Product Development Engineer

LHH Recruitment Solutions; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

LHH Recruitment Solutions seeks a Product Development Engineer to support the development and commercialization of lightweight vehicle structural solutions. You will collaborate with automotive OEMs and internal teams to translate structure requirements into manufacturable, cost-effective designs.

The role requires strong experience in automotive body structures, product development, and engineering analysis, with exposure to customer-facing technical work.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in automotive product development or vehicle structures.
• Experience with OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers.
• Strong APQP understanding and vehicle launch knowledge.
• Experience with CAD/CAE, GD&T, and engineering drawings.
• Familiarity with LS-DYNA, Primer, ANSA, and AutoForm is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Translate customer vehicle structure requirements into optimized product and manufacturing solutions.
• Perform engineering analyses, including CAE/FEA and structural evaluations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams through prototype development, validation, and production.
• Manage multiple automotive programs and deliver milestones on time.
• Develop technical presentations and communicate recommendations to customers and stakeholders.
• Build relationships with OEMs, Tier 1 partners, and other industry groups.
• Support continuous improvement of engineering methods and design processes.
• Identify opportunities to incorporate AI and automation into workflows.
• Provide technical mentorship to less experienced engineers.
• Occasionally travel to customer locations and manufacturing facilities.

Skills

Automotive product development

Vehicle structures

Project management

Technical communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Presentation skills

Mentorship

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

LS-DYNA

Primer

ANSA

Meta

AutoForm

CATIA

PowerPoint

Excel

Planner

Job description

Our client is seeking a Product Development Engineer to support the development and commercialization of innovative lightweight vehicle structural solutions. This position will work closely with automotive OEM engineering teams and internal technical groups to translate vehicle structure requirements into manufacturable, cost-effective solutions.

The ideal candidate will bring a strong background in automotive body structures, product development, engineering analysis, and customer-facing technical work. This is an opportunity to play a key role in the development of next-generation vehicle structures while working across multiple vehicle programs and engineering disciplines.

What You Will Do

• Translate customer vehicle structure requirements and engineering challenges into optimized product and manufacturing solutions.
• Perform engineering analyses, including CAE/FEA, structural evaluations, cost assessments, and feasibility studies to support product development and design optimization.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, program management, and other cross-functional teams throughout prototype development, validation, launch, and production.
• Manage multiple automotive programs and engineering projects simultaneously while maintaining customer milestones and internal deliverables.
• Develop technical presentations and communicate engineering recommendations to customers, leadership, and internal stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with OEM engineering organizations, Tier 1 partners, and other industry stakeholders.
• Support continuous improvement of engineering methods, design standards, product development processes, and technical best practices.
• Identify opportunities to incorporate AI and automation into engineering workflows, product development, and design activities.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to less experienced engineers.
• Occasionally travel to customer locations and manufacturing facilities to support engineering projects, technical meetings, and program activities.

What You Will Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, preferably Mechanical, Automotive, Materials, Manufacturing, or a related discipline. Master’s degree is a plus.
• 5+ years of experience in automotive product development, design engineering, vehicle structures, body-in-white engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience working directly with automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, or automotive engineering organizations.
• Strong understanding of automotive product development and vehicle launch processes, including APQP.
• Knowledge of body structures, crash performance, durability, lightweighting, and manufacturing feasibility.
• Experience with engineering analysis, structural assessment, design optimization, engineering drawings, GD&T, technical specifications, and applicable automotive standards.
• Familiarity with advanced materials, lightweight vehicle structures, stamping, welding, joining technologies, CAD/CAE, and automotive manufacturing processes.
• Strong project management capabilities with the ability to manage competing priorities across multiple vehicle programs.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with cross-functional, customer-facing, and geographically distributed teams.
• Excellent technical communication and presentation skills, particularly when working with OEM engineering teams and other external stakeholders.
• Experience with engineering analysis and simulation software such as LS-DYNA, Primer, ANSA, Meta, and AutoForm is highly desirable.
• CATIA experience is preferred.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly PowerPoint, Excel, and Planner.