Sr. Controls & Calibration Engineer

Blue Bird Careers•Troy, MI

11d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Controls & Calibration Engineer is responsible for developing, calibrating, validating, and optimizing vehicle control strategies that define the performance, drivability, efficiency, diagnostics, and operational behavior of next-generation commercial vehicle platforms. Working across multiple propulsion systems, this role develops production-ready control calibrations for propulsion, braking, thermal management, charging, power management, and vehicle operating modes while ensuring seamless integration with electrical architectures, software systems, and vehicle-level requirements. The role partners closely with the Systems, Validation engineering teams and external engineering partners to ensure control strategies deliver robust real-world performance from prototype development through production launch. This is a high-impact technical leadership role for someone who enjoys solving complex vehicle behavior challenges, thrives in ambiguity, and wants meaningful ownership over how an entire vehicle platform performs.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or related engineering discipline
7+ years of experience developing production vehicle controls, calibration strategies, or propulsion software for automotive, commercial vehicle, or heavy-duty vehicle platforms
All candidates must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States and will be required to provide proof of employment eligibility at the time of hire.
Deep understanding of vehicle controls, calibration development, and software integration
Expertise with Vector CANape, ETAS INCA, MATLAB/Simulink, CANalyzer, CANoe, or equivalent calibration and diagnostic tools
Strong understanding of CAN, J1939, UDS diagnostics, and vehicle communication networks
Experience developing production vehicle calibration strategies across propulsion, braking, thermal management, and energy management systems
Experience with battery management systems (BMS), electric propulsion controls, hybrid systems, or conventional diesel powertrain controls
Strong understanding of model-based controls development and calibration methodologies
Experience analyzing complex vehicle data and diagnosing software, controls, and integration issues
Experience supporting prototype development, validation, production launch, and field issue resolution
Ability to provide technical leadership across engineering teams, suppliers, and outsourced engineering organizations
Strong analytical, communication, and technical decision-making skills

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated experience developing and releasing production vehicle calibrations supporting prototype development, validation, manufacturing launch, and production
Experience integrating ECUs, propulsion systems, electrical architectures, diagnostics, and communication networks
Experience working cross-functionally with systems engineering, propulsion integration, electrical architecture, validation, manufacturing, suppliers, and external engineering organizations
Experience with commercial vehicles, body-on-chassis platforms, or vocational vehicle applications
Experience with AUTOSAR, model-based development, and software-in-the-loop (SIL) or hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation
Experience supporting fast-paced product development or clean-sheet vehicle programs
Experience leading supplier calibration activities or outsourced controls development
Master's degree in Engineering or related technical discipline

Responsibilities

Develop and optimize vehicle control strategies supporting propulsion performance, drivability, energy management, thermal management, regenerative braking, diagnostics, and vehicle operating modes.
Develop, calibrate, and validate production-ready control datasets for diesel, hybrid, electric, and alternative propulsion systems.
Optimize vehicle launch performance, acceleration, torque delivery, shift quality, regenerative braking, idle behavior, thermal transitions, and overall vehicle refinement.
Plan and execute calibration development activities across proving grounds, chassis dynamometers, manufacturing environments, prototype vehicles, and public road testing.
Work closely with electrical architecture, propulsion integration, validation, and systems engineering teams to integrate ECUs, sensors, actuators, communication networks, and software controls.
Utilize advanced data acquisition and calibration tools to diagnose control system behavior, identify performance opportunities, and resolve complex software and vehicle integration issues.
Provide technical direction to suppliers and external engineering partners supporting controls software, calibration development, ECU integration, and validation activities while maintaining ownership of final calibration quality and vehicle performance.
Manage calibration revisions, software releases, configuration control, and production-ready datasets supporting prototype, validation, manufacturing, and production programs.
Ensure vehicle control strategies meet emissions, safety, diagnostics, cybersecurity, and applicable commercial vehicle regulatory requirements.
Support prototype builds, validation testing, manufacturing launch, and early production by rapidly resolving controls-related issues and optimizing vehicle performance.
Create structure and drive execution in environments where vehicle architectures, software, propulsion technologies, and performance requirements evolve simultaneously.