Research & Development Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Company: Ulm Automotive LLC

Department: Engineering

Reports to: General Manager

Location: Bogart, GA (on-site)

Employment type: Full-time, exempt

Direct reports: None; works alongside the President, Engineering Consultant, the Drafting Engineer, and outside design and engineering partners

Position Summary

The Research & Development Engineer owns what comes next. Ulm builds luxury passenger vehicles on an incomplete Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis, and this role takes new interior systems, materials, and features from idea to a validated design that Production can build and the compliance file can defend: prototype builds, testing, data, and a clean handoff to drawings and BOMs.

The work spans acoustic and thermal materials, seating and mounting structures, lighting and power systems, climate, and the fit-and-finish details that separate a luxury interior from a good one. It is equal parts bench, vehicle, and CAD, and the engineer in this seat will spend real time building and breaking prototypes personally.

Key Responsibilities

Concept & Prototype Development

• Take product concepts from the President of Operations, Sales, and design partners and turn them into engineered proposals with cost, weight, and manufacturability estimates.
• Build and iterate prototypes on the bench and in vehicles; source prototype parts and work with suppliers on samples and specifications.
• Evaluate new materials and components: lightweight panels, fasteners, adhesives, lighting, power and battery systems, and climate components.
• Benchmark competing upfitters and the in-class factory interior standards, and report what is worth adopting.

Testing & Validation

• Define test plans and acceptance criteria for new designs: structural, vibration and durability, thermal, acoustic, electrical load, and environmental.
• Run tests in-house where practical and manage outside labs for the rest, including tests that support federal certification of seating, anchorages, and interior components.
• Produce clear, data-backed test reports and design recommendations; keep the evidence file that Compliance and Quality will rely on.
• Support weight budget analysis with measured, not estimated, component weights.

Design for Production

• Apply design for manufacturing and assembly so new designs fit the stations, tools, and skills on the floor.
• Hand off released designs to the Drafting Engineer with complete specifications, tolerances, and material callouts; support drawing and BOM creation and the engineering change process.
• Support pilot builds on the line, capture what went wrong, and correct the design before the next unit.
• Contribute to design failure mode analysis on new systems.

Intellectual Property & Documentation

• Document inventions and novel methods as they are developed and support patent counsel with technical descriptions and drawings.
• Maintain the R&D project log, test equipment, and prototype inventory.
• Present project status, risks, and recommendations to engineering leadership on a regular cadence.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Automotive, Electrical, or Manufacturing Engineering.
• 4+ years of product development experience with hands-on prototype build and test responsibility, ideally in automotive, or specialty vehicle.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks preferred) and engineering documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to design a test, run it, analyze the data, and write it up so a non-engineer can act on it.
• Working knowledge of materials, fasteners, adhesives, and 12V electrical systems.
• Comfortable with shop tools and willing to build what you design.

Preferred Qualifications

• Automotive interior, seating, or trim development experience.
• NVH or acoustics background, or experience with sound and thermal insulation systems.
• Lithium battery, inverter, and low-voltage power system design experience.
• Familiarity with FMVSS testing for seating, anchorages, and interior materials.
• DFMEA and design for manufacturing training.
• Prior patent authorship or support desired.

Competencies

• Curiosity with discipline - explores broadly but closes projects with data and a decision.
• Hands-on builds and tests personally ; does not wait for a technician to find out whether the idea works.
• Production empathy - designs for the floor that exists, not an imagined one.
• Rigor - keeps test evidence that would satisfy a regulator or a patent examiner.
• Communication - explains tradeoffs plainly to leadership, sales, and the floor.

Success in the First 12 Months

• 90 days: Owns the R&D project list with priorities agreed with the President. Prototype area and test equipment are set up. First material evaluation reported with data.
• 6 months: At least one new system validated and released to Drafting for production with a complete specification. Test evidence file established for certification-relevant components.
• 12 months: A pipeline of validated improvements is feeding production releases on a schedule, measured component weights are in the weight budget, and the invention record supports the company's patent filings.

Physical & Work Environment

On-site in an active vehicle manufacturing facility, split between an engineering office, a prototype bench, and the production floor. Work inside and under vehicles is routine; PPE is required in designated areas. Occasional travel to suppliers, test labs, and partner facilities 30%.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $90,000 to $120,000 , commensurate with experience
• Annual performance bonus: discretionary, based on company and project performance
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid time off and holidays; professional training and certification support

Equal Opportunity Employer

Ulm Automotive, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.