Vehicle Systems Engineer

An established New Zealand automotive electronics company with products in use around the world is now hiring a Vehicle Systems Engineer to take its electronics, prototypes and wiring looms from the bench onto real vehicles and make them work.

In this role you will be the person who works out what a vehicle is really doing, often on platforms the company has not worked with before. Starting from a product, a prototype or even a single wiring loom, you will probe, measure and test signals across the vehicle, using oscilloscopes and other test equipment to understand how its systems behave and how components from many different suppliers, such as ABS units from Bosch alongside parts from a long list of other manufacturers, interact with each other. You will press every button in the car to find out what it actually does, troubleshoot integration problems as they come up and turn what you find into working, validated support for the company’s products. You will join a close knit engineering team of more than 20 people, including technical support, that already has strong electronics and software capability in place, so your focus is on getting that hardware and software working reliably on the vehicle. This is a hands on systems integration and verification role, rather than a strategic or requirements focused systems engineering position, and rather than a pure electronics design or software development role. It suits someone who is genuinely curious, practical and enjoys tinkering, who is happy to get into a vehicle with a scope in hand and keep digging until an unclear system makes sense, and who enjoys cars as much as the engineering behind them. The ideal background is one shaped by hands on automotive work, built on a foundation in electronics or embedded systems, rather than general electrical engineering or desk based systems engineering. A strong automotive enthusiast with solid electronics or embedded experience but less direct industry exposure will also be considered, as the company has a track record of developing engineers into the domain over around a year of training.

This is a full time role based in New Zealand, so relocation is required for candidates in Australia. Relocation support can be considered for the right person. You will work on site, with the flexibility to work from home 1-2 days per week. The company offers a well equipped electronics laboratory with professional test equipment, 3D printing and 3D scanning, and a vehicle workshop, and has a stable engineering team with an average tenure of around five and a half years.

Key Responsibilities:

• Bring the company’s electronics, prototypes and wiring looms onto vehicles, working out how each platform’s systems are put together.
• Probe, measure and test vehicle signals using oscilloscopes and other test equipment to understand unfamiliar and undocumented systems.
• Integrate the company’s products with components from multiple automotive suppliers, resolving issues where systems interact.
• Carry out hands on verification and validation on the vehicle so that products work reliably in the real world.
• Troubleshoot vehicle level problems and feed findings back to the electronics and software engineers.
• Work closely with the wider engineering and technical support team to develop support for new vehicle platforms.

Requirements:

• Degree in electronic, electrical, mechatronic, automotive, computer or software engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent hands on experience.
• A technical foundation in electronics or embedded systems, with a practical understanding of how vehicle hardware and software work together.
• Hands on experience testing and troubleshooting electronic systems with oscilloscopes, multimeters and similar test equipment.
• Automotive industry experience, or strong, demonstrable personal involvement with vehicles.
• Curiosity, a can do attitude and the persistence to work through complex systems where documentation is limited.

Desirable but not essential:

• Experience integrating electronic control systems into vehicles.
• Familiarity with vehicle communication networks such as CAN.
• Experience building, modifying or working on your own vehicles.

Please reach out to harold@profoundpeople.com.au for more info