Senior Automotive Occupant Safety CAE Engineer

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. Overview :   Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Biomechanics, or related discipline. Minimum 8-10 years of experience in Occupant Safety Engineering, Crashworthiness, or Automotive CAE Safety Analysis.   This position is focused on the development, validation, and optimization of virtual occupant protection systems for frontal and side impact crash performance.   The role involves developing and maintaining high-fidelity LS-Dyna occupant safety models, evaluating occupant injury performance, and optimizing restraint systems and interior components to achieve regulatory, consumer information, and internal safety targets.   The engineer will collaborate closely with Safety Structures, Interior Systems, Chassis, Testing, Design Release Engineers (DREs), and suppliers to ensure occupant protection performance is achieved throughout vehicle development. This position requires deep expertise in automotive occupant safety, restraint systems tuning, crash simulation methodologies, and North American safety regulations, along with the ability to drive cross-functional technical decisions throughout the product development lifecycle.   Key Responsibilities : Occupant Safety CAE Development   Develop and maintain occupant protection CAE models using LS-Dyna   Support frontal and side impact simulation activities throughout vehicle development   Ensure CAE models accurately reflect the latest vehicle design and CAD releases   Maintain correlation between component-level and system-level CAE models   Occupant Performance Analysis   Assess occupant injury performance across all required crash configurations   Evaluate vehicle performance against internal safety targets, FMVSS requirements, US-NCAP, and IIHS protocols   Analyze simulation results and identify opportunities for performance improvements   Develop recommendations to improve occupant protection outcomes   Restraint System Optimization   Optimize airbags, seatbelts, steering columns, seats, instrument panels, and interior trim systems   Tune restraint systems to achieve regulatory compliance and top consumer ratings   Develop occupant protection strategies across multiple crash scenarios   Support development of occupant safety scorecards and performance targets   Cross-Functional Engineering Collaboration   Work closely with DREs and suppliers to ensure component models are properly correlated   Support integration of restraint and interior component models into complete vehicle simulations   Collaborate with Safety Structures teams when vehicle structural performance impacts occupant safety targets   Partner with Interior, Chassis, and other engineering organizations to resolve performance gaps   Physical Test Correlation & Validation   Support crash test planning and execution activities   Collaborate with testing teams to ensure simulation assumptions align with physical testing results   Participate in test reviews and correlation activities   Refine simulation models based on physical test data   Program Delivery & Technical Leadership   Support occupant safety development throughout all program phases through SOP   Maintain quality and accuracy of occupant protection models   Provide technical guidance regarding occupant safety performance and simulation methodology   Support resolution of complex safety and crashworthiness challenges   Profile:   Experienced occupant safety engineer with strong crash simulation and restraint system expertise   Analytical problem solver capable of translating simulation results into engineering decisions   Strong understanding of occupant injury mechanisms and protection strategies   Comfortable collaborating across multiple engineering disciplines and suppliers   Detail-oriented with a strong focus on model quality and simulation accuracy   Self-driven and capable of managing complex development activities independently   Effective communicator able to present technical findings and recommendations clearly     Must Have:   8-10 years of experience in automotive occupant safety engineering   Strong LS-Dyna experience for occupant protection and crash simulation   Experience with occupant safety development for frontal and side impact events   Experience tuning and optimizing:    Airbags   Seat Belts   Seats   Steering Columns   Instrument Panels   Interior Trim Components   Strong knowledge of:    FMVSS 208   FMVSS 214   US-NCAP   IIHS   Experience developing and maintaining occupant safety CAE models   Experience correlating CAE and physical crash test results   Experience working with cross-functional engineering teams and suppliers   Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities   Good to Have:   Humanetics CAE dummy model experience   Experience with Primer   Experience with ANSA / META   Experience with HyperWorks   Experience with LS-PrePost   Experience supporting vehicle launches from development through SOP   OEM or Tier 1 automotive experience   Experience working in startup or fast-paced vehicle development environments   Knowledge of global safety regulations beyond North America   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy. 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.