Design & Release Engineer (DRE) - Interior Trim Plastics
Troy · Troy, MI · 5+ years experience · Full-time · Posted Oct 8, 2026
At a glance
- Experience
- 5+ years experience
- Employment
- Full-time
- Location
- Troy · Troy, MI
About the role
- The Design & Release Engineer (DRE) for Interior Trim Plastics will lead the design, development, and integration of cockpit trim components such as IP doors, bins, and finish trim. This role ensures that cockpit trim components meet performance targets, feature requirements, and FMVSS regulatory standards throughout the vehicle lifecycle.
Responsibilities
- Lead design, development, material selection, and launch of cockpit system components including bins, trims, glove boxes, and IP door panels.
- Ensure packaging compatibility, interface alignment, and system-level functionality.
- Conduct supplier and internal technical reviews to resolve packaging and design issues.
- Define and integrate critical characteristics (CC/SC) with adjacent systems.
- Deliver products to meet quality and reliability requirements on time for program milestones with PPAP documentation.
- Lead Design and Component Integration reviews at required milestones.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Accessories, Body, Restraints, Design, Manufacturing, Safety, and Vehicle Integration.
- Ensure validation of cockpit systems by reviewing test loads, setups, reports, and results.
- Support prototype builds, DV/PV, and launch readiness.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related field.
- 5+ years of experience in automotive Cockpit System engineering.
- Experience in at least 3 of the following: Cockpit FMVSS/IIHS/3rd party rating validation, Cockpit and trim plastic design, or Interior trim plastic materials and injection molding.
- Experience working within a PLM system for releasing components and processing engineering changes.
- Functional experience with NHTSA, FMVSS, CARB, EPA, FCC, or other regulatory requirements.
- Ability to lead teams and meetings through technical tradeoffs.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Preferred qualifications
- Master's degree
Workplace
- Drug-free workplace; pre-employment drug screening required as a condition of hire.
Skills
- PLM
- Microsoft Office
- Injection Molding
- PPAP
- APQP
- FMVSS
- NHTSA
- CARB
- EPA
- FCC
