Research & Development Engineer

Subaru of America; Belleville (MI); Hybrid; USD 57,000 - 82,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision Plans

Pension, Profit Sharing, and 401K Match

Tuition Reimbursement Program

Vehicle Discount Programs

Job summary

A leading automotive manufacturer in Michigan seeks an R&D Engineer to conduct market research, vehicle evaluations, and coordinate engineering activities. This hybrid position allows remote work 2 days a week after 90 days. The role requires a Bachelor's degree in engineering and offers a competitive salary range of $57,000.00 - $82,000.00 annually, alongside a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and tuition reimbursement. Join a team dedicated to innovation, safety, and sustainability.

Qualifications

• Degree in mechanical/electrical engineering or computer science.
• Less than 2 years of automotive engineering experience.
• Strong judgment skills in evaluating technology.

Responsibilities

• Conduct market research and evaluate automotive components.
• Coordinate vehicle evaluation and benchmarking efforts.
• Manage data analysis and report findings.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Presentation skills

Automobile evaluation

Passion for customer service

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

Tools

Python

CAD

Job description

About Subaru

LOVE. It's what makes Subaru, Subaru®. As a leading auto brand in the US, we strive to be More Than a Car Company®. Subaru believes in being a positive force in the communities in which we live and work, not just with donations but with actions that set an example for others to follow. That's what we call our Subaru Love Promise®.

Subaru is a globally renowned automobile manufacturer known for its commitment to innovation, safety, and sustainability. With a rich history dating back to 1953, Subaru has consistently pushed the boundaries of automotive engineering to deliver vehicles that offer not only exceptional performance but also a unique blend of utility and adventure.

Subaru's company culture is built on collaboration, diversity, and a shared passion for our product. We foster an inclusive environment that encourages employees to bring their unique perspectives and talents to the table. Our team members are driven by a common goal: to create exceptional vehicles that inspire and delight our customers.

Role Summary

The Research & Development (R&D) Engineer (ADAS & Vehicle Performance Engineering) researches, analyzes, recommends, implements, inspects, and verifies North American engineering activities as well as the demands and characteristics of the United States market to recommend and define corporate goals and target performance goals for future products.

Activities

Internal research activities:

• Collaborative research with academia, technical consortiums, and other third-party institutions.
• Testing and evaluating new and/or novel technologies.
• Analyzing market and automotive technical trends.
• Assisting with the development of vehicles that meet the current and future demands of our customers while correlating testing with Japan counterparts and assisting with the development and execution of company infrastructure‑related plans to support all aforementioned activities.

Major Responsibilities

Vehicle Evaluation

• Evaluates competitor products and Subaru development mules and near‑production and production vehicles to identify weaknesses and strengths in ride, handling, braking, drivability, stability, ride comfort, visibility, noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), usability, etc.
• Identifies Subaru's strengths and weaknesses when compared with competitors.
• Determines pathways (ways and means) of exploiting Subaru's strengths and counter‑measuring weaknesses.

Vehicle Benchmarking

• Coordinates and manages the research, evaluation, and analyses of automotive components as well as competitor vehicle features and performance to guide benchmark vehicle selection and enhance the customer's safety, experience, and convenience of using Subaru vehicles, either independently or upon request by Subaru.
• Coordinates and manages benchmarking activities of competitor vehicles.
• Manages, coordinates, and executes the rental of competitor vehicles for benchmarking purposes.
• Provides feedback of benchmarking results to Subaru Corporation (SBR) to guide development of next generation vehicles and maintain Subaru's competitive edge.

Research & Development Activities

• Plans, coordinates, manages, and executes surveys, market research research and evaluation, collaboration with academia and other third‑party institutions, and data analysis of particular automotive components to inform the direction of future research and Subaru technology. This includes evaluating Subaru vehicles and consumer goods and the environment that they are frequently used in by the U.S. customer. This can apply to components such as exterior, interior usability, sound design, sustainability/sustainable materials, recycled plastics, advanced driver‑assist systems (ADAS), electric vehicle (EV) batteries, and Zero Fatalities goals.
• Plans, coordinates, and executes surveys and field research trips to identify customer opinions, needs, and personas to develop use‑case scenarios, inform development targets, and ensure palatability to the U.S. market. Topics include but are not limited to EVs and user experience (UX).
• Plans, coordinates, manages, and measures vehicle factors such as active noise cancellation (ANC), acceleration noise/vibration, wind noise, road noise/vibration, charging noise/vibration, etc. and implements results into next generation mass‑production vehicles.
• Provides findings and feedback of results to SBR, SIA, and or SOA.
• Promotes work not only for qualitative evaluation, but also to be able to set the required characteristics numerically to drop them into the drawings.
• Develops tools for efficient numerical analysis and makes full use of Python, etc., to link the sensations felt by people with numerical values, clarify the correlation, and incorporate the values into drawings as requirement values.
• Using computer‑aided design (CAD), virtual reality (VR), three‑dimensional (3D) printers, and computer numerical control (CNC) mills, creates fabrications and mockups and conducts surveys of customers using those fabrications and mockups to reflect the results in future vehicles.
• Investigates, analyzes, and shares information about external potential partners and vendors such as recycled plastic suppliers and EV battery recyclers, repairers, and remanufacturers.

General

• Conducts research and performance evaluations of new technologies, competitive products, and as directed by project managers as a means to drive new innovative features and functions.
• Coordinates various research programs requested by the SBR Engineering department in Japan or at North American Subaru, Inc. Research & Development (NASI R&D), which includes gathering research/intelligence on competitive products and providing feedback to SBR.
• Keeps in good working order test equipment and test vehicles under Subaru R&D's charge.
• Keeps up to date on industry‑related information by attending meetings and conferences and reading industry journals as well as talking to contacts in other companies and leverages gained information to drive new innovative features and functions.
• Maintains and coordinates the repair of existing testing equipment and purchases or recommends new equipment as needed to fulfill or expand NASI R&D's capability.
• Prepares detailed reports, surveys, research of technical information, and competitive analysis, either independently or upon request by SBR and NASI R&D.
• Supports visiting or internally developed test teams throughout the United States.
• Works and trains with Subaru engineers in Japan to learn and understand procedures, equipment, and methodology and subsequently safely, accurately, and proficiently executes them in the U.S.
• Works as part of engineering teams from both the U.S. and Japan to meet each team's goals either remotely or in person.
• Maintains internal benchmarking results database and coordinates with other engineers in data entry into the database.
• Using a variety of informational resources, research and studies governmental regulations and industry group standards to provide pre‑planning of SBR's North American product lines.
• Plans, supports, and manages testing and development activities by contracted third‑party entiti ers.
• Researches and evaluates third‑party contract testing service providers and provides feedback and information for vendor selection process.
• Performs special projects and other miscellaneous duties as assigned by management.
• Reports all irregular issues and problems to supervisor for resolution.
• Maintains a clean and safe working area.
• Observes and maintains all internal and external safety regulations and procedures in the areas of safety, competency, and technique, as needed.
• Maintains good communication and harmonious relations with people and entities both inside and outside the company.
• Trains other employees on proper techniques and procedures.

Required Skills & Personal Qualifications

• Analytical and conceptual thinking using logic and reason; creative and strategic skills.
• Interpersonal, presentation, and written communication skills across cultural and language barriers, particularly the ability to precisely and concisely communicate information.
• Specialist skills in automobile evaluation. Ability to evaluate aspects of an automobile as an expert customer.
• Ability to judge and describe automobile performance both subjectively and in engineering terminology.
• Strong judgment skills and willingness to share them when evaluating new technology and information. Passion for automobiles and customer service.
• Interest in sustainability.
• Previous computer‑aided design (CAD) and three‑dimensional (3D) printing experience.
• Basic familiarity with Ubuntu Linux and/or other distributions.
• Travel to other locations both within and outside the local region, possibly on short notice.
• Perform routine task of test‑driving vehicles.
• Work safely and proficiently in a machine shop environment with a variety of instruments and tools.
• Hold a valid driver's license.

Preferred Skills

• Knowledge and experience in Python, C++, MATLAB, JavaScript, Vector tools, dSPACE tools, and or NVIDIA DRIVE.
• Advanced understanding of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and/or mixed reality (MR). Preferred Experience with automotive drawing design.
• Experience in controller area network (CAN), transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), and or other electronic signals.
• Understanding of materials science relating to plastics, injection molding, plastic formulation modifications, and testing on mechanical properties of plastics.
• Japanese and English language skills at the professional translator/interpreter level.

Education/Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, software engineering, or similar field or H.S. Diploma and equivalent combination of education and experience in lieu of degree.
• Less than 2 years of previous automotive engineering experience.

Work Environment

• Hybrid Role: Remote work 2 days per week (After 90 Days)
• Internal Work Environment: Prolonged sitting at desk and computer.
• Physical Demands: Occasional lifts and moves computing equipment up to 20 lbs.
• Travel Required: 20%

Compensation

The recruiting base salary range for this full‑time position is $57,000.00 - $82,000.00/year. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors, including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. (Internal Job Grade: P1)

In addition to competitive salary, Subaru offers an amazing benefits package that includes:

• Medical, Dental, Vision Plans
• Pension, Profit Sharing, and 401K Match Offerings
• 15 Vacation days, 9 Company Holidays, 5 Floating Holidays, and 5 Sick days.
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Vehicle Discount Programs

Visit our Careers landing page for additional information about our compensation and benefit programs.