Design Release Engineer (Automotive Accessories)

Job Description

Job Description

Kelly Engineering is seeking a Design Release Engineer (Accessories) for a long-term contract opportunity with a global luxury automotive OEM in Mahwah, NJ. If you are passionate about shaping the world we live in and are ready to reengineer your future, trust the experts at hiring experts.

Compensation
Up to $50/hr.

Overview
The Design Release Engineer will own the release process for assigned interior and exterior vehicle accessories, ensuring supplier-developed products meet engineering standards, certification requirements, fitment expectations, and release readiness before being sold under the OEM brand.

Typical commodities may include exterior side steps/running boards, roof rails, spoilers, lighting accessories, bumper accessories, protective trim, exterior trim, roof-carrying products, seat covers, cup holders, cargo partitions, bulkheads, cargo management products, and related interior or exterior accessory hardware.

Responsibilities

• Own the design release process for assigned vehicle accessory commodities from requirements review through engineering approval and production release.
• Evaluate supplier-developed accessory products for compliance with engineering, quality, safety, durability, homologation, and North American certification requirements.
• Review supplier documentation, test reports, certification records, compliance evidence, validation data, and engineering sign-off packages.
• Develop and maintain commodity plans covering scope, requirements, timing, open issues, risks, dependencies, approval routes, and release readiness.
• Coordinate fitment trials, validation activity, benchmarking, and engineering evaluations for interior and exterior accessory products.
• Partner with CAD and visualization resources to review packaging, fit, dimensions, clearances, interfaces, and product feasibility; direct CAD resources on required evaluations or changes.
• Prepare engineering release documentation, gateway readiness materials, risk assessments, validation gap summaries, and sign-off recommendations.
• Manage supplier action trackers, issue logs, open points, escalation summaries, and regular status reporting.
• Collaborate with suppliers, SMEs, Chapter Leads, vehicle engineering, program, procurement, commercial, finance, and global engineering teams across the U.S., UK, and China.
• Release approved products into engineering systems and support ongoing product lifecycle management for the North American market.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree or equivalent technical qualification required.
• 3–7 years of automotive engineering experience preferred, ideally within an OEM or Tier 1 supplier environment.
• Previous Design Release Engineering, product development engineering, or accessory engineering experience.
• Experience supporting automotive component or system delivery from concept, validation, and supplier development through production release.
• Strong understanding of engineering release processes, change management, product lifecycle management, validation planning, and sign-off requirements.
• Ability to review technical data, supplier test reports, certification records, compliance documentation, and engineering evidence packages.
• Strong engineering judgment related to risk, failure modes, validation gaps, safety, durability, fit, function, and release readiness.
• Experience coordinating suppliers, managing open issues, tracking actions, and driving engineering approvals across multiple priorities.
• Working knowledge of CAD/model review and visualization tools; candidates do not need to be daily CAD modelers but must be comfortable reviewing models for fit, packaging, clearances, and interfaces.
• Automotive accessory, exterior trim, interior trim, vehicle hardware, functional accessory, or related commodity experience preferred.
• Knowledge of 3DEXPERIENCE / 3D Experience strongly preferred; exposure to Digi-Buck, Vis-Mockup, WERS, AIMs, RMDV, APQP, PSW, Jira, engineering release systems, and change management tools is a plus.

Employee Benefits

• Medical, Dental and Vision coverage
• Paid Holidays and PTO
• Retirement Savings Plan

What happens next
Once you apply, you’ll proceed to next steps if your skills and experience look like a good fit. But don’t worry — even if this position doesn’t work out, you’re still in the Kelly Engineering network. That means our team of expert engineering recruiters will have access to your profile, making your opportunities limitless.

 

As part of our promise to talent, Kelly supports those who work with us through a variety of benefits, perks, and work-related resources. Kelly offers eligible employees voluntary benefit plans including medical, dental, vision, telemedicine, term life, whole life, accident insurance, critical illness, a legal plan, and short-term disability. As a Kelly employee, you will have access to a retirement savings plan, service bonus and holiday pay plans (earn up to eight paid holidays per benefit year), and a transit spending account. In addition, employees are entitled to earn paid sick leave under the applicable state or local plan. Click here for more information on benefits and perks that may be available to you as a member of the Kelly Talent Community.

Why Kelly® Engineering?

Your engineering skills are in demand, but how do you find the right fit? Easy. At Kelly Engineering, our team creates expert talent solutions to solve the world’s most critical challenges. We connect you with leading organizations where you can collaborate on innovative projects, work with cutting-edge technologies and accelerate your growth. Whether you prefer the variety and flexibility of short-term projects or are looking for a long-term opportunity, we’re here to guide you to the next step in your engineering career.

About Kelly

Work changes everything. And at Kelly, we’re obsessed with where it can take you. To us, it’s about more than simply accepting your next job opportunity. It’s the fuel that powers every next step of your life. It’s the ripple effect that changes and improves everything for your family, your community, and the world. Which is why, here at Kelly, we are dedicated to providing you with limitless opportunities to enrich your life-just ask the 300,000 people we employ each year.

Kelly is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and we take affirmative action to recruit, employ, and advance qualified individuals with disabilities and protected veterans in the workforce. Requests for accommodation related to our application process can be directed to the Kelly Human Resource Knowledge Center. Kelly complies with the requirements of California’s state and local Fair Chance laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment. Kelly participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

Kelly may use AI-powered tools during the recruitment and hiring process. For full details, including how Kelly uses AI, your rights, and how to request a reasonable accommodation, visit the Recruitment Artificial Intelligence Notice.