Description
We're seeking a highly collaborative and technically astute individual to join our product development team in the USA. As a Studio Liaison Engineer for Seat Subsystems, you will serve as the crucial link between our creative Design Studio and our engineering teams. Your primary mission will be to translate artistic vision into feasible engineering solutions, ensuring that all CAD concepts developed by the creative team not only capture the desired aesthetic and user experience but also fully comply with all engineering requirements, functional specifications, regulatory standards, critical cost targets, and the strategic imperatives for modular design and maximum part reuse across vehicle lines.
In this pivotal role, you will champion the engineering, cost-effectiveness, and strategic product lifecycle perspectives within the design process, facilitate effective communication, and proactively identify and resolve potential conflicts between design intent, technical feasibility, budget constraints, and strategic goals early in the development cycle. This is an exciting opportunity to influence the very essence of vehicle interiors, working cross-functionally to deliver world-class seat subsystems that embody beauty, precision, financial discipline, and forward-thinking product architecture.
Key responsibilities include: Acting as the primary technical liaison between the Design Studio and the Seat Subsystems engineering teams, ensuring seamless communication and understanding of design intent and engineering requirements. Reviewing and analysing CAD concepts developed by the creative team for seat subsystems, ensuring full compliance with engineering specifications, packaging constraints, manufacturing feasibility, regulatory standards, established program cost targets, and the principles of modularity and part reuse. Proactively identifying potential engineering challenges, risks, non-compliance issues, or cost target deviations within design concepts and collaborating with both design and engineering teams to develop innovative, viable, cost-effective, and modular solutions that leverage existing part commonality where appropriate. Translating complex engineering requirements, cost implications, and strategic objectives for modularity and reuse into clear, actionable feedback for the Design Studio, guiding the refinement of CAD models to meet technical and financial criteria without compromising design vision. Facilitating regular design reviews, technical discussions, and problem-solving sessions between design and engineering stakeholders for seat subsystems. Contributing to the documentation of lessons learned and best practices related to design integration, cost management, modularity, part reuse, and competitive analysis, cascading knowledge to both design and engineering core teams. Coordinating extensively with various cross-functional teams, including Studio, Seat Complete, Seat Structure, Seat Features, Craftsmanship, Suppliers, Purchasing, Finance, and Program teams, to ensure holistic integration of seat subsystem designs that meet all requirements, including cost, and align with our modularity and reuse strategies. Championing the balance between aesthetic appeal, ergonomic excellence, engineering integrity, cost-effectiveness, and strategic product architecture (modularity, part reuse) throughout the product development lifecycle for seat subsystems. Analysing competitive seat subsystem designs and technologies to identify best practices, emerging trends, and opportunities for differentiation and improvement. Familiarity with principles of design for modularity, commonality, and part reuse. Ability to conduct competitive benchmarking and derive actionable insights.