Development & Validation Engineer

General Motors•Warren, MI

2d•Onsite

About The Position

This Development & Validation Engineer is the technical lead for TRP-related physical testing and Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) detection within the RESS Development & Validation organization. The role owns planning and execution of TRP lab activities and ensures that results are tightly linked to the DFMEA, enabling risk-based prioritization for propulsion programs. Roughly 70% of the role is hands-on technical execution in the lab and with hardware, and 30% is strategy, leadership, and cross-functional coordination across Global Virtual Engineering (GVE), GPDV, safety, and program teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
Minimum 2+ years relivant experience
Demonstrated hands-on experience planning and executing complex lab tests (preferably thermal or abuse testing) with strong attention to safety.
Working knowledge of DFMEA or similar risk-assessment tools, with experience linking test plans to failure modes.
Proven ability to interpret complex test data, identify root causes, and communicate technical conclusions clearly in writing and verbally.

Nice To Haves

Experience with TRP, battery safety, or high-energy systems testing (e.g., thermal runaway, abuse, containment, venting).
Prior ownership of DFMEAs or similar tools for safety-critical systems, including experience with S/O/D scoring and risk-based prioritization.
Familiarity with GVDP/GPDP and propulsion program execution (scorecards, PRTS, gate deliverables).
Experience working cross-functionally with GVE, safety, program management, and suppliers.
Demonstrated capability to influence without authority and drive alignment across multiple stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain detailed TRP test plans and procedures covering cell, module, and pack levels, aligned to program timing and safety requirements.
Lead day-to-day execution of TRP tests in the lab: hardware readiness, test setup, instrumentation, and on-the-floor issue resolution.
Ensure test configurations accurately represent design intent, including hardware deviations and associated rationale.
Drive high-quality data collection, repeatability, and documentation; author clear test reports and technical summaries.
Partner with safety, design, and systems teams to interpret TRP results, identify failure mechanisms, and define design/test countermeasures.
Act as the TRP physical “detection owner” for relevant DFMEA line items: ensure every significant TRP failure mode has a defined and appropriate physical detection method.
Use DFMEA scoring (S/O/D and resulting risk rankings) as a prioritization tool—to sort and cluster work—rather than as an “absolute grade” to optimize.
Regularly review DFMEA rankings with GVE/GPDV partners to decide which TRP tests to run next, which analyses are most valuable, and where method improvements are needed.
Serve as the primary TRP physical voice in the Thermal/TRP workgroup: present status, gaps, and recommendations, and ensure actions are captured and owned.
Coordinate closely with virtual (GVE) teams to align TRP tests with modeling assumptions, correlations, and capability gaps.
Contribute to continuous improvement of TRP methods, fixtures, instrumentation, and standard work.