Vehicle Safety Test Engineer

Workplace: On-site, 5 days per week
Location: Newark, CA
Travel: Up to 25% travel to vehicle test sites throughout the USA
Salary: $100-105k

We are seeking a hands-on Vehicle Safety Test Engineer to support vehicle crash testing, passive safety development, and validation activities. This role plays a critical part in ensuring our vehicles meet internal safety targets, regulatory requirements, and consumer safety standards.
The ideal candidate will have extensive experience with vehicle crash testing, data acquisition systems, and vehicle preparation. This position offers the opportunity to work cross-functionally with multiple engineering teams while supporting the development of industry-leading electric vehicles.

Responsibilities
• Develop and execute vehicle safety test plans, including full vehicle crash tests, subsystem testing, and component-level evaluations.
• Prepare vehicles, components, and instrumentation for safety testing and validation activities.
• Operate and maintain test equipment, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems.
• Analyze test results and provide detailed reports with recommendations for design improvements.
• Partner with cross-functional teams including Structures, Interiors, Restraints, and CAE to identify and resolve safety performance issues.
• Support passive safety target development and validation efforts for new vehicle programs.
• Maintain test schedules, Design Verification Plans (DVPs), and resource requirements.
• Communicate test readiness, status updates, and results to leadership and project stakeholders.
• Coordinate with suppliers and external testing facilities to ensure successful execution of safety tests and regulatory compliance.

Required Qualifications
• 5+ years of experience working with laboratory instrumentation and data acquisition systems.
• 5+ years of experience supporting vehicle crash testing and automotive safety programs.
• 5+ years of experience rebuilding, modifying, or preparing vehicles for testing activities.
• Apprenticeship, vocational training, or equivalent technical experience in automotive or related disciplines.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, hands-on engineering environment.
• Ability to lift, move, and prepare test hardware and vehicle components as required.
• Willingness to travel to domestic test locations as needed.

Preferred Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with passive safety development and crashworthiness testing.
• Familiarity with vehicle instrumentation, sensors, high-speed data acquisition, and crash test setup.
• Understanding of global vehicle safety regulations and consumer testing requirements.

Salary Range
• $100,000 - 105,000
• The actual salary offered is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, location, the candidate's combination of job-related knowledge, qualifications, skills, education, training, and experience