Staff Design Release Engineer, Vehicle Controls & Interfaces

Motional’s Pittsburgh office is located in the new Hazelwood Green development, a culmination of the city’s goal of restoring an economic driver to the neighborhood in a thoughtful, inclusive, and sustainable way. With views along the Monongahela river, the Pittsburgh office is in the heart of this new state of the art development. Mission Summary: Our newly formed Design Release Engineering team, within the Vehicle Platform Engineering group, is seeking a highly motivated Staff Engineer to own the design release and integration of vehicle control and interface subsystems. This role serves as the primary technical authority for the end-to-end design, release, validation, and production readiness of key vehicle modules, including core systems such as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Vehicle Interface Controllers (VIC), Cabin Monitoring Systems, and Human-Machine Interface (HMI) hardware. You will ensure robust technical execution, manage supplier and cross-functional alignment, and drive hardware delivery that meets all performance, cost, and timing objectives. What You’ll Be Doing: Own the complete design release of critical vehicle system hardware, including the mechanical mounting, alignment, thermal management, electrical interface, and vehicle network integration. Drive technical execution for the full product lifecycle, from concept and architecture definition to sustaining engineering and continuous improvement. Oversee the generation and release of all engineering documentation, including models and drawings, Bills of Material (BOM), specifications, and test reports, ensuring alignment with vehicle-level design. Collaborate closely with the base vehicle supplier (OEM partner) to ensure seamless mechanical, electrical, and network integration of the vehicle controllers and interface modules into the base vehicle architecture, managing shared Interface Control Documents (ICDs). Define and maintain the Design Verification Plan & Report (DVP&R), ensuring successful validation against system performance targets. Lead the Engineering Change (ECN) process for all assigned vehicle system modules, ensuring traceability, cost impact analysis, version control, and full cross-functional buy-in. Act as the primary technical and program interface to suppliers (Tier 1 and Tier 2), tracking part maturity through DV, PV, and PPAP phases to ensure tooling and delivery readiness. Build strong partnerships across the Systems Engineering, Autonomy, Software Infrastructure, Quality, and Vehicle Integration teams to ensure seamless hardware integration and manufacturability (DFM/DFA). Lead technical program reviews and design readiness assessments, proactively developing risk mitigation plans to ensure compute hardware maturity aligns with program milestones and build events. Provide regular, concise updates to technical leadership on design maturity, validation progress, open issues, and timely closure metrics. What We’re Looking For: 8+ years of experience in automotive hardware design and release engineering, with direct ownership of ADAS/Active Safety hardware, low-level vehicle controllers, or interior electronic modules preferred. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Computer, or Systems Engineering (or a related field). Deep technical understanding of core vehicle control architectures (e.g., AEB and VIC) and automotive network topologies (e.g., CAN-FD, automotive ethernet). Technical knowledge of interior electronics and cockpit integration, including HMI ECUs/displays, cabin monitoring sensors, and their associated high-speed video/data protocols (e.g., GMSL, FPD-Link). Fundamental knowledge of validation documentation and processes, including DVP&R, DFMEA, and PFMEA. Expert-level experience with the manufacturing BOM and ECN processes, and a proven ability to manage technical discussions with external suppliers. 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, and functional safety standards (ISO 26262). Proven ability to lead complex initiatives, manage cross-functional teams, and execute to aggressive program timelines with minimal oversight. Bonus Points: Experience with advanced in-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 $144,000—$191,250 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 www.Motional.com 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.