Senior Engineer, Powertrain Controls Validation

Lucidmotors; Newark (CA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 201,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Life and disability coverage

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Paid sick leave

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Lucid Motors is seeking a Senior Engineer, Powertrain Controls Validation to lead validation activities for powertrain, motion, and chassis Controls across SIL, HIL, and vehicle environments in Newark.

The role requires strong fundamentals in control systems and vehicle dynamics, with 4+ years of embedded automotive validation experience. You will collaborate with multiple engineering teams to diagnose issues and improve validation strategies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field is required.
• Master's degree or higher is preferred.
• Strong fundamentals in control systems, vehicle dynamics, and automotive systems.
• 4+ years validating embedded automotive control systems using SIL, HIL, vehicle testing, or equivalent.
• Ability to interpret requirements, control logic, state machines, and interfaces.
• Strong data-analysis and root-cause debugging skills.

Responsibilities

• Own validation activities for powertrain, vehicle motion control, and chassis control systems across SIL, HIL, and vehicle environments.
• Develop validation strategies based on requirements and architecture.
• Validate control functionality across nominal, boundary, transient, degraded, and fault conditions.
• Investigate complex system-level issues and drive root cause from vehicle behavior to controls, software, and diagnostics.
• Collaborate with Controls, Systems, Software, Calibration, and Vehicle Engineering teams.
• Communicate findings, risks, and recommendations to engineering teams.

Skills

Control systems

Vehicle dynamics

Automotive systems

SIL/HIL testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree or higher

Tools

CAN bus

Job description

About Lucid

At Lucid, we are creating exceptional mobility experiences through innovation to drive the world forward. Built on Lucid’s proprietary technology and software‑defined vehicle architecture, our award‑winning vehicles bring our “Compromise Nothing™” approach to the global automotive market. That means refusing to choose between performance and sustainability, design and engineering, ambition and integrity. In Lucid Air and Lucid Gravity, we have designed and built vehicles that have redefined their segments, combining exceptional range, performance, design, and expansive space in a single experience. We achieve this through deep vertical integration, with design, engineering, and production happening in‑house across our global offices and manufacturing facilities. Our teams come from industries around the world, united by a shared commitment to excellence. By refusing to settle, you can help redefine what’s possible and shape the future of mobility.

Senior Engineer, Powertrain Controls Validation Role Overview

We are looking for a Senior Engineer, Powertrain Controls Validation to support the development and validation of vehicle motion control and chassis‑related control systems. This is a highly technical, hands‑on role spanning SIL, HIL, and vehicle‑level validation. We are looking for an engineer with strong engineering fundamentals, deep understanding of control systems and vehicle behavior, and the ability to independently investigate complex problems from software behavior all the way to the vehicle. The ideal candidate is a subject‑matter expert in powertrain, motion controls, or chassis controls who is comfortable working across simulation and physical test environments and has a strong ownership and can‑do mindset.

Responsibilities

• Own validation activities for powertrain, vehicle motion control, and chassis control systems across SIL, HIL, and vehicle environments.
• Develop validation strategies based on system requirements, control architecture, expected vehicle behavior, and failure modes.
• Validate control functionality across nominal, boundary, transient, degraded, and fault conditions.
• Investigate complex system‑level issues and drive them toward root cause by connecting observed vehicle behavior to controls, software, calibration, network communication, sensors, and actuators.
• Work closely with Controls, Systems, Software, Calibration, Functional Safety, and Vehicle Engineering teams.
• Identify gaps in requirements, control behavior, interfaces, diagnostics, and validation coverage.
• Develop efficient and repeatable test methodologies while maintaining strong engineering judgment rather than relying exclusively on scripted testing.
• Support vehicle testing, issue reproduction, data collection, and technical debugging.
• Clearly communicate technical findings, risks, and recommendations to engineering teams.
• Help improve the overall validation approach by bringing strong controls and vehicle‑level engineering fundamentals to the team.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical field is required.
• Master's degree or higher education is preferred.
• Strong fundamentals in control systems, vehicle dynamics, and automotive systems.
• 4+ years of experience validating embedded automotive control systems using SIL, HIL, vehicle testing, or a combination of these environments.
• Ability to interpret requirements, control logic, state machines, signal interfaces, and system architecture.
• Strong data‑analysis and root‑cause‑debugging skills.
• Ability to understand the physical behavior behind the signals instead of relying solely on test results or automated PASS/FAIL criteria.
• Experience working with CAN and automotive communication signals.
• Ability to independently take an ambiguous technical problem, structure the investigation, collect the right data, and drive it toward resolution.
• Strong ownership, curiosity, and a can‑do attitude.

Salary Range

Base Pay Range (Annual) $146,300 - $201,190 USD

Compensation & Benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life and disability coverage
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Paid sick leave
• 401(k) retirement plan

Hourly/non‑exempt employees accrue up to 120 hours paid time off, and salaried/exempt employee accrue up to 160 hours paid time off. Eligible employees may also participate in Lucid’s equity program and/or a discretionary annual cash incentive program. Incentive and equity awards, if applicable, are determined based on individual performance, role scope, market considerations, and overall company results, in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

Equal Opportunity

At Lucid, we believe diversity strengthens everything we build. Lucid Motors is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing an inclusive workplace for all. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable state or federal laws and regulations.

Accessibility

Lucid Motors is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need any accommodation to participate in the application process, please contact us at TA-Operations lucidmotors.com . This email addres