Closures System Engineer
About this role
We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life-saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.
As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.
When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.
The Closures Systems Engineer will be responsible for the design, development, and validation of vehicle closure systems, such as side doors, hood, fender, liftgate, tailgate, etc. This role focuses on the critical intersection of sheet metal structures and mechanical hardware. You will ensure that closure systems are engineered for structural integrity and manufacturing feasibility while seamlessly integrating hardware such as latches, hinges, and seals. You will support the product from early concept through prototype testing and final production launch, meet all functional, safety, and aesthetic requirements.
What you'll do...
- Lead sub-system mechanical development and integration of closure systems, including sheet metal, door latches, hinges, hood/tailgate hardware, struts, and exterior handles.
- Design and develop closure inner and outer panels, reinforcements, and architectural interfaces using CAD (3DX/CATIA).
- Package and integrate moving mechanical components including hinges, latches, checks, and seals, ensuring proper kinematics and clearance.
- Define and execute Design Verification Plans (DVP&R). Coordinate physical testing for durability, strength, and environmental performance, and correlate results with CAE simulations.
- Work closely with Studio Design to ensure 'Class A' surface feasibility while maintaining engineering requirements for structural stiffness and water sealing.
- Collaborate with manufacturing teams to ensure sheet metal designs are optimized for stamping, hemming, and assembly (welding/bonding).
- Manage supplier technical delivery to ensure hardware components meet functional, weight, and cost targets.
- Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues during the development, prototype build, and vehicle launch phases.
- Own the CAD, BOM, and GD&T documentation for assigned closure sub-systems.
You'll have...
Bachelor's or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
- 3+ years of experience in production vehicle development and launch.
- 3+ years of experience utilizing CAD (3DX or CATIA preferred) for automotive body or closure systems.
- Demonstrated experience in the design and release of sheet metal components or mechanical hardware
Even better, you may have...
- Closures Expertise: Strong understanding of closure-specific requirements, including hemming, sealing systems, and door-retention kinematics.
- Expert Mechanical Fundamentals: Deep understanding of mechanism kinematics, linkages, and electromechanical integration (e.g., e-latches and powered closures).
- Materials & Manufacturing: Strong knowledge of sheet metal stamping, casting, and materials science to facilitate seamless integration of hardware into the vehicle body.
- CAE Literacy: Ability to leverage CAE tools to drive design decisions regarding mechanism stiffness, timing, and structural integrity.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarity with global safety standards and FMVSS requirements related to door retention and closure systems.
- Validation Knowledge: Experience with DVP&R, including cycle testing, slam testing, and environmental soak validation.
- Craftsmanship: Strong understanding of GD&T and how mechanism tolerances impact vehicle-level gaps, flushes, and user perceived quality.
- Hands-on Approach: Experience in physical prototyping and a 'boots-on-the-ground' mentality during production build events.
Salary Range: $120,000-$140,000/K
The actual salary offered is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, location, the candidate’s combination of job-related knowledge, qualifications, skills, education, training, and experience
ALTEN Technology is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our Policy is to extend opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual’s age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or veteran status.
Please beware of job seeker scams and see this important notice on our careers page for more information about our recruiting process.
Compliance Notice: Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
Drug Screening Requirement: As a federal contractor, Alten USA maintains a drug-free workplace. All candidates selected for employment will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment drug screening as a condition of hire.
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