Program Development Engineer / Senior Program Development EngineerKia America • Irvine, CA, United States

Program Development Engineer / Senior Program Development Engineer

Kia America • Irvine, CA, United States

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At Kia, we're creating award-winning products and redefining what value means in the automotive industry. It takes a special group of individuals to do what we do, and we do it together. Our culture is fast-paced, collaborative, and innovative. Our people thrive on thinking differently and challenging the status quo. We are creating something special here, a culture of learning and opportunity, where you can help Kia achieve big things and most importantly, feel passionate and connected to your work every day.

Kia provides team members with competitive benefits including premium paid medical, dental and vision coverage for you and your dependents, 401(k) plan matching of 100% up to 6% of the salary deferral, and paid time off. Kia also offers company lease and purchase programs, company-wide holiday shutdown, paid volunteer hours, and premium lifestyle amenities at our corporate campus in Irvine, California.

Status

Exempt

General Summary

The Product Quality department's Forward Model group represents the voice of the North American customer in new Kia models, collaborating with global Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) affiliates to ensure regional expectations are built into every new Kia product from concept to launch.

The Program Development Engineer (PDE) leads the technical development of new Kia products by communicating regional Voice of Customer (VoC) objectives with development teams. This role provides engineering oversight for assigned model lines, guiding projects from concept through major development gates, including clay model reviews, master car evaluations, prototypes, and pilot stages. The PDE sets and tracks performance objectives based on regional product strategy and engages cross-functional engineering teams to define system and component performance targets, adjust strategy, and report status to regional leadership.

As a Subject Matter Expert, the PDE plays a key role in shaping Kia NA's future products and must demonstrate deep technical expertise across existing vehicle systems (dynamics, NVH, powertrain and HVAC) and emerging vehicle technologies (ADAS, Advanced Powertrain, EV, Hybrid Systems, and Alternative Fuel Systems).

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Priority One - 40% of Time

Manage the engineering and technical progress of assigned vehicle models, including scheduling, reporting, and follow up of all open items. Develop products aligned with regional VoC technical strategy to ensure new products meet customer expectations. Provide clear direction and collaborate closely with R&D and Quality teams to achieve key milestones and ensure effective technical engineering support.

Priority Two - 20% of Time

Manage the definition, evaluation, and validation process of new technologies introduced to assigned vehicle platforms, such as electronics and ADAS features. Ensure new technology is consistent with North American market expectations and support other technical and business teams as needed.

Priority Three - 20% of Time

Facilitate information exchange between HMG development teams and Kia NA to ensure accurate communication of product expectations and share information and collaborate with other Kia NA teams to ensure vehicle performance and attributes are consistent with product vision.

Priority Four - 10% of Time

Manage product launch process with PR, Regional Strategy, and Marketing teams. Manage all assigned media vehicle preparation requests, including tier 1 media, NPI events, BIS support with 3rd party testing, and other relevant projects.

Priority Five - 5% of Time

Provide support for special projects, documentation reviews, and other technical assignments as needed

Priority Six - 5% of Time

Participate in training initiatives and complete required administrative responsibilities.

This list of essential responsibilities and duties is not exhaustive and may be supplemented and changed as necessary by management.

Qualifications / Education

Education

BS Mechanical / Electrical / Automotive Engineering degree or BS Computer Science degree from an accredited institution required.

Qualifications

Engineer : Minimum 2 years' experience in relevant automotive development or planning required. 4+ years' experience in engineering or product development preferred.

Sr. Engineer : Minimum 4 years' experience in relevant automotive development or planning required. 6+ years' experience in engineering or product development preferred.

Experience and proficiency with two or more areas below is required :

Vehicle dynamics and suspension tuning / evaluation

ADAS development and testing

Development and validation of ECU / OBC systems

EV product development and evaluation

Vehicle computer systems calibration (vehicle controllers, calibration, or software development)

Vehicle instrumentation and troubleshooting

Software design, development, and implementation.

Strong working knowledge of vehicle hardware and software development process required.

Job Requirement

Physical Requirements : Frequent walking, standing, working in tight spaces 15% of the day, Frequent driving up to 90% of the day (on test days), Frequent hearing, talking, and communication up to 80% of the day. Rare lifting / carrying and reaching / handling 5% of the day.

Up to 30% of domestic and / or international travel.

Job demands may include reading (documents), detailed work, confidentiality, problem solving, language, reasoning skills, oral communication, written communication, customer contact, ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, vendors, and other employees, multiple concurrent tasks, ability to work with constant interruptions, etc.

This position requires driving as an essential function and related to the legitimate business purpose for this role. Alternative transportation is not a practical substitute due to time and cost considerations.

Must be able to perform advanced vehicle dynamics and limit handling evaluations, including near-limit and at-limit assessments. Prior training in advanced driving techniques is strongly preferred.

Position regularly involves working and traveling outside of typical business hours. This may include, but is not limited to travel to off-site vehicle evaluations, travel to private testing locations, and virtual meetings with global counterparts.

Driving unreleased pre-production vehicles is a critical component to this position, and the role will require individual driving off-site on and off business hours, in remote or public locations. Attention to security guidelines must be adhered to, as well as technical understanding of the nuances of driving a preproduction vehicle.

Must be able to maintain focus and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.

Ability to analyze information and make sound decisions under time constraints.

Problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently

Must be able to respond to challenges with poise and agility.

Ability to handle competing priorities effectively and with composure.

Other duties as assigned.

Specialized Skills and Knowledge Required

Strong subjective vehicle evaluation skills desired.

Strong technical report writing and oral communication skills.

Ability to lead and coordinate cross-functional engineering teams and provide clear direction on expectations.

Excellent communication skills required (written and oral)

Strong ability to identify and describe vehicle system error states

Experience with vehicle data acquisition packages and analysis desired

Knowledge and functional use of CAD packages is desired

Ability to work hands-on with mechanical and electrical systems, machining and fabrication skills a plus

Must have deep understanding of vehicle development process from design stage all the way through manufacturing and start of production

PC skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point

Ability to provide swift direction and leadership to engineering teams independently at times where management guidance is unavailable.

Competencies

Care for People

Chase Excellence Every Day

Dare to Push Boundaries

Empower People to Act

Move Further Together

Pay Range

Engineer II : $82,382 - $110,272

Sr. Engineer I : $87,317 - $121,409

Sr. Engineer II : $96,015 - $133,393

Pay will be based on several variables that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to, job-related skills, experience, relevant education or training, etc.

Equal Employment Opportunities

KUS provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, including pregnancy and childbirth and related medical conditions, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, legally protected physical disability or mental disability, legally protected medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, family care or medical leave status, protected veteran or military status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. KUS complies with applicable law governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which KUS has offices. The KUS EEO policy applies to all areas of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, benefits, discipline, termination and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment.

Disclaimer : The above information on this job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification and for this position. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

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