Client: Autonomous Vehicle / Technology
Title: Validation Engineer
Job Location: Foster City, CA
Duration: ~6 Months
Schedule: Mon - Fri
Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite
The hourly pay rate is commensurate with experience and is an estimated rate provided by WorkGenius.
Job Description
This role will own validation activities for interior trim and seating systems from requirements development through final test reporting and approval. Responsibilities include coordinating internal and external testing resources, managing supplier-led validation, investigating failures, and working with cross-functional engineering teams to incorporate validation findings into future designs.
Responsibilities
- Develop and manage validation plans covering mechanical, electrical, and environmental failure modes for interior trim and seating systems.
- Partner with design engineers to define requirements and ensure they are appropriately captured within validation plans.
- Identify required test assets, data acquisition systems, instrumentation, and sensors to generate accurate, high-quality test data.
- Analyze test data and develop clear, concise reports documenting validation results and findings.
- Support DFMEA development to ensure potential failure modes are adequately addressed through validation testing.
- Participate in failure and root-cause analysis during development, validation, and vehicle deployment.
- Identify mitigation strategies and work with engineering teams to incorporate lessons learned into new or revised designs.
- Design and develop test fixtures required to execute component and system testing.
- Coordinate internal, external, and supplier-led validation activities.
- Manage validation schedules, ensure necessary test assets are available, and identify critical-path activities that could impact program timing.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical discipline.
- 2+ years of test or validation experience involving automotive interior trim and seating systems.
- Experience conducting failure investigations and root-cause analysis.
- Experience developing and managing DFMEAs.
- Experience with requirements management platforms such as Polarion or equivalent tools.
- Knowledge and experience working with applicable automotive testing standards.
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity with 3D CAD/design tools, preferably CATIA 3DX, CATIA V5, or SolidWorks.
- Experience working with automotive passive safety systems.
