CFD Engineer (CAE) – Propulsion and Battery Systems

General Motors•Warren, MI

21d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a CFD Engineer – Propulsion and Battery Systems, you will lead DFMEA-driven 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis at the component, subsystem, and system level to optimize thermal performance and system reliability across GM propulsion systems. Operating within a DFMEA-centric environment, you will use virtual engineering to identify failure modes, evaluate severity/occurrence risks, and drive robust risk mitigation strategies for propulsion systems, specifically battery and power electronics thermal performance, durability and safety requirements.

Requirements

5+ years of experience with simulation, design, testing, or release of propulsion-related systems (e.g., engines, transmissions, e-drive units, batteries, power electronics, thermal management systems).
Hands-on experience with at least one commercial 3D CFD software package (e.g., STAR-CCM+, Simerics-MP+, Fluent, or equivalent).
Demonstrated understanding of heat transfer and fluid mechanics (conduction, convection, radiation, pressure loss, turbulence, etc.) applied to real engineering systems.
Familiarity or practical experience with vehicle propulsion system design, operation, or testing.
BS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering (or closely related field) required.

Nice To Haves

5+ years of advanced experience with 3D CFD thermal and fluid analysis specialized for battery pack and module systems.
Experience in modeling battery Thermal Runaway Propagation (TRP) and gas venting dynamics under severe thermal abuse and cell failure conditions.
Experience with electro-thermal multi-physics coupling, integrating electrochemical heat generation models with 3D CFD for cell characterization, module, and pack simulations.
Expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Reduced Order Modeling (ROM) for rapid thermal prediction, digital twins, and real-time CFD surrogate modeling

Responsibilities

Perform DFMEA-aligned 3D CFD analysis focusing on high-voltage battery systems and power electronics to identify and mitigate critical thermal failure modes at the cell, module, pack, and system level.
Simulate and quantify battery Thermal Runaway Propagation (TRP), venting gas dynamics, and safety physics under severe abuse scenarios to validate DFMEA mitigation designs, barrier integrity, and failure containment controls.
Lead thermal risk assessments during early architecture definition and concept selection using rapid CFD trade studies to eliminate high-risk failure modes prior to design freeze.
Correlate virtual failure mode predictions with physical test and validation data to ensure simulation fidelity in predicting real-world failure thresholds and reliability margins.
Clearly and effectively communicate analysis plans, assumptions, and results to internal and external stakeholders using presentations, reports, and design reviews.
Meet or exceed timing, quality, and cost targets within structured product development processes.
Participate in and/or lead benchmarking and advanced methods activities to continuously improve GM’s virtual engineering capabilities in CFD and multi-physics analysis.