Vehicle Launch Engineer, Body Exteriors

ALTEN Technology USA; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

ALTEN Technology USA is seeking an experienced Automotive Exterior Launch Engineer to drive exterior commodities from design intent through prototype builds, pilot, pre-production and start of production. You will coordinate with design, manufacturing, and quality teams to ensure readiness at the plant during build events and address issues quickly to protect program timing.

You will own fit and finish, tooling and process changes, and coordinate with suppliers on part readiness and PPAP status.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Automotive Engineering or equivalent.
• 5+ years of automotive engineering experience with launch or plant-side work.
• Hands-on with exterior body commodities (fascias, bumpers, etc.).
• Demonstrated ownership of launch issue resolution and cross-functional escalation.
• Working knowledge of GD&T, tolerance stack-up, datum strategy, and measurement methods.

Responsibilities

• Own launch readiness for exterior commodities across all build phases from prototype to start of production.
• Lead build event support at the assembly plant and prototype shop with part staging and documentation.
• Interface between exterior DREs, plant vehicle team, manufacturing engineering, STA, and quality on part availability.

Skills

Vehicle launch

Exterior commodities

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional comms

GD&T knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Automotive Engineering

Tools

CATIA V5

3DEXPERIENCE

Siemens NX

Teamcenter

Jira

Job description

We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life-saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.

As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.

When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

You will be a key contributor within a world class automotive body exterior engineering team, responsible for driving exterior systems from design intent through prototype builds, pilot, and job one at the assembly plant. This role sits at the intersection of design release, manufacturing, and quality, and owns the launch readiness of exterior commodities including fascias, claddings, moldings, spoilers, roof systems, glazing, ornamentation, and sensor apertures. You will be the exteriors team's on the ground presence during build events, translating engineering intent into repeatable plant execution and closing issues fast enough to protect program timing.

Responsibilities

• Own launch readiness for assigned exterior commodities across all build phases, from early prototype and integration builds through pilot, pre-production, and start of production
• Lead build event support at the assembly plant and prototype shop, including part staging, first time build documentation, issue capture, containment, and daily issue review
• Serve as the primary interface between exterior DREs, plant vehicle team, manufacturing engineering, STA, and quality on part availability, buildability, and process capability
• Drive root cause and corrective action on exterior fit, finish, gap and flush, squeak and rattle, water leak, and craftsmanship findings discovered during build and validation
• Manage the exterior launch issue list, prioritize by program risk, and drive closure through design change, tooling change, or process change with clear ownership and timing
• Support tolerance and dimensional strategy execution, including fit to nominal execution, locator and datum verification, gap and flush measurement, and correlation of variation studies to build results
• Coordinate part readiness with suppliers and purchasing, including tooling maturity, PPAP status, off tool and off process part timing, and escalation of at risk parts
• Support DFM and DFA reviews on exterior components and assemblies, providing manufacturing and assembly feedback into the design during the release window
• Track and report launch metrics and readiness status to program leadership, including open issue burn down, part readiness, and quality gate performance
• Support engineering change execution during launch, verifying change implementation in the plant and confirming effectiveness on subsequent builds
• Participate in buck reviews, teardown events, and vehicle audits, documenting findings and driving them into the appropriate engineering or manufacturing lane

Required Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, or Automotive Engineering, or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of automotive engineering experience with direct involvement in vehicle launch, prototype builds, or plant side product engineering
• Hands on experience with exterior body commodities such as fascias, bumpers, claddings, moldings, spoilers, glazing, or ornamentation
• Demonstrated ownership of launch issue resolution, including root cause analysis, corrective action, and cross functional escalation
• Working knowledge of GD&T, tolerance stack up, datum and locator strategy, and dimensional measurement methods
• Familiarity with automotive product development milestones and launch gates, including prototype build phases, PPAP, and production validation
• Experience working directly with suppliers on tooling maturity, part quality, and delivery recovery
• Strong communication skills and the ability to operate credibly with plant floor personnel, engineers, suppliers, and program leadership
• Willingness to work onsite in Long Beach, CA and to travel to supplier and assembly plant locations, including extended stretches during launch

Bonus Skills

• Prior experience launching an electric vehicle program or a new nameplate at a greenfield or low volume plant
• Experience with OEM launch processes and terminology
• Proficiency with CATIA V5, 3DEXPERIENCE, Siemens NX, or Teamcenter
• Experience with dimensional and quality tools such as CMM data interpretation, blue light scanning, or variation simulation analysis
• Exposure to exterior sensor apertures, sensor cleaning systems, or ADAS related exterior integration and the launch challenges they introduce
• Background in injection molded plastics, Class A surface quality, paint and film processes, or adhesive and fastening systems
• Experience managing issue tracking systems such as Jira or equivalent in a launch environment

Salary Range

• $120,000-$135,000
• The actual salary offered is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, location, the candidate’s combination of job‑related knowledge, qualifications, skills, education, training, and experience

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.

Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

As a federal contractor, Alten USA maintains a drug‑free workplace. All candidates selected for employment will be required to successfully complete a pre‑employment drug screening as a condition of hire.