Engineer / Sr. Engineer - Infotainment Telematics Systems

Kia Corporation•Tustin, CA

About The Position

At Kia, we’re creating award-winning products and redefining what value means in the automotive industry. It takes a special group of individuals to do what we do, and we do it together. Our culture is fast-paced, collaborative, and innovative. Our people thrive on thinking differently and challenging the status quo. We are creating something special here, a culture of learning and opportunity, where you can help Kia achieve big things and most importantly, feel passionate and connected to your work every day. Kia provides team members with competitive benefits including premium paid medical, dental and vision coverage for you and your dependents, 401(k) plan matching of 100% up to 6% of the salary deferral, and paid time off. Kia also offers company lease and purchase programs, company-wide holiday shutdown, paid volunteer hours, and premium lifestyle amenities at our corporate campus in Irvine, California.Status Exempt General SummaryThe Infotainment and Telematics Engineering team, within the Kia North America Product Quality department, represents the voice of the North American customer by identifying infotainment and telematics vehicle quality concerns and developing effective countermeasures to support Kia America’s vast dealership network. The team collaborates with various engineering groups in North America and Korea to continuously improve vehicle quality and customer satisfaction. The Engineer influences customer perception of Kia vehicle quality. This position serves as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Kia vehicles in the U.S. market and leads investigations into emerging infotainment and telematics issues. A strong working knowledge of conventional automotive infotainment and telematics systems is required, along with the ability to perform thorough, accurate assessments independently and with minimal supervision.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering discipline or related field required.
Engineer I: 0-2 years’ experience in quality assurance or engineering environment required.
Engineer II: Minimum 2 years’ experience in quality assurance or engineering environment required, 4+ years’ experience preferred.
Sr. Engineer: Minimum 4 years’ experience in quality assurance or engineering environment required, 6+ years of experience preferred.
Strong working knowledge of automobile infotainment system technology, with the ability to perform hands-on diagnostic, mechanical and electrical work on vehicle systems
Strong analytical approach to problem resolution
May need to work additional hours outside of normal business hours
Must have a valid driver’s license and good driving record. Position requires driving as an essential function and related to the legitimate business purpose for this role. Alternative transportation is not a practical substitute due to time and cost considerations.
Position requires testing in Kia company vehicles and competitor vehicles to provide voice of customer assessment of infotainment and telematics systems to ensure that Kia infotainment software and systems will meet customer expectations through monitoring vehicle software.
Driving unreleased pre-production vehicles is a critical component to this position, and the role will require individual driving off-site on and off business hours, in remote or public locations. Attention to security guidelines must be adhered to, as well as technical understanding of the nuances of driving a preproduction vehicle.
Physical Requirements: frequent sitting, standing, walking, vision, hearing, talking, driving.
10 – 15% domestic and/or international travel.
Job demands may include reading (documents), detailed work, confidentiality, problem solving, language, reasoning skills, oral communication, written communication, customer contact, ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, vendors, and other employees, multiple concurrent tasks, ability to work with frequent interruptions, etc.
Must be able to maintain focus and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to analyze information and make sound decisions under time constraints.
Problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently.
Must be able to respond to challenges with poise and agility.
Ability to handle competing priorities effectively and with composure.
Problem solving and reasoning skills.
Strong oral and written communication.
Ability to maintain confidentiality as appropriate.
Working knowledge of PC and software (minimum: MS Office intermediate level, in particular PowerPoint and Excel).
Must be able to work under minimal supervision.
Must have ability to make thorough and accurate assessments as to seriousness of problem conditions.
Must be able to independently prioritize investigations and work assignments to best meet department and corporate goals and objectives.
Senior: additional reporting, coordination, and some supervisory/mentor skills.

Nice To Haves

SAS/SQL and Jira experience desired

Responsibilities

Manage vehicle infotainment platform(s) by identifying, investigating, and analyzing product quality concerns.
Report on product quality concerns through Quality Information Reports (QIRs).
Review data sources such as warranty, techline, customer care, social media, and develop action plans for quality improvement as needed.
Validation of countermeasure effectiveness through analysis of available data sources, including comeback analysis.
Escalation of high priority issues to management for further review with Korean and/or North American engineering teams.
Support Kia America Techline, Customer Care, and Kia Dealers with quality advice as needed to prevent comebacks and potential repurchase(s).
Support Jira ticket process for Kia Connect customer issues to resolve concerns and product improvement.
Support software and OTA testing relative to new model software activities, OTAs, and map updates including log file collection and reporting and follow-up of concerns to appropriate teams
Maintain and improve Kia America’s performance in studies such as J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS), J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), and Consumer Reports Reliability Rankings.
Leveraging customer quality metrics (IQS/VDS) associated with assigned platform(s) to improve customer perception of quality, including, but not limited to: verbatim review, performance/trend assessment, ownership experience improvement proposals, and customer education material review.
Support customer clinic activities and leverage the voice of the customer for quality improvements.
Lead the preparation of field publications, including Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs), Service Actions (SAs), and Pitstops (PSs).
Coordinate field investigations including dealer visits in collaboration with Korea/North American engineering teams, including but not limited to Kia Corporation (Kia HQ), Kia Georgia (KaGA), and Kia Mexico (KMX).