Power Liftgate Systems - Design Release Engineer

altentechnologyusa; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering leader across aerospace, automotive and medical devices, is seeking a Design Release Engineer (DRE) for Power Liftgate Systems in Auburn Hills, MI. You’ll own end-to-end engineering from concept through vehicle launch, balancing mechanical packaging with electromechanical integration.

Key duties include cradle-to-grave design ownership, DFMEA/DVP&R testing, NX/CATIA design interfaces, and Teamcenter release management.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical, Electrical or Mechatronics or related field.
• 3+ years in automotive product development design and release.
• Direct experience with electromechanical systems, closures or body-electronics preferred.
• Deep understanding of GD&T and tolerance stack-up analysis.
• Familiarity with automotive manufacturing processes (injection molding, stamping, electronics assembly).
• Experience with change management docs (CNs/ECRs) and BOM management.
• Strong interpersonal, project tracking and conflict management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead cradle-to-grave design ownership for power liftgate components and subsystems.
• Interface with NX/CATIA resources and manage release structures in Teamcenter.
• Author DFMEA and DVP&R tests at component, system and vehicle level.
• Collaborate with styling, BIW, interior, electrical, and assembly plants for integration.
• Oversee Tier-1 supplier engineering and manufacturing activities and design reviews.
• Apply structured problem-solving to root-cause failures in assembly and field.

Skills

GD&T

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Mechatronics

Tools

NX

CATIA

Teamcenter

CNs/ECRs

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.

The Design Release Engineer (DRE) for Power Liftgate Systems is responsible for the end-to-end engineering, design, development, validation, and production release of automated liftgate and tailgate systems. This role requires a balance of mechanical packaging and electromechanical integration, managing components like electric struts/actuators, latching mechanisms, control modules, pinch sensors, and wire routings. The engineer acts as the technical owner from initial concept sketches through full vehicle launch.

Key Responsibilities

• Component Ownership: Lead the complete "cradle-to-grave" product engineering process for power liftgate components and sub-systems, ensuring they meet vehicle packaging and styling constraints.
• CAD & Architecture: Interface with internal or supplier CAD resources using NX / CATIA and manage product release structures within Teamcenter.
• Quality & Validation: Author and execute Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) and Design Verification Plan & Report (DVP&R) testing at the component, system, and full-vehicle level.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with the Product Design Office (styling), body-in-white (BIW), interior trim, electrical architecture, and assembly plants to ensure flawless system integration.
• Supplier Management: Oversee tier-1 supplier engineering and manufacturing activities, leading design reviews and ensuring hardware delivers on time and within cost targets.
• Issue Resolution: Utilize structured problem-solving methodologies (e.g., Shainin Red X, Kepner-Tregoe, DFSS) to root-cause assembly plant, prototype build, and field warranty failures.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field.
• Experience: 3+ years of experience in automotive product development design and release.
• Direct experience with electromechanical systems, closures, moving mechanisms, or body-electronics integration preferred.
• Technical Skills: Deep understanding of GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) and tolerance stack-up analysis.
• Familiarity with typical automotive manufacturing processes (plastics injection molding, stamping, electronics assembly).
• Proficiency in change management documentation (CNs/ECRs) and managing a Bill of Materials (BOM).
• Soft Skills: Excellent interpersonal, project tracking, and conflict management skills needed to drive alignment across global engineering sites.
• 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.