Exterior Mechanisms Engineer

ALTEN Technology USA; Long Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-site work

Remote Fridays

Job summary

ALTEN Technology USA is seeking an experienced Mechanical Design Engineer to own exterior mechanism components from concept through launch. You will CAD in 3DX and CATIA, run kinematic studies, and drive manufacturing considerations for hinges, latches, struts and actuators.

The role requires 5+ years in automotive product development, hands-on CAD ownership, GD&T, and supplier coordination. On-site work in Long Beach is expected with a Friday remote option.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of automotive or comparable product development experience owning mechanical components through launch.
• Direct design and release experience on mechanisms, linkages, hinges, latches, struts or similar motion hardware.
• Hands-on CAD ownership and ability to walk through decisions.

Responsibilities

• Own exterior mechanism components end to end from concept through production launch.
• Design and release hinges, latches, strikers and actuators for motion hardware.
• Build and maintain CAD in 3DX and CATIA; develop kinematic studies and tolerances.
• Define and drive DFMEA, DVP&R, and test plans with validation teams.
• Apply design for manufacturing across injection molded, sheet metal and stamped parts.
• Source and manage suppliers through the full development cycle and PPAP.
• Support prototype and pilot builds and drive changes through release.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to maintain design intent.

Skills

CAD ownership

3DX

CATIA

GD&T

DFMEA

DVP&R

injection molding

sheet metal

supplier management

on-site work

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

3DX

CATIA

Job description

We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life-saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.

As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.

When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

Workplace: On-site, 4 days per week. Friday, Remote.
Location: Long Beach, CA

You will own the mechanisms that customers touch every day. Hoods, liftgates, doors, fuel and charge port doors, running boards, tonneau systems and the exterior accessories that hang off them. This is a clean sheet program, not a carryover, which means you will define kinematics, effort targets and hardware architecture rather than inherit them. You will personally build and drive the CAD, run the studies that prove the motion works, and stay with the component through DV, PV and launch. The team is small and flat, so the engineer who owns the design also owns the supplier, the build issues and the fix.

Responsibilities

• Own exterior mechanism components end to end, from concept and packaging through design, validation and production launch.
• Design and release hinges, latches, strikers, check links, gas struts and spindle drives, actuators, cables and linkage systems, working to opening and closing effort targets, cycle life and load cases.
• Build and maintain your own CAD in 3DX and CATIA. Develop kinematic studies, motion envelopes, swing paths, tolerance stacks and clearance to surrounding structure, sheet metal and trim.
• Define and drive DFMEA, DVP&R, and test plans. Work with test and validation teams to close open items and document compliance evidence.
• Apply design for manufacturing across injection molded, sheet metal and stamped components, including draft, gate and parting line strategy, tooling feasibility, and forming and weld constraints.
• Source and manage suppliers through the full development cycle: technical reviews, design gates, tooling kickoff, PPAP support, and issue resolution on their side and ours.
• Support prototype and pilot builds hands on. Be at the vehicle, find the root cause, and drive the change through release.
• Coordinate with Studio, Body, Closures, Interiors, Electrical and Manufacturing to hold design intent while resolving competing requirements.
• Manage part release, change actions and BOM accuracy through the program’s PLM and change control process.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
• 5 or more years of automotive or comparable product development experience owning mechanical components through launch.
• Direct design and release experience on mechanisms, linkages, hinges, latches, struts or similar motion hardware.
• Demonstrated hands on CAD ownership. You built the geometry yourself and can walk through the decisions in it.
• Working knowledge of injection molding and sheet metal manufacturing processes and their design constraints.
• Experience with GD&T, tolerance stack analysis, DFMEA and DVP&R.
• Supplier facing experience through tooling, build and launch.
• Ability to work onsite in Long Beach.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience on a clean sheet or startup vehicle program where the process was still being defined.
• Closures, exterior trim or accessories commodity background.
• 3DX and CATIA V6 proficiency.
• Kinematic simulation, motion analysis or CAE experience beyond basic modeling.
• Vehicle launch experience at a plant, including build support, issue tracking and containment.
• Exposure to power closure systems, sensors or ADAS component integration into exterior surfaces.

Salary Range

• $125,000 - 140,000
• The actual salary offered is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, location, the candidate’s combination of job-related knowledge, qualifications, skills, education, training, and experience

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.

Please beware of job seeker scams and see this important notice on our careers page for more information about our recruiting process.

Compliance Notice: Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Drug Screening Requirement: As a federal contractor, Alten USA maintains a drug-free workplace. All candidates selected for employment will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment drug screening as a condition of hire.

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