DRE – Wheels and Tires Entry Level

SEGULA Technologies; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

SEGULA Technologies is seeking a Junior Design Release Engineer to support the design, development, validation, and release of automotive wheel systems, including aluminum and steel wheels, bolts, center caps, and wheel trim.

You will collaborate with Product Design Studio, manufacturing plants, and Tier-1 suppliers to meet styling, durability, quality, and timing targets, performing component release, packaging, fit checks, and lifecycle management in Teamcenter PLM.

Qualifications

• Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Automotive Engineering.
• 0–3 years of automotive product engineering, design, validation, or manufacturing experience preferred.
• Solid understanding of mechanical design, materials, manufacturing methods, and tolerancing.
• Proficiency in interpreting CAD models, drawings, specs and test reports.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with Product Design Studio to translate early styling concepts into producible wheel designs.
• Support release and lifecycle management of wheels, fasteners, and wheel-trim components in Teamcenter PLM.
• Perform packaging, vehicle integration, clearance checks, and fit-and-finish reviews.
• Track Tier-1 supplier milestones across design, tooling, testing, quality, cost, and delivery.
• Support wheel testing for fatigue, impact resistance, corrosion, and environmental durability.
• Participate in root-cause analysis and corrective actions for styling, lab testing, manufacturing, or field issues.
• Assist prototype builds, pilot builds, plant trials, and production launches.
• Ensure designs meet internal criteria and international safety/regulatory standards.

Skills

CATIA V5

Siemens NX

Teamcenter PLM

DFMEA

DVP&R

APQP

PPAP

Dimensional tolerancing

Mechanical design basics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Automotive Engineering

Job description

We are seeking a Junior Design Release Engineer to support the design, development, validation, and release of automotive wheel systems. This role covers aluminum wheels, steel wheels, wheel bolts/fasteners, center caps, and decorative wheel-trim components. The engineer will collaborate with Product Design Studio, manufacturing plants, and Tier-1 suppliers to achieve styling, structural durability, quality, and program timing targets.

Key Responsibilities

• Styling Realization: Coordinate with the Product Design Studio to translate early styling concepts into manufacturable, production-ready wheel designs.
• Component Release: Support the engineering release and lifecycle management of wheels, fasteners, and wheel-trim components in Teamcenter PLM.
• Packaging & Fit: Conduct component packaging, vehicle integration, clearance checks, and fit-and-finish reviews.
• Supplier Management: Track Tier-1 supplier milestones across design, tooling, testing, quality, unit cost, and delivery.
• Validation & Testing: Support wheel testing for radial fatigue, cornering fatigue, impact resistance, corrosion, and environmental durability.
• Quality & Root Cause: Participate in root-cause analysis and corrective actions for styling, lab testing, manufacturing, or field warranty issues.
• Build & Launch Support: Support prototype vehicle builds, pilot builds, assembly plant trial runs, and production launches.
• Compliance: Ensure designs satisfy all internal engineering criteria and international safety/regulatory standards.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience: 0–3 years of automotive product engineering, design, validation, or manufacturing experience.
• Design Fundamentals: Solid understanding of mechanical design, engineering materials, manufacturing methods, and dimensional tolerancing.
• CAD & Technical Documentation: Proficiency in interpreting CAD models, engineering drawings, specifications, and test reports.
• Tools Knowledge: Exposure to DFMEA, DVP&R, APQP, PPAP, or structured root-cause analysis processes.
• Software: Hands‑on project or professional experience with CATIA V5, Siemens NX, or Teamcenter PLM.

Preferred Qualifications

• Automotive internship, co‑op, or university design team (e.g., Formula SAE) experience.
• Exposure to aluminum casting, steel forming, machining, painting, electroplating, or plastic injection molding.
• Familiarity with fatigue, impact, corrosion, and dimensional validation testing for chassis/exterior components.

SEGULA Technologies is a global engineering group, boosting the competitiveness of all major industrial sectors: automotive, aerospace, energy, rail, naval, life sciences, and telecoms. With a presence in more than 30 countries and 140 locations worldwide, the Group prioritizes close relationships with its clients, driven by the expertise of its 15,000 employees. As a leading engineering player putting innovation at the heart of its strategy, SEGULA Technologies manages large-scale projects, ranging from initial studies to industrialization and production. SEGULA TECHNOLOGIES is dedicated to gender balance and diversity, recognizing and recruiting talent of all backgrounds.