Senior Occupant Safety Engineer

Senior Occupant Safety Engineer

Location: Troy, MI
Work Arrangement: On-site
Position Overview

We are seeking a Senior Occupant Safety Engineer to support the development, simulation, and validation of vehicle occupant protection systems. The ideal candidate will have strong automotive crash CAE experience, hands-on expertise with LS-DYNA, and a solid understanding of U.S. vehicle safety regulations and crash-test requirements.

This role will support occupant safety performance from early vehicle concept and CAE development through validation and production, working closely with Design Release Engineers, testing teams, suppliers, and cross-functional engineering groups.

Key Responsibilities

Perform advanced CAE simulations for vehicle occupant safety and crashworthiness.

Develop and analyze frontal and side-impact crash simulations using LS-DYNA.

Evaluate occupant protection performance and identify opportunities for safety improvement.

Support development of airbags, seat belts, seating systems, steering columns, interior trim, and energy-absorbing components.

Build, execute, review, and troubleshoot crash simulation models.

Analyze CAE results and provide engineering recommendations to improve occupant protection performance.

Work with Humanetics CAE dummy models and occupant safety methodologies.

Collaborate with Design Release Engineers, physical testing teams, suppliers, and other cross-functional engineering teams.

Support correlation between CAE simulation results and physical crash-test results.

Apply applicable U.S. vehicle safety requirements and testing protocols throughout the development process.

Contribute to vehicle safety development from concept through production.

Required Qualifications

8–10+ years of experience in automotive Occupant Safety, Crash CAE, or a closely related field.

Strong hands-on experience with LS-DYNA.

Experience with one or more of the following CAE/pre-processing/post-processing tools:

ANSA

META

HyperWorks

LS-PrePost

Primer

Experience with Humanetics CAE dummy models.

Strong experience with frontal and side-impact crash analysis.

Knowledge of FMVSS 208, FMVSS 214, US-NCAP, and IIHS safety requirements.

Experience with occupant protection systems including:

Frontal and side airbags

Seat belts

Seating systems

Steering columns

Interior trim

Energy-absorption components

Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Ability to work effectively with DREs, testing teams, suppliers, and cross-functional engineering organizations.

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Biomechanics, or a related engineering discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience correlating CAE results with physical crash testing.

Experience supporting vehicle programs from concept through production.

Strong understanding of automotive crashworthiness and occupant protection development processes.

Experience working within a cross-functional automotive engineering environment.