CAE Durability 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 or Aerospace Engineering required. Minimum 6+ years of CAE experience with strong expertise in durability, fatigue, and structural analysis of automotive systems. Experience with Abaqus, ANSA, HyperWorks, META, and nCode is required.   This role is responsible for developing and executing finite element simulations to evaluate vehicle durability and structural performance. The engineer will partner with design and validation teams to identify risks, recommend countermeasures, and support the development of robust vehicle systems.     Key Responsibilities :   FE Model Development & Quality   Construct high-quality finite element meshes and models for body, chassis, and vehicle subsystems   Develop complex vehicle-level CAE models supporting durability and structural performance evaluations   Ensure model quality, accuracy, and correlation with engineering requirements   Utilize ANSA, HyperWorks, and other pre-processing tools for model construction and preparation   Durability & Structural Analysis   Perform nonlinear finite element analyses using Abaqus to evaluate component and system durability   Conduct strength and fatigue assessments on structural vehicle systems   Analyze simulation results and identify potential performance concerns   Provide engineering recommendations to improve component durability and robustness   Fatigue Life Assessment   Perform fatigue life evaluations using nCode post-processing tools   Interpret fatigue and durability results to predict product life performance   Identify critical fatigue locations and potential failure risks   Support engineering decision-making with data-driven durability assessments   Engineering Validation & Testing Support   Support test validation activities to improve simulation accuracy and correlation   Participate in investigations related to physical testing and durability requirements   Compare test and CAE results to improve model quality and predictive capabilities   Collaborate with validation teams to ensure alignment between simulation and testing objectives   Research & Method Development   Lead research efforts focused on enhancing CAE durability methodologies   Develop and implement improvements to existing simulation processes and workflows   Investigate new tools, techniques, and best practices for durability analysis   Drive continuous improvement initiatives across CAE processes and standards   Problem Resolution & Countermeasure Development   Investigate durability concerns identified through simulation activities   Develop effective countermeasure plans to address structural performance issues   Partner closely with design engineering teams to implement design improvements   Support issue resolution throughout the product development cycle   Technical Communication & Cross-Functional Collaboration   Prepare and deliver clear technical reports, presentations, and engineering recommendations   Communicate simulation findings to engineering leadership and project teams   Work closely with design, testing, and validation organizations   Provide technical leadership and support for durability-related engineering activities   Profile :    Strong analytical engineer with deep interest in vehicle durability and structural performance   Passionate about solving complex engineering challenges using CAE methodologies   Comfortable working on highly technical vehicle development programs   Strong ownership mindset with the ability to independently drive analysis activities   Excellent problem-solving and root cause investigation capabilities   Effective communicator capable of presenting complex technical findings to diverse audiences   Collaborative team player who works well across engineering functions   Continuous improvement mindset with interest in advancing CAE methods and processes     Must Have :    Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering   6+ years of CAE analysis experience within automotive or related industries   Minimum 4 years of experience with ANSA, META, HyperWorks, Abaqus, or similar CAE software   Strong finite element modeling and meshing experience   Experience conducting nonlinear finite element analysis using Abaqus   Experience performing fatigue and durability assessments   Working knowledge of nCode fatigue post-processing tools   Strong understanding of vehicle structures, body systems, and chassis components   Experience creating and presenting technical reports and engineering recommendations   Ability to work cross-functionally with design, testing, and validation teams     Good to Have :   Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field   Automotive OEM or Tier 1 supplier experience   Vehicle durability development experience   Test correlation and CAE validation experience   Advanced fatigue and fracture mechanics knowledge   Experience developing or improving CAE methodologies and best practices   Exposure to full vehicle durability simulation activities   Leadership experience supporting technical projects or research initiatives   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.