Vehicle Dynamics Performance Engineer

Stellantis; Chelsea (MI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Stellantis is seeking a Project Performance Engineer for Vehicle Dynamics in Chelsea, Michigan. The successful candidate will develop and achieve vehicle level ride and handling targets through collaboration with a team of engineers, ensuring alignment with functional objectives.

This role involves significant in-vehicle development and travel to test locations. Applicants should possess a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering and have extensive automotive testing experience.

Qualifications

• 5 years of automotive testing and validation experience.
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of vehicle systems.
• Must be capable of driving vehicles at, or above the limit of handling.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance to advanced chassis design teams.
• Lead development activities and testing to ensure alignment with targets.
• Work closely with suppliers to drive changes for tuning of systems.

Skills

Vehicle dynamics

Project management

Data logging and analysis

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Tools

Vector CANalyzer

CANape

Microsoft Office tools

Job description

Scope of Work: Project Performance Engineer - Vehicle Dynamics

The Project Performance Engineer (PPE) for Vehicle Dynamics is responsible for achieving vehicle level ride and handling targets for Stellantis Vehicles. The candidate will coordinate with a team of core dynamics engineers to establish development timelines to meet all functional objectives, component tuning freeze dates, and electronic control hardware/software release dates. Further responsibilities include analyzing and mitigating the vehicle dynamics performance impact of engineering, brand, and marketing requests. The PPE also leads coordination of activities with multiple external stakeholders (powertrain, mechatronics, etc.) and must be confident providing updates to senior management regarding the state of the program.

The PPE will be responsible for in-vehicle development of the critical components to meet the vehicle's overall ride, steering, handling, and tire performance objectives. This development work takes place predominantly at the Chelsea Proving Grounds in Michigan, with travel required to other test locations as weather and test surface conditions dictate. Significant travel occurs during the winter months, with trips lasting 2‑3 weeks at a time. Travel is mostly domestic within North America, but can also be international, and is approximately 20% of the Engineer’s time.

Job Responsibilities Include but Are Not Limited To:

• Provide guidance to advanced chassis design teams to develop suspension architectures which support vehicle line targets and FOs
• Lead development activities including testing and subjective assessment of vehicle level function to ensure alignment with targets
• Responsible for development of suspension mechanical and electromechanical components and systems in order to achieve driving dynamics functional attribute targets
• Perform subjective evaluations of ride, steering, and handling and assign ratings according to SAE subjective scales up to and beyond the handling limits of the vehicle
• Work closely with suppliers to drive changes required to complete tuning of all systems including air springs, passive dampers, semi‑active dampers, and electronic power steering
• Support all active chassis teams in development/implementation/testing of electromechanical hardware and supporting software through data acquisition systems
• Development of state‑of‑the‑art prototype and production controls solutions for electromechanical suspension components
• Contribute to development of future semi‑active damping strategies and algorithm functional execution
• Work closely with chassis controls team members to develop seamless integration with other active chassis controls components and systems
• Development and execution of vehicle performance DVP&R
• Support core software team with execution of functional and failsafe DVP&R with vehicle level tests

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or equivalent
• 5 years of automotive testing and validation experience
• Excellent knowledge of vehicle dynamics
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of vehicle systems
• Experience with requirements management and software version management tools
• Effective project management, organizational, and teamwork skills
• Data logging and analysis using tools (Vector CANalyzer, CANape, etc.)
• Must be capable of driving vehicles at, or above the limit of handling
• Valid US driver’s license

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master of Science in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering from an ABET accredited university
• DFSS Green Belt certification
• Hardware‑in‑Loop (HIL) simulation experience
• Mechatronics based skills/experience/education
• Self‑starter with strong communication skills
• CAN networking experience
• Microsoft Office tools

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

At Stellantis, we assess candidates based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We welcome applications from all people without regard to sex, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any characteristic protected by law. We believe that diverse teams reflect our identity as a global company, enabling us to better address the evolving needs of our customers and care for our future.