Seat complete design release engineer

Detroit Engineered Products; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Detroit Engineered Products seeks a Seat Complete Engineer to drive design, development, integration, validation, and production support of full vehicle seating systems. You will manage seating products through the lifecycle from concept to end-of-life while meeting safety, regulatory, quality, cost, and customer requirements.

Collaborating with cross-functional teams and suppliers, you will ensure proper integration with vehicle interfaces, develop DVPR plans, lead root-cause investigations,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Mechatronics/Electrical Engineering from ABET-accredited university.
• At least 5 years of automotive engineering experience, preferably seating systems.
• Experience with complete seat systems and component integration.
• Strong understanding of seat components, vehicle interfaces, and packaging.
• Proficiency with Siemens NX and Teamcenter.
• Experience developing and applying DFMEA and other design quality methodologies.
• Experience with product development, engineering change management, BOM management, and product release processes.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate complete seating systems.
• Manage BOM creation and maintenance, engineering changes, design revisions, and change management.
• Ensure proper integration of the complete seat system within the vehicle.
• Develop and maintain DVPR plans and support prototype, validation, and production builds.
• Analyze product and manufacturing issues, lead root-cause investigations, and implement corrective actions.
• Develop and implement corrective actions addressing design, quality, and manufacturing concerns.
• Work with suppliers to manage design, development, quality, cost, and delivery of seat components.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to achieve program objectives.
• Lead seat product through lifecycle from concept to end-of-life.
• Ensure seating designs comply with FMVSS and ECE standards.
• Drive weight reduction, cost optimization, design improvement, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Monitor and communicate development status, risks, and milestones to leadership.
• Support continuous improvement to enhance quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction.

Skills

Seat integration

Product lifecycle management

Root-cause analysis

Engineering change management

Regulatory compliance

Team collaboration

Education

ABET-accredited engineering degree (ME/Mechatronics/EE)

Tools

Siemens NX

Teamcenter

Job description

The Seat Complete Engineer is responsible for the design, development, integration, validation, and production support of complete vehicle seating systems. This role manages seat products throughout the entire product lifecycle, from initial concept and development through production and end-of-life, while ensuring compliance with safety, regulatory, performance, quality, cost, and customer requirements.

The engineer will work closely with cross-functional teams, suppliers, manufacturing, quality, and design organizations to deliver robust, cost-effective, and production-ready seating systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate complete vehicle seating systems, including seat structures, components, foam, trim, and related systems.
• Manage the complete product release lifecycle, including BOM creation and maintenance, engineering changes, design revisions, and change management processes.
• Ensure proper integration of the complete seat system within the vehicle, including physical interfaces and functional requirements.
• Develop and maintain Design Verification and Product Reliability (DVPR) plans and support prototype, validation, and production builds.
• Analyze product and manufacturing issues, lead root-cause investigations, and implement effective troubleshooting and corrective actions.
• Develop and implement both interim and permanent corrective actions to address design, quality, and manufacturing concerns.
• Work closely with suppliers to manage the design, development, quality, cost, and delivery of seat components and systems.
• Collaborate with design, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, and other cross-functional teams to achieve program and product objectives.
• Lead the seat product through all phases of the product lifecycle, from concept and development through production and end-of-life.
• Ensure seating designs comply with applicable safety regulations, performance specifications, engineering standards, and customer requirements.
• Drive initiatives focused on weight reduction, cost optimization, design improvement, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Monitor and communicate product development status, risks, issues, and milestones to engineering leadership and program stakeholders.
• Support continuous improvement activities to enhance product quality, reliability, manufacturability, and overall customer satisfaction.

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline from an ABET-accredited university.
• Minimum 5 years of engineering experience in the automotive industry, preferably with vehicle seating systems.
• Demonstrated experience with complete seat systems and seat component integration.
• Strong understanding of seat components, vehicle interfaces, packaging, and physical integration requirements.
• Familiarity with applicable automotive safety regulations and standards, including FMVSS and ECE requirements.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD and product development tools, such as Siemens NX and Teamcenter.
• Experience developing and applying DFMEA and other design quality methodologies to identify, assess, and mitigate potential product risks.
• Experience with product development, engineering change management, BOM management, and product release processes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage engineering activities within global automotive programs.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and root-cause investigation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate technical information to leadership, suppliers, and cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Positive, adaptable, and collaborative approach with a strong willingness to learn.
• High level of attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality engineering solutions.