Design Release Engineer (DRE) - Soft Trim

ALTEN Technology•Auburn Hills, MI

About The Position

ALTEN Technology USA is seeking a Design Release Engineer to support the design and release of automotive soft trim components, including carpets, dash insulators, and firewall insulators. The role works under senior engineer guidance and supports design reviews, packaging and feasibility studies, CAD data finalization, release activities, and validation of functional requirements. It also involves coordination with suppliers, analysis teams, and cross-functional teams, along with PLM activities and project milestone tracking. The engineer will help create technical data sheets and DVP&R, DVPR, and DFMEA documentation; support TKO packaging and clearance studies; and assist with design release and sign-off activities. The role also supports benchmarking and analysis teams working on impact, durability, and NVH requirements. ALTEN describes a collaborative environment with mentorship and career growth opportunities, as well as comprehensive benefits.

Requirements

B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical, Automobile, Production, or Industrial Engineering is preferred.
5 to 10 years of product design and development experience in automotive soft trim components, including carpets, dash insulators, or firewall insulators.
Working knowledge of NVH considerations in carpet and insulator design.
Exposure to injection-molded and/or formed component design and development.
Basic working knowledge of component- and system-level design and release processes.
Working knowledge of UG or CATIA modeling and surfacing.
Basic understanding of manufacturing and assembly feasibility considerations.
Basic knowledge of the injection molding process.
Good presentation and communication skills, and willingness to learn and grow under senior engineer mentorship.
Working knowledge of NX and Teamcenter is required.
Knowledge of MS Office or Google G-Suite.

Nice To Haves

Exposure to Hard Trim or Overhead Systems.
Exposure to Ennovia or Teamcenter.
Exposure to working with Tier 1 suppliers and/or OEMs.
Familiarity with Motion Simulation tools.
Basic knowledge of manufacturing processes such as thermoforming, molding, and compression molding, and of plastic materials.
Basic knowledge of CATIA and Enovia.

Responsibilities

Support design and modeling of soft trim components, including carpets, dash insulators, and firewall insulators.
Assist with design reviews alongside the Global Technical Centre team under senior engineer guidance.
Support packaging, manufacturing, and assembly feasibility studies, particularly for injection-molded and formed parts.
Help create Technical Data Sheets and DVP&R documentation for new components.
Assist in preparing DVPR and DFMEA documentation in coordination with suppliers and the design team.
Support CAD data finalization before Step releases and assist with TKO packaging and clearance studies.
Coordinate with the NVH/CAE team on component target validation and functional requirement checks, especially for carpet and insulator systems.
Participate in design release and TKO sign-off activities under senior engineer supervision, helping track project timelines.
Support benchmarking studies as required.
Assist with supplier interactions, PLM activities, and CFT coordination, including tracking checklist approvals in PLM at project milestones.
Provide design support to Impact, Durability, and NVH analysis teams to help meet regulatory and test requirements.
Develop working knowledge of soft trim systems and injection molding and thermoforming processes.