Exterior Lighting Engineer

Intellectt INC; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Intellectt INC in Irvine, CA seeks an experienced Exterior Lighting Engineer to lead automotive exterior lighting design and release activities. You will create detailed CATIA V6 designs and collaborate with styling and supplier teams to meet cost, weight, and manufacturing targets.

Responsibilities include developing headlamps, tail lamps, and center light panels, interpreting simulations, and ensuring robust product development across the lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of automotive lighting design experience.
• Minimum 3 years hands-on experience as Lighting Design & Release Engineer (DRE).
• Strong knowledge of exterior lighting systems and their components.
• Proficiency in CATIA V6 for component design.
• Good understanding of automotive manufacturing processes and supplier collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop automotive exterior lighting systems, including headlamps, tail lamps, center light panels, and corner lamps.
• Collaborate with the styling team to evaluate design feasibility, review Class-A surfaces, and define craftsmanship targets.
• Create detailed component designs in CATIA V6 while ensuring manufacturing feasibility.
• Work closely with suppliers to optimize designs for cost, weight, manufacturing methods, and performance.
• Complete and release lighting components, sub-systems, and detailed designs.
• Interpret simulation results and implement design improvements.
• Support product development by applying knowledge of automotive lighting systems and manufacturing processes.

Skills

Lighting DRE

CATIA V6

Supplier collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CATIA V6

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Exterior Lighting Engineer with expertise in automotive exterior lighting design and development. The ideal candidate will have hands‑on experience as a Lighting DRE, strong proficiency in CATIA V6, and a solid understanding of lighting systems, manufacturing processes, and supplier collaboration to support the complete product development lifecycle.

Job Title: Exterior Lighting Engineer

Location: Irvine, CA

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop automotive exterior lighting systems, including headlamps, tail lamps, center light panels, and corner lamps.
• Collaborate with the styling team to evaluate design feasibility, review Class-A surfaces, and define craftsmanship targets.
• Create detailed component designs in CATIA V6 while ensuring manufacturing feasibility.
• Work closely with suppliers to optimize designs for cost, weight, manufacturing methods, and performance.
• Complete and release lighting components, sub-systems, and detailed designs.
• Interpret simulation results and implement design improvements.
• Support product development by applying knowledge of automotive lighting systems and manufacturing processes.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related Engineering discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in automotive lighting design.
• Minimum 3 years of hands‑on experience as a Lighting Design & Release Engineer (DRE).
• Strong knowledge of automotive exterior lighting systems and their components.
• Proficiency in CATIA V6 for component design.
• Good understanding of automotive manufacturing processes and supplier collaboration.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with automotive OEMs or Tier-1 suppliers.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.