Junior Automotive Engineer

About the role

You will join an automaker as a junior engineer, learning vehicle development on real program work from your first month. You will support senior engineers on design tasks, testing, and analysis while building toward independent ownership of component scopes. This role matters because every senior engineer on the team started where you are, and the team's future depends on juniors who learn fast, document carefully, and earn bigger scopes through reliable delivery. You will learn the program by owning well-scoped pieces: a bracket design, a test procedure, a data analysis, each with a mentor reviewing your work and explaining the why behind every standard. Your early rotations across design, testing, and manufacturing will build the systems intuition that separates good vehicle engineers from narrow specialists. You will be expected to ask relentless questions and document what you learn, because the team invests in juniors who compound quickly.

What you will achieve

• Support 6 to 10 design or test tasks per year: CAD updates, drawing markups, test support, and data processing reviewed by senior engineers
• Build personal competence across core tools (CAD, data analysis, test equipment) to independent-user level within the first year
• Deliver test reports and analysis summaries with complete data and clear conclusions that seniors can approve with minimal rework
• Own small component scopes (brackets, fasteners, harness routing) with guidance, meeting timing and quality expectations
• Grow into independent ownership of a defined subsystem area by month 12 with decreasing supervision

What you will bring

Must-haves

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, or automotive engineering (0 to 2 years of professional experience)
• Strong fundamentals in statics, dynamics, thermodynamics, or circuits from coursework and projects
• Basic CAD ability: navigating assemblies confidently and producing simple parts and drawings
• Genuine passion for vehicles, shown through Formula SAE, Baja, EV clubs, internships, or personal projects
• Careful work habits: checking your own work, documenting assumptions, and asking questions early
• Responsiveness to feedback and eagerness to learn from experienced engineers
• Clear communication in a collaborative, cross-functional team environment

Nice-to-haves

• Internship or co-op with an OEM, Tier 1, or motorsport team
• Formula SAE/Baja or similar hands-on vehicle project leadership
• EIT certification or intent to pursue it
• Familiarity with automotive quality tools (8D, 5 Whys) from coursework or internships