Exterior Lighting Design & Release Mechanical Engineer

Expected compensation: 85.43 USD Per Hour

HireArt is helping an on-demand, autonomous ride-hailing company find an Exterior Lighting Design & Release Mechanical Engineer to own the design, development, validation, and release of exterior lighting systems from initial concept through production.

In this role, you’ll translate vehicle styling concepts into technically feasible, production-ready lighting solutions while balancing performance, appearance, cost, weight, durability, regulatory, manufacturing, and program requirements. You’ll work closely with Studio Design, suppliers, Manufacturing, and cross-functional engineering teams throughout the complete component lifecycle.

The ideal candidate is a mechanical engineer with automotive lighting development experience and a strong understanding of plastics, injection molding, optical systems, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and lighting system architecture. You’re comfortable owning components from design through production release, solving complex mechanical and system-level issues, and working directly with Tier 1 suppliers and cross-functional teams.

As an Exterior Lighting Design & Release Mechanical Engineer, you'll:

• Design and develop exterior lighting systems from concept through production, translating styling intent into technically feasible, production-ready solutions.
• Apply expertise in plastics, injection molding, optical design, GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, electronics, and engineering first principles to evaluate design trade-offs and optimize components for high-volume manufacturing.
• Collaborate with Studio Design, Manufacturing, suppliers, and cross-functional engineering teams to define requirements, achieve design and attribute targets, and resolve complex engineering issues.
• Investigate lighting system and component failures through root-cause analysis, including reviewing CAN traces, module diagnostics, system architecture, and functional behavior.
• Lead DFMEA development and support product validation planning, test execution, issue resolution, and final validation sign-off.
• Manage Tier 1 supplier relationships, including RFQ documentation, technical design reviews, supplier feedback, and component development activities.
• Own engineering changes, BOM accuracy in Enovia, and 3D and 2D engineering data in CATIA V6 while ensuring deliverables meet appearance, cost, weight, durability, regulatory, and program timing requirements.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or a related discipline
• Experience managing the full component lifecycle, including design, engineering validation, and release to production
• Experience with automotive lighting systems, including system architecture and communication logs such as CAN traces
• Proficiency with CATIA V5 or V6, including Part Design and Geometric Surface Design, with the ability to develop 3D geometry and sectional data
• Strong understanding of engineering first principles and demonstrated ability to analyze and resolve complex technical issues
• Working knowledge of automotive regulatory and evaluation requirements, including FMVSS, ECE, and NCAP
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritize work and clearly communicate project status
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and effectively navigate ambiguity
• Strong curiosity and learning agility

Preferred Qualifications

• A master's degree in mechanical engineering or a related discipline
• 5+ years of exterior or interior automotive lighting development experience at an OEM or Tier 1 supplier

Benefits

• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Employer (HireArt) subsidized healthcare benefits (eligibility begins on the first of the month following 60 days of service)
• Flexible Spending Account for healthcare-related costs
• HireArt covers all costs for short- and long-term disability and life insurance
• 401k package

Commitment: *This is a full-time, ongoing contract position staffed via HireArt. It will be onsite and available to candidates who are local to the Foster City, CA area.

HireArt values diversity and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. Unfortunately, we are not able to sponsor visas or employ corp-to-corp.*