R&D Automotive Engineer

About the role

You will join the advanced engineering team of an automaker exploring the technologies that reach production in 5 to 10 years: novel propulsion, materials, architectures, and manufacturing methods. The team owns the innovation pipeline from concept through demonstration vehicles. This role matters because the company's future product competitiveness is decided in your lab today, and disciplined R&D that proves concepts on real hardware separates genuine breakthroughs from slideware. You will prototype technologies that will not reach production for three to seven years, from novel battery chemistries to steer-by-wire architectures, proving feasibility with demonstrator vehicles. Your research will be judged on learning per dollar: crisp experiments, honest negative results, and clear handoff criteria for product teams. You will also publish and patent selectively, building the company intellectual property moat while staying connected to the academic frontier through targeted partnerships. You will also maintain a network of university and supplier contacts who surface breakthrough ideas before competitors notice.

What you will achieve

• Mature 2 to 3 advanced concepts per year from idea to running demonstrator with measured performance against targets
• Build prototype vehicles and rigs that generate decision-grade data: instrumented, repeatable, and honestly reported including failures
• Cut concept evaluation time by 30 percent through stage-gate criteria, kill metrics, and rapid prototyping sprints
• Own techno-economic analyses translating lab results into $/vehicle, kg saved, or efficiency points for product planning
• Drive IP creation with invention disclosures and patent filings on concepts the company chooses to protect

What you will bring

Must-haves

• 4 to 7 years of experience in automotive R&D, advanced engineering, or applied research roles
• Strong first-principles engineering with the ability to model novel vehicle systems quickly
• Hands-on prototyping skills: building, instrumenting, and debugging experimental hardware and vehicles
• Proficiency with simulation and data analysis for experimental design and uncertainty quantification
• Ability to write techno-economic models connecting technical performance to vehicle-level value
• Familiarity with technology readiness levels and structured innovation processes
• Intellectual honesty: you kill weak concepts early with data and document the learning

Nice-to-haves

• PhD in a relevant engineering discipline
• Patent authorship in automotive technologies
• Experience with government-funded research programs or university partnerships
• Knowledge of manufacturing scale-up for novel materials or processes