Vehicle Controls Engineer

Optimal Staffing; Plymouth (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimal EV is seeking a Vehicle Controls Engineer to develop, integrate, calibrate, test, and validate vehicle control systems for electric commercial vehicles. You will work with MATLAB/Simulink, Stateflow, CAN, and vehicle data across prototype and production-intent platforms.

The role involves hands-on calibration, road testing, and diagnostics on real vehicles, with collaboration across Mechanical, Electrical, Vehicle Integration, Production, and Quality teams to ensure robust control

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Experience with control systems and embedded systems.
• Experience with MATLAB/Simulink and Stateflow.
• Understanding of vehicle dynamics and CAN communication.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Ability to perform hands-on vehicle testing and calibration.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain vehicle control software using MATLAB/Simulink and Stateflow.
• Develop, integrate, and calibrate vehicle control functions across multiple vehicle platforms.
• Support vehicle dynamics, drivability, powertrain, thermal, charging, and body control development.
• Apply control-system principles to improve vehicle performance, stability, efficiency, and overall behavior.
• Develop and tune control algorithms, state machines, fault handling, and system logic.
• Integrate new electrical and electronic components into the vehicle control system.
• Develop and maintain CAN communication interfaces and vehicle signals.
• Support vehicle diagnostics, fault detection, and troubleshooting.
• Analyze CAN logs, measurement data, and vehicle behavior to identify root causes.
• Perform hands-on vehicle calibration, commissioning, and validation.
• Conduct road testing and vehicle-level functional testing.
• Support software flashing, controller configuration, and calibration updates.
• Reproduce production and field issues and validate corrective actions.
• Perform regression testing after software, calibration, or component changes.
• Support EV charging and high-voltage system integration and validation.
• Develop configurable software and calibration strategies that support multiple vehicle platforms.
• Maintain software versions, calibration files, and release documentation.
• Support software release and validation activities.
• Work closely with Mechanical, Electrical, Vehicle Integration, Production, Quality, and Service teams.
• Work with suppliers to support component integration and troubleshooting.
• Support prototype vehicle builds and engineering development activities.
• Drive controls-related issues through root-cause analysis, corrective action, validation, and closure.

Skills

MATLAB/Simulink

Stateflow

CAN communication

Analytical skills

Troubleshooting

Hands-on testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Mechatronics, Controls Engineering, or related field

Tools

CANalyzer

CANoe

Git

Job description

Position Title: Vehicle Controls Engineer

Position Summary

Optimal EV is seeking a Vehicle Controls Engineer to develop, integrate, calibrate, test, and validate vehicle control systems for electric commercial vehicles.

The engineer will work with MATLAB/Simulink, Stateflow, CAN communication, vehicle controllers, and vehicle test data to support vehicle control development across multiple platforms.

This is a hands-on engineering role. The engineer will work directly on prototype and production-intent vehicles to troubleshoot issues, perform calibration, collect data, validate control functions, and support vehicle commissioning.

The ideal candidate should have a strong understanding of control systems, vehicle dynamics, electric vehicle systems, CAN communication, and vehicle-level testing.

Key Responsibilities

Develop and maintain vehicle control software using MATLAB/Simulink and Stateflow.

Develop, integrate, and calibrate vehicle control functions across multiple vehicle platforms.

Support vehicle dynamics, drivability, powertrain, thermal, charging, and body control development.

Apply control-system principles to improve vehicle performance, stability, efficiency, and overall behavior.

Develop and tune control algorithms, state machines, fault handling, and system logic.

Integrate new electrical and electronic components into the vehicle control system.

Develop and maintain CAN communication interfaces and vehicle signals.

Support vehicle diagnostics, fault detection, and troubleshooting.

Analyze CAN logs, measurement data, and vehicle behavior to identify root causes.

Perform hands-on vehicle calibration, commissioning, and validation.

Conduct road testing and vehicle-level functional testing.

Support software flashing, controller configuration, and calibration updates.

Reproduce production and field issues and validate corrective actions.

Perform regression testing after software, calibration, or component changes.

Support EV charging and high-voltage system integration and validation.

Develop configurable software and calibration strategies that support multiple vehicle platforms.

Maintain software versions, calibration files, and release documentation.

Support software release and validation activities.

Work closely with Mechanical, Electrical, Vehicle Integration, Production, Quality, and Service teams.

Work with suppliers to support component integration and troubleshooting.

Support prototype vehicle builds and engineering development activities.

Drive controls-related issues through root-cause analysis, corrective action, validation, and closure.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Mechatronics, Controls Engineering, or related field.

Experience with control systems, automotive controls, embedded systems, or vehicle development.

Experience with MATLAB/Simulink and/or Stateflow.

Understanding of vehicle dynamics and vehicle system behavior.

Understanding of CAN communication.

Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills.

Ability to work with software, electrical systems, and physical vehicle systems.

Comfortable working directly on vehicles in a shop or development environment.

Ability to perform hands-on vehicle testing, calibration, and troubleshooting.

Ability to analyze vehicle data and clearly document results.

Strong problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional teamwork skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with electric or commercial vehicles.

Experience with vehicle controls development and calibration.

Experience with vehicle dynamics or drivability development.

Experience with model-based development and automatic code generation.

Experience with CAN tools such as CANalyzer, CANoe, or similar.

Familiarity with vehicle diagnostics and UDS.

Knowledge of high-voltage electric vehicle systems.

Familiarity with EV charging systems.

Experience with vehicle testing and data analysis.

Programming experience in C, C++, Python, or similar languages.

Familiarity with version control systems such as Git.

Familiarity with functional safety concepts.

What Success Looks Like

Vehicle control systems are stable, reliable, and properly calibrated.

Vehicle behavior meets engineering and performance requirements.

Control functions work consistently across different vehicle platforms and operating conditions.

Vehicle issues can be diagnosed efficiently using data and hands-on testing.

New components and systems are integrated and validated effectively.

Control changes are tested on the vehicle before production release.

Software and calibration releases are controlled, documented, and reproducible.

Controls-related issues are identified and resolved before they reach production or customers.