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Form of workWe are currently seeking a Senior Vehicle Validation Engineer with Steering and Suspension to join our team. In this position, you will perform a critical role in developing, planning, coordinating and executing vehicle validation tests on Nikola Motor’s Various Vehicle Product lines. You have a passion for understanding how vehicle systems work and how they can fail. The Senior Vehicle Validation Engineer will have an immediate impact on the V&V organization at Nikola Motor and support the development of world-class, industry-leading electric vehicles.
- Highly Experienced and responsible for the creation of Vehicle Validation Plans, Vehicle System DVP/Rs design, test procedures, and support development of subsystem test procedures and DVP/Rs
- Development of DVP/Rs, Test Plans, and test procedures for Vehicle NVH, durability, and high mileage accumulation
- Manage all test cases and track statuses and issues of all validation activities in Jira
- Coordinate with the broader system teams (functional safety, EE, etc.) to look for potential coverage gaps and develop mitigation plans where gaps exist
- Interface with Safety and Compliance office to ensure that the verification plan meets product, regulatory and business needs
- Work closely with internal engineering teams to track development statuses for all vehicle systems and adjust validation and test schedules accordingly
- Ensure that data collected during public road testing provides validation feedback on the completeness and correctness of requirements
- Plan and perform a wide range of vehicle tests including performance, reliability, durability, vehicle systems validation, and abuse testing
- Responsible for identifying test equipment and instrumentation to purchase for vehicle level testing and measurement
- Experienced setting up and using data acquisition systems to collect road load data, noise levels, temperature, and electrical data
- Experience using CAN Tools and analyzing CAN data
- Coordinate with external test labs, suppliers, and test tracks to organize and execute testing
- Capable of performing simple and complex driving maneuvers per test requirements and procedures
- Correlate test data to vehicle level requirements to ensure all vehicle systems meet targets and acceptance criteria
- Document and track all issues discovered by validation testing activities and lead issue resolution effort
- BS in ME, EE, or other related Engineering field. Extensive experience will be considered in lieu of Bachelor’s degree.
- Minimum of 8 years of vehicle validation engineering experience
- Strong technical writing skills is a must
- Able to effectively communicate and work cross-functionally across all technical teams and disciplines
- Must have an active driver’s license with a clean driving history
- Willing and able to travel domestically and internationally
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experienced with full vehicle electric architecture of Steering and Suspension!
- Additional understanding of: High Voltage Battery Systems, LowVoltage Systems, Powertrain Systems, Structures, Braking Systems, and Vehicle Software/Firmware are beneficial.
- Data Analysis experience with MATLAB or other relevant tools
- Experience with reliability metrics such as MTTF, MMTF, and MTBF
- Proven ability to identify and solve complex engineering problems
- Experience with developing and updating vehicle KPIs and targets for validation testing
- Solidly established connections with 3rd party test tracks and test labs with an extensive knowledge base of various test site and test lab capabilities
- Ability to provide both requirements-based and subjective feedback based on vehicle validation and testing
- Experience with high-performance vehicles and operating vehicles at high speeds on a wide range of surfaces and weather conditions
- Experience with JIRA, JAMA, and CATIA a plus
Candidates must have current U.S. work authorization or be TN eligible from Mexico or Canada. This position is not eligible for CPT or OPT.
