Senior Engineer: Whole-Vehicle Interior Test & Validation

Talanto; Charlotte, Northern (NC, KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off and parental leave

Job summary

Scout seeks a Senior Engineer for Whole Vehicle Test Requirements & Validation – Offroad & Towing. You will plan, develop, and execute tests on body interior systems, seating, ergonomics, and durability, coordinating with multiple teams to ensure traceability and validation success.

You will lead vehicle evaluations in proving grounds and real-world environments, analyze results, and drive sign‑offs for interior and whole‑vehicle performance while traveling to events as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Human Factors Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in body interior testing, seating systems development, interior durability testing, or whole‑vehicle validation.
• Experience developing and executing objective and subjective body interior test procedures.
• Working knowledge of industry test standards and methodologies related to interior durability, ergonomics, squeak and rattle, occupant comfort, and environmental validation.

Responsibilities

• Plan, develop, and execute whole‑vehicle test cases focused on body interior systems and attributes, including seating systems, interior trim, cockpit systems, ergonomics, squeak and rattle performance, storage functionality, thermal comfort, and perceived quality.
• Translate body interior functional and attribute requirements into executable test procedures with clear acceptance criteria.
• Lead vehicle‑level evaluations across proving grounds, public roads, environmental chambers, durability routes, customer usage simulations, and extreme climate conditions.
• Define and execute test plans for seats, consoles, instrument panels, door trims, headliners, interior lighting, HVAC interfaces, storage systems, occupant touchpoints, and interior durability performance.
• Coordinate with Body Interior, Seating, HVAC, Electrical, Safety, Manufacturing, Supplier Quality, UXUI, and Attribute teams to ensure cross‑functional alignment on requirements and validation expectations.
• Prepare vehicles and instrumentation for interior evaluations, including microphones, accelerometers, thermal sensors, pressure mats, force gauges, vibration sensors, and data loggers.
• Benchmark competitive vehicles to quantify target performance for attributes such as fit and finish, tactile feel, squeak and rattle performance, ergonomics, seating comfort, usability, and perceived quality.
• Analyze objective and subjective test results, generate test reports, identify root causes, and support engineering teams in resolving issues.
• Maintain full traceability between requirements and test cases using CodeBeamer, Jama, Jira, or equivalent tools.
• Plan, organize, and lead validation trips including scheduling, route definition, customer usage simulations, data‑logging strategy, and alignment with MSTs.
• Document test execution, provide sign‑off recommendations, and contribute to release decisions for body interior and whole‑vehicle functions.
• Integrate systems engineering mindset into daily work, ensuring clarity of requirements, ownership of validation scope, and alignment with the V‑model.

Skills

Test planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Data interpretation

Problem solving

Communication

In-person teamwork

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical/Automotive Engineering

Tools

CodeBeamer

Jama

Polarion

DOORS

Job description

Scout seeks a Senior Engineer for Whole Vehicle Test Requirements & Validation – Offroad & Towing. You will plan, develop, and execute tests on body interior systems, seating, ergonomics, and durability, coordinating with multiple teams to ensure traceability and validation success.

You will lead vehicle evaluations in proving grounds and real-world environments, analyze results, and drive sign‑offs for interior and whole‑vehicle performance while traveling to events as needed.