbag & Steering Systems

ZF LIFETEC; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

ZF LIFETEC in Washington, MI is seeking a senior engineer to design, validate, and release steering wheel and driver airbag components. You will ensure compliance with GDPEP and lead DFMEA, DVP&R, and DV/PV activities across global teams. Travel to North American plants is required.

A BS/ME degree and 5+ years of automotive interior design are expected. Join a safety-focused team that blends startup agility with corporate stability, offering growth and development opportunities in a dynamic

Qualifications

• BSME or Mechatronics degree; Master’s preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of engineering design experience in automotive interiors.
• Strong analytical skills with DFMEA/PFMEA, Six Sigma, DOE.
• Experience with driver airbag and/or steering wheels preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, validate, and release steering wheel and/or driver air bag products per GDPEP.
• Create engineering docs including CRs, BOMs, DFMEA, and DVP&R.
• Lead timing and program deliverables across teams.
• Drive DFMEA development and root cause analysis.
• Lead DV and PV activities and design changes as needed.
• Coordinate with customer engineering and ZF CUU plants.
• Support PPAP, supplier reviews, and tool/design changes.
• Manage prototype fabrication and on-time delivery for DV testing.
• Travel occasionally to North American plants as required.

Skills

CAE & GD&T

Airbag/Steering design

Cross-functional collaboration

MS Office

Communication skills

Customer relations

Education

BSME or Mechatronics degree

Master’s preferred

Tools

CAD software

MS Teams

DVP&R tooling

Job description

ZF LIFETEC in Washington, MI is seeking a senior engineer to design, validate, and release steering wheel and driver airbag components. You will ensure compliance with GDPEP and lead DFMEA, DVP&R, and DV/PV activities across global teams. Travel to North American plants is required.

A BS/ME degree and 5+ years of automotive interior design are expected. Join a safety-focused team that blends startup agility with corporate stability, offering growth and development opportunities in a dynamic