Senior Vehicle Applications Engineer

Blue Bird Careers•Troy, MI

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Blue Bird Corporation is seeking a Senior Vehicle Applications Engineer to support the development and execution of the technical product definition for a new commercial chassis platform. This role involves developing product requirements, supporting body builder integration, managing vehicle configurations, evaluating application compatibility, and ensuring engineering changes are accurately reflected throughout the product lifecycle. The position acts as a key technical liaison between engineering, manufacturing, body manufacturers, suppliers, and customers to ensure scalable, manufacturable, and customer-ready vehicle configurations. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, makes sound engineering decisions within the product strategy, and enjoys solving complex vehicle integration challenges across multiple engineering disciplines.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Systems Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
5+ years of experience in product engineering, applications engineering, systems engineering, vehicle integration, commercial vehicle engineering, or product development.
Strong understanding of commercial vehicle product development, configurable product architectures, and body-on-chassis integration.
Experience developing product requirements, Interface Control Documents (ICDs), engineering specifications, and application documentation.
Understanding of vehicle configuration management, option logic, engineering change management, and product lifecycle processes.
Ability to interpret engineering drawings, CAD models, vehicle layouts, and technical specifications.
Experience working with body manufacturers, OEM partners, suppliers, dealers, or vehicle integration organizations.
Strong understanding of engineering change processes, product releases, and configuration management.
Ability to communicate effectively across engineering, manufacturing, suppliers, customers, and commercial organizations.
Strong analytical, organizational, and technical problem-solving skills.
Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Must be authorized to work in the United States and provide proof of employment eligibility.
Must wear appropriate PPE when and where required.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting configurable vehicle products from concept through production launch.
Experience developing product requirements, engineering documentation, configuration management, or vehicle integration activities.
Experience working directly with cross-functional engineering teams, suppliers, customers, or body manufacturers.
Experience with commercial chassis, incomplete vehicles, body-on-chassis platforms, or vocational vehicle applications.
Experience supporting body builder integration or OEM upfitter programs.
Experience with requirements management, PLM, systems engineering, or configuration management tools.
Experience developing body builder manuals, application guides, Interface Control Documents (ICDs), or engineering specifications.
Experience supporting prototype builds, manufacturing launch, or production engineering activities.
Master's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
Experience supporting clean-sheet vehicle development or accelerated product launches.

Responsibilities

Develop, document, and maintain vehicle, customer, application, regulatory, and body builder requirements, ensuring traceability throughout product development.
Support body manufacturers by defining chassis interfaces, installation requirements, mounting provisions, electrical interfaces, dimensional envelopes, and application guidelines for successful vehicle integration.
Develop and maintain vehicle configurations, option compatibility, feature dependencies, engineering constraints, and configuration logic for customer applications and manufacturing.
Develop and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs), application specifications, body builder guides, installation manuals, and technical documentation for vehicle integration.
Evaluate engineering changes for their impact on product configurations, customer applications, body integrations, manufacturing, and service, while maintaining configuration integrity.
Collaborate with Systems Engineering, Vehicle Integration, Manufacturing, Strategic Sourcing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Sales to ensure consistent product definition from development through launch.
Provide engineering support to body manufacturers, dealers, customers, and internal teams by evaluating vehicle applications, special requests, option compatibility, and integration feasibility.
Verify engineering documentation, configuration rules, option logic, and technical data for accurate implementation in engineering and manufacturing systems.
Support prototype builds, manufacturing launch, and early production by resolving product definition, configuration, and application issues affecting vehicle readiness.
Identify opportunities to improve product definition, simplify configuration complexity, enhance engineering documentation, and strengthen application processes throughout the product lifecycle.
Create structure and drive execution in an environment where customer requirements, engineering priorities, and product configurations are continuously evolving.