Principal Automotive Engineer

Auto Principal (L7 equivalent), org-wide scope 12+ years

Other levels: Automotive Engineer Senior Automotive Engineer Lead Automotive Engineer Junior Automotive Engineer

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The job description

Tech stack. Vehicle architecture frameworks, systems engineering (MBSE), technology roadmapping tools, advanced simulation, regulatory strategy references

About the role

You will serve as a company-wide technical authority for vehicle engineering at an automaker defining its next decade of products. Executives and program teams bring you the architecture decisions that lock in billions in investment: platform strategies, technology bets, and make-buy calls. This role matters because platform choices echo for 10 years across millions of vehicles, and your technical vision determines whether the company leads the transition or chases it. You will set technical direction across programs, defining architectures and design principles that outlast any single vehicle. Your influence will extend into supplier strategy and make-versus-buy decisions, where your system knowledge identifies which technologies are truly differentiating. You will also serve as the final technical authority on escalations, resolving cross-domain disputes with analysis that both sides trust because your track record is public inside the company. You will also review patent filings and technical publications to keep the organization ahead of competitive threats.

What you will achieve

Define vehicle platform architecture strategy spanning multiple programs, balancing commonality targets above 60 percent with segment-specific differentiation
Approve or redirect major technology adoptions (architectures, materials, software platforms) with business cases validated against teardown and benchmark data
Establish enterprise engineering standards for emerging domains: software-defined vehicle, zonal E/E, and structural battery integration
Resolve the organization's hardest technical crises: systemic quality issues, architecture dead-ends, and supplier technology failures
Build the senior technical bench through mentorship of staff and senior engineers and by setting the bar for engineering rigor

What you will bring

Must-haves

12+ years of automotive engineering experience with deep expertise across multiple vehicle domains
Recognized authority in vehicle architecture, systems engineering, or a core technical domain
Track record of platform or architecture decisions that delivered successful multi-program outcomes
Ability to evaluate emerging technologies rapidly with first-principles and teardown-informed analysis
Experience interfacing with executive leadership on product and technology strategy
History of resolving major technical crises with structured, decisive action
External credibility: SAE leadership, conference keynotes, or widely referenced technical work

Nice-to-haves

Advanced degree in engineering or business
Experience with startup-speed development inside established OEMs (or vice versa)
Knowledge of global regulatory trajectories and their product implications
Patent portfolio in vehicle systems or architectures