CAE Vehicle Durability Engineer

Detroit Engineered Products; Michigan; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Detroit Engineered Products is seeking a CAE Vehicle Durability Engineer to support virtual durability analysis of vehicle body, chassis, and suspension systems. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with fatigue and durability simulation and will drive design improvements through simulation-led insights.

You will perform analyses, build and validate FE models, and correlate CAE results with physical test data, collaborating with design and test teams to optimize weight, stiffness,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Automotive, or Aerospace Engineering.
• 3–5 years of experience in CAE durability/fatigue analysis in automotive or related industry.
• Proficiency in HyperMesh, Abaqus, Nastran, and fatigue tools such as nCode or FE-SAFE.
• Solid understanding of materials fatigue, load paths, and life-cycle analysis.

Responsibilities

• Perform linear and non-linear static, modal, and transient CAE analyses on body, chassis, and suspension components.
• Conduct fatigue and durability simulations using industry-standard tools (e.g., nCode, FE-SAFE, Abaqus, Nastran).
• Correlate CAE predictions with physical durability test results and support root cause analysis of failures.
• Optimize designs for weight, stiffness, and durability in collaboration with design and test teams.
• Build and validate FE models, including mesh quality checks, boundary conditions, and load case definition.
• Support durability target setting and DFMEA activities.
• Document and present simulation results and recommendations to cross-functional teams.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Automotive, or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

HyperMesh

Abaqus

Nastran

nCode / FE-SAFE

Job description

We are seeking a CAE Vehicle Durability Engineer to support virtual durability analysis of vehicle body, chassis, and suspension systems. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with fatigue and durability simulation, correlating CAE results with physical test data, and driving design improvements through simulation-led insights.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform linear and non-linear static, modal, and transient CAE analyses on body, chassis, and suspension components.
• Conduct fatigue and durability simulations using industry-standard tools (e.g., nCode, FE-SAFE, Abaqus, Nastran).
• Correlate CAE predictions with physical durability test results and support root cause analysis of failures.
• Optimize designs for weight, stiffness, and durability in collaboration with design and test teams.
• Build and validate FE models, including mesh quality checks, boundary conditions, and load case definition.
• Support durability target setting and DFMEA activities.
• Document and present simulation results and recommendations to cross-functional teams.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Automotive, or Aerospace Engineering.
• 3–5 years of experience in CAE durability/fatigue analysis within automotive or a related industry.
• Proficiency in HyperMesh, Abaqus, Nastran, and fatigue tools such as nCode or FE-SAFE.
• Solid understanding of strength of materials, fatigue theory, and vehicle load paths.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Mechanical or Automotive Engineering.
• Experience with full vehicle durability simulation and test correlation.
• Familiarity with Python or MATLAB for automation and post-processing.
• Exposure to electric vehicle architectures and lightweight materials.