Application Engineer - Seats

Commercial Vehicle Group • Vonore, TN

11d

About The Position

The Application Engineer – Seating designs, develops, and tests new seat and seating products for commercial vehicle and off-highway applications. This role serves as the technical interface between CVG and its customers, working closely with OEMs and cross-functional internal teams to adapt CVG’s seating products to specific customer requirements while driving continuous quality and cost improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline.
• 3+ years in a product application or design engineering role; 2+ years of experience in vehicle manufacturing (OE or supplier).
• APQP standards knowledge for engineering and design; competency in CAD/3D modeling platforms such as CATIA V5, SolidWorks, or Siemens NX; proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Effective communication skills enabling work with cross-functional teams, departments, and customers; ability to work under tight timelines while managing multiple concurrent tasks; ability to travel as needed to CVG facilities, suppliers, and customer locations.

Nice To Haves

• Design experience with mechanisms, plastic, foam, and/or upholstery; proven track record in design for manufacturing; experience with BOM management within an AS400 or similar ERP system.
• Automotive or commercial vehicle seat design experience; familiarity with DFMEA/PFMEA, PPAP, and customer launch activities; experience interpreting customer specifications, engineering drawings, and OEM-specific standards (SAE, ISO).
• A customer-focused, detail-oriented engineer who thrives on cross-functional collaboration, takes ownership of product issues from root cause to resolution, and is energized by delivering high-quality seating solutions that meet and exceed customer requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, testing, and documentation of new seats and seating products using inputs from the cross-functional team; develop CAD solid models and engineering drawings (CATIA V5 preferred); perform or support FEA, mold flow evaluations, and proof-of-principle models to verify design concepts for mechanisms, plastics, stampings, and foam.
• Develop and maintain DFMEA and DVPR for programs and changes; coordinate testing of existing and new products to validate FMVSS and customer requirements; manage program refreshes and new program launches through design, testing, and sample stages to support smooth customer launch.
• Provide technical assistance to customer engineering personnel on existing and potential new products; communicate and manage all changes, deviations, and VA/VE for product with the customer; work with OEM engineers to understand their needs and adapt CVG products to specific applications.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve product issues arising from customer complaints and operational situations; search for and recommend new concepts, features, and suppliers to enhance products, improve quality, and reduce costs; apply value-added practices to current products and processes to identify cost and quality improvement opportunities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level