Exterior Structures CAE Engineer: Lightweight, Crash‑Ready

Jobtailor; Dearborn (MO); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking a mechanical engineer to perform linear and nonlinear FEA on automotive body structures, chassis components and subsystems, supporting design decisions and proposing improvements to meet durability and crashworthiness targets.

You will build and refine FE models, apply topology optimization to reduce mass, correlate CAE results with test data, and communicate findings to design teams. Documentation of methodologies and results will be expected as part of design reviews.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical/automotive engineering (required).
• 3 years of automotive structural CAE experience.
• Familiarity with DOE and statistical analysis methods.
• Experience supporting vehicle programs from concept through production.
• Proficiency in FEA tools such as NASTRAN, ABAQUS, and OptiStruct.
• Experience applying FEA for linear statics, modal, buckling, fatigue, and nonlinear analysis.
• Hands-on topology, topography, size, and shape optimization (OptiStruct, ModeFRONTIER).

Responsibilities

• Perform linear and nonlinear FEA on automotive body structures, chassis components, and subsystems.
• Apply CAE tools to support design decisions and recommend improvements.
• Conduct optimization studies to reduce mass while meeting constraints.
• Build and refine FE models with meshing, material, BCs, and loads.
• Utilize multidisciplinary optimization to balance mass, stiffness, durability, and cost.
• Correlate CAE predictions with physical test data and improve accuracy.
• Collaborate with design, test, and program managers to communicate results.
• Document methodologies and results in technical reports and design reviews.
• Support root-cause investigations for performance issues identified during testing.
• Stay current with industry best practices and software capabilities in CAE.

Skills

FEA

Structural optimization

MDO

DOE

Statistical analysis

Collaboration

Communication

Problem-solving

Automotive engineering

Durability

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Automotive Engineering

Tools

NASTRAN

ABAQUS

OptiStruct

ModeFRONTIER

HyperMesh

HyperView

ANSA

Job description

Jobtailor is seeking a mechanical engineer to perform linear and nonlinear FEA on automotive body structures, chassis components and subsystems, supporting design decisions and proposing improvements to meet durability and crashworthiness targets.

You will build and refine FE models, apply topology optimization to reduce mass, correlate CAE results with test data, and communicate findings to design teams. Documentation of methodologies and results will be expected as part of design reviews.