Senior Design Release Engineer, AV Platforms

Job Description

Job Description

Mission Summary:

Our Design Release Engineering team, within the Vehicle Platform Engineering group, is seeking a highly motivated Senior Engineer to own the complete design release, engineering lifecycle, and technical deployment of our developmental vehicle platforms and integration systems.

This role serves as the central engineering authority for our development bench and vehicle platforms. You will manage the entire platform evolution across every developmental phase, spanning sensor mules, early conceptual "test" vehicles, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) benches, and pre-production prototype vehicles. Operating as a hands-on DRE, you will drive the initial architecture definitions, build out engineering requirements, handle complex configuration management, and steer the platform through physical design, component sourcing, manufacturing integration, and readiness for testing and operations.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Own the end-to-end design, release, configuration, and build-readiness of all developmental hardware platforms, including sensor mules, proof-of-concept "test" vehicles, pre-production prototypes, and HIL test benches.
• Drive technical execution for the full development platform lifecycle, from hardware architecture and requirements definition to platform bring-up and sustainment.
• Author and execute development plans and timelines for each platform phase.
• Oversee the generation and release of all engineering documentation, including drawings, Bills of Material (BOM), specifications, and test reports, across the varying platform development phases.
• Lead the procurement life cycle for developmental platforms by generating, tracking, and managing Purchase Order (PO) requests, and actively monitoring component availability and lead times to ensure physical parts arrive ahead of critical build deadlines.
• Lead the Engineering Change (ECN) process ensuring traceability, cost impact analysis, version control, and full cross-functional buy-in.
• Build strong partnerships across the Systems Engineering, Autonomy, Software Infrastructure, and Vehicle Platform Engineering teams to ensure seamless hardware platform design, integration and manufacturability (DFM/DFA).
• Lead technical program reviews and design readiness assessments, proactively developing risk mitigation plans to ensure platform maturity aligns with build timelines.
• Provide regular, data-driven status updates to technical and program leadership regarding design and integration maturity, test progress, open cross-functional issues, and key project milestone metrics.
• Formulate validation guidelines and platform bring-up checklists/instructions to cleanly hand off mature, stable developmental platforms to test operations.

What We're Looking For:

• 5+ years of experience in automotive hardware design, release engineering, or vehicle integration, with a heavy emphasis on advanced prototyping and developmental vehicle platforms.
• Demonstrated experience driving multi-disciplinary engineering activities, cross-functional milestone tracking, and risk mitigation strategies throughout the full automotive product lifecycle.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace, or Systems Engineering (or a related field).
• Broad foundational understanding of core vehicle architectures, vehicle network architecture and communications (e.g., CAN-FD, automotive ethernet protocols), and electrical/mechanical packaging constraints.
• Fundamental knowledge of automotive engineering documentation, validation processes, and quality standards (including DVP&R, DFMEA, and PFMEA).
• Familiarity with CAD systems (e.g., NX, CATIA), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems (including requirement management tools such as Polarion), and engineering release workflows.
• Strong understanding of vehicle integration, packaging, assembly processes, and functional safety standards (ISO 26262).
• Proven ability to lead highly complex initiatives, manage both internal and external organizational stakeholders, and execute to aggressive program timelines with minimal oversight.

Bonus Points:

• Direct experience engineering and deploying advanced vehicle prototypes and benchtop systems.
• Proven track record of driving goal-level impact across multiple teams or subsystems.
• Prior experience in a fast-growing autonomous vehicle or robotics company.

This role is based in our Pittsburgh office and requires in-office days each week.

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors including but not limited to specific skills, experience and expertise, role location, certifications, licenses, and business needs. The estimated compensation range listed in this job posting reflects base salary only. This role may include additional forms of compensation such as a bonus or company equity. The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.

Candidates for certain positions are eligible to participate in Motional's benefits program. Motional's benefits include but are not limited to medical, dental, vision, 401k with a company match, health saving accounts, life insurance, pet insurance, and more.

Salary Range

$125,000—$167,000 USD

Motional is a driverless technology company making autonomous vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality. We're driven by something more.

Our journey is always people first.

We aren't just developing driverless cars; we're creating safer roadways, more equitable transportation options, and making our communities better places to live, work, and connect. Our team is made up of engineers, researchers, innovators, dreamers and doers, who are creating a technology with the potential to transform the way we move.

Higher purpose, greater impact.

We're creating first-of-its-kind technology that will transform transportation. To do so successfully, we must design for everyone in our cities and on our roads. We believe in building a great place to work through a progressive, global culture that is diverse, inclusive, and ensures people feel valued at every level of the organization. Diversity helps us to see the world differently; it's not only good for our business, it's the right thing to do.

Scale up, not starting up.

Our team is behind some of the industry's largest leaps forward, including the first fully-autonomous cross-country drive in the U.S, the launch of the world's first robotaxi pilot, and operation of the world's longest-standing public robotaxi fleet. We're driven to scale; we're moving towards commercialization of our technology, and we need team members who are ready to embrace change and challenges.

Formed as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, Motional is fundamentally changing how people move through their lives. Headquartered in Boston, Motional has operations in the U.S and Asia. For more information, visit and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Motional AD Inc. is an EOE. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. To comply with Federal Law, we participate in E-Verify. All newly-hired employees are queried through this electronic system established by the DHS and the SSA to verify their identity and employment eligibility.