CAE Engineer – Piston Structures & Durability

General Motors; Warren (MI); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

General Motors is seeking a CAE Engineer to support piston structures and durability within Global Virtual Engineering. The role turns engineering questions and failure modes into physics-based analysis and clear design decisions, independently handling moderate-scope work and partnering with program teams and suppliers.

The successful candidate will advance production program support, improve standard work, automation, and data practices while delivering concise analysis reports to leadership

Qualifications

• Experience applying CAE/FEA to structural, durability, thermal-structural problems.
• Ability to define inputs/boundaries, evaluate model quality, interpret results, and communicate limitations.

Responsibilities

• Lead piston structural and durability evaluations from problem definition to recommendation.
• Assess piston performance under thermal, mechanical, inertia, and clearance conditions.
• Use appropriate CAE fidelity for decisions (fast screening to high-fidelity models).
• Diagnose non-routine issues, perform sensitivity studies, and propose design/analysis improvements.
• Link analysis to DFMEA, detection methods, qualification evidence, and risk reduction.

Skills

CAE/FEA experience

Independent/problem-solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (or related)

Master’s or PhD preferred

Tools

Abaqus

HyperMesh

FLARE

AVL EXCITE

Job description

Job Description

About the role.

We are seeking a CAE Engineer to support piston structures and durability within Global Virtual Engineering. This role converts engineering questions, requirements, and failure modes into physics-based analysis and clear design decisions. The engineer will independently execute moderate-scope work, resolve non-routine technical issues, and partner with program teams, design-release engineers, suppliers, and other virtual-analysis specialists.

Why this role matters.

The role helps GM make earlier, higher-confidence decisions on piston and cranktrain hardware by combining structural CAE, engineering judgment, risk-based evaluation, and reusable capability development. The successful candidate will contribute to production program support while improving standard work, automation, and the team’s ability to detect and reduce design risk.

What you will do:

Lead piston structural and durability evaluations from problem definition through recommendation, including load definition, model setup, analysis execution, post-processing, interpretation, and technical reporting.

Assess piston and related component performance across thermal, mechanical, inertia, pressure, bore-distortion, clearance, and other relevant operating conditions.

Use appropriate CAE fidelity for the engineering decision: fast screening methods for broad option spaces and higher-fidelity models for critical risk retirement and design release decisions.

Diagnose non-routine issues, perform sensitivity and variation studies, identify likely failure mechanisms, and recommend practical design or analysis improvements.

Connect analysis to requirements, DFMEA failure modes, detection/prevention methods, and qualification evidence so that virtual work directly supports risk reduction.

Prepare concise, traceable analysis reports and decision packages for program teams, DREs, suppliers, leadership reviews, PPDR/PRTS support, and warranty or field investigations as needed.

Maintain and improve piston-analysis standard work, procedures, templates, macros, and reusable data practices; identify opportunities to improve cycle time, physics, repeatability, and first-time quality.

Develop automation and capability improvements using appropriate tools such as Python, MATLAB, Excel/VBA, or comparable scripting and post-processing methods.

Support benchmarking and method development, including comparison of alternative tools, model fidelity, correlation evidence, and emerging virtual-engineering practices.

Share knowledge and coach developing engineers or technical partners on analysis methods, standard work, interpretation, and quality expectations.

Collaborate across piston, rings, connecting-rod, cranktrain, lubrication/tribology, materials, testing, design, and program organizations to deliver customer-focused outcomes.

Required qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related technical discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

Professional experience applying CAE, FEA, or comparable engineering simulation methods to structural, durability, thermal-structural, or related mechanical problems.

Demonstrated ability to work independently with limited guidance, exercise sound engineering judgment, and determine an appropriate course of action within established procedures and practices.

Experience defining analysis inputs and boundary conditions, evaluating model quality, interpreting results, and communicating limitations, uncertainty, and recommendations.

Ability to identify and resolve non-routine technical problems and manage moderate-scope work through completion.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical conclusions to both engineering specialists and broader program audiences.

Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, suppliers, and customers while maintaining accountability for quality, timing, and follow-through.

Preferred qualifications

Master’s or Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Experience with piston structures, piston pins, connecting rods, cranktrain components, engine durability, or related powertrain hardware.

Experience with tools such as Abaqus, HyperMesh, FLARE, AVL EXCITE, or comparable pre-processing, solving, and post-processing environments.

Knowledge of piston failure modes and performance topics such as safety factors, thermal loading, bore distortion, skirt contact/scuffing, land clearance, piston noise, pin behavior, or fatigue.

Experience with DFMEA, risk-based evaluation planning, design variation/sensitivity studies, qualification evidence, or virtual-physical correlation.

Experience developing or maintaining engineering standard work, analysis procedures, Excel/VBA tools, Python/MATLAB scripts, automation, or reusable engineering workflows.

Experience working with production programs, supplier technical issues, warranty/field investigations, or design changes under timing pressure.

Experience applying artificial intelligence or machine learning to engineering workflows-such as surrogate modeling, reduced-order modeling, design-space exploration, optimization, or predictive analytics-and using design synthesis methods to generate, evaluate, and down-select component or system concepts.

Location: Hybrid. This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to the – Global HQ Warren MI three times per week, at minimum [or other frequency dictated by the business]

This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week {or other frequency dictated by their manager}.The selected candidate will be required to travel <25% for this role.Relocation benefits are available for candidates who qualify under company policy.The position is subject to export control restrictions and requires the successful candidate to be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, asylee or refugee).

Relocation: This role MAY be eligible for relocation benefits.

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