Lead Vehicle Engineer

BraunAbility•Winamac, IN

About The Position

A Lead Vehicle Engineer is a senior technical leader responsible for end-to-end engineering delivery of vehicle systems for Wheelchair Access Vehicles (WAVs). The role defines technical strategy and engineering direction, and delivers robust, compliant, cost-effective vehicle solutions from concept through production. The Lead Engineer works with substantial autonomy to identify risks, influence organizational decisions, and deliver technically sound, production-ready solutions. The role provides formal and informal mentorship to engineers across multiple levels, reviews and approves technical deliverables, and develops engineering talent and best practices. It also leads projects and cross-functional activities, manages requirements, cost, timing, technical risk, and release activities across multiple systems, and supports continuous improvement and future-proofing of vehicle engineering.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Engineering or Engineering Technology.
At least 10 years of engineering experience.
Strong understanding of engineering principles and practices.
Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
Effective communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate technical issues, risks, data, and recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Advanced CAD modeling expertise.
Expertise in vehicle architecture and system integration.
Expertise in GD&T, tolerancing, and engineering release processes.
Expertise in DFMEA creation and interpretation.
Expert understanding of systems engineering V-model applications.
Expertise in system- and vehicle-level compliance requirements.
Familiarity with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
Ability to manage operational constraints and work cross-functionally throughout development to meet requirements.
Advanced understanding of simulation tools and correlation of analysis to testing and field performance.
Expert knowledge of Teamcenter, Epicor, EBOM, and MBOM structures.
Ability to mentor engineers on engineering principles, requirements, validation, and problem-solving methods.
Ability to independently address technical challenges and propose solutions.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.
Professional Engineer (PE) certification.
Participation in five or more development cycles across all phases of product development.
Systems Engineering V-model proficiency.
GD&T certification.
APQP application experience.
Six Sigma knowledge.
Commitment to lifelong learning and continuous professional development.
Ability to effectively leverage generative AI and engineering copilots for research, analysis, documentation, and problem solving.
Ability to provide AI systems with clear technical context, requirements, assumptions, and constraints, and critically evaluate and validate AI-generated recommendations.
Ability to identify opportunities to automate engineering workflows and improve productivity through AI-enabled tools.
Awareness of emerging AI technologies and their application to vehicle development, validation, and product engineering.

Responsibilities

Lead the planning, execution, and delivery of engineering projects.
Design and develop new vehicle conversions in CAD.
Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineering team members.
Coordinate with product management, manufacturing, quality assurance, and other cross-functional teams.
Ensure compliance with safety, regulatory, and environmental standards.
Monitor project progress and adjust plans as needed to meet deadlines.
Prepare and present technical reports and documentation.
Stay current with engineering technologies and methodologies.
Define vehicle engineering strategy and technical direction for assigned programs.
Lead end-to-end development of vehicle systems from concept through production launch.
Drive architectural changes to resolve complex integration challenges.
Lead mechanical packaging, layout, and subsystem interface definition.
Approve technical approaches for high-risk and high-visibility engineering issues.
Lead evaluation and adoption of new technologies, materials, and engineering processes.
Author and approve requirements, standards, lessons learned, and engineering documentation.
Manage cost, timing, technical risk, requirements, and release activities across multiple systems.
Mentor team members on root cause analysis tools and DMAIC methodology.
Lead cross-functional design reviews and stakeholder alignment activities.
Model and advocate a technology-forward approach to engineering.
Lead strategic efforts to improve company cost, quality, and velocity.
Proactively develop and lead efforts to future-proof vehicle engineering.