Kia America · 1 month ago
Program Development Engineer / Senior Program Development Engineer
Irvine, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior Level
$82K/yr - $110K/yr
2+ years expKia America is creating award-winning products and redefining value in the automotive industry. The Program Development Engineer (PDE) leads the technical development of new Kia products by communicating regional Voice of Customer objectives and overseeing engineering progress through various development stages.
Automotive
Responsibilities
Manage the engineering and technical progress of assigned vehicle models, including scheduling, reporting, and follow up of all open items. Develop products aligned with regional VoC technical strategy to ensure new products meet customer expectations. Provide clear direction and collaborate closely with R&D and Quality teams to achieve key milestones and ensure effective technical engineering support
Manage the definition, evaluation, and validation process of new technologies introduced to assigned vehicle platforms, such as electronics and ADAS features. Ensure new technology is consistent with North American market expectations and support other technical and business teams as needed
Facilitate information exchange between HMG development teams and Kia NA to ensure accurate communication of product expectations and share information and collaborate with other Kia NA teams to ensure vehicle performance and attributes are consistent with product vision
Manage product launch process with PR, Regional Strategy, and Marketing teams. Manage all assigned media vehicle preparation requests, including tier 1 media, NPI events, BIS support with 3rd party testing, and other relevant projects
Provide support for special projects, documentation reviews, and other technical assignments as needed
Participate in training initiatives and complete required administrative responsibilities
Qualification
Required
BS Mechanical/Electrical/Automotive Engineering degree or BS Computer Science degree from an accredited institution required
Engineer: Minimum 2 years' experience in relevant automotive development or planning required
Sr. Engineer: Minimum 4 years' experience in relevant automotive development or planning required
Experience and proficiency with two or more areas below is required: Vehicle dynamics and suspension tuning/evaluation, ADAS development and testing, Development and validation of ECU/OBC systems, EV product development and evaluation, Vehicle computer systems calibration (vehicle controllers, calibration, or software development), Vehicle instrumentation and troubleshooting, Software design, development, and implementation
Strong working knowledge of vehicle hardware and software development process required
Physical Requirements: Frequent walking, standing, working in tight spaces 15% of the day, Frequent driving up to 90% of the day (on test days), Frequent hearing, talking, and communication up to 80% of the day. Rare lifting/carrying and reaching/handling 5% of the day
Up to 30% of domestic and/or international travel
Job demands may include reading (documents), detailed work, confidentiality, problem solving, language, reasoning skills, oral communication, written communication, customer contact, ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, vendors, and other employees, multiple concurrent tasks, ability to work with constant interruptions, etc
This position requires driving as an essential function and related to the legitimate business purpose for this role. Alternative transportation is not a practical substitute due to time and cost considerations
Must be able to perform advanced vehicle dynamics and limit handling evaluations, including near-limit and at-limit assessments
Position regularly involves working and traveling outside of typical business hours
Driving unreleased pre-production vehicles is a critical component to this position
Must be able to maintain focus and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment
Ability to analyze information and make sound decisions under time constraints
Problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently
Must be able to respond to challenges with poise and agility
Ability to handle competing priorities effectively and with composure
Preferred
4+ years' experience in engineering or product development preferred
Strong subjective vehicle evaluation skills desired
Strong technical report writing and oral communication skills
Experience with vehicle data acquisition packages and analysis desired
Knowledge and functional use of CAD packages is desired
Ability to work hands-on with mechanical and electrical systems, machining and fabrication skills a plus
Must have deep understanding of vehicle development process from design stage all the way through manufacturing and start of production
PC skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point
Ability to provide swift direction and leadership to engineering teams independently at times where management guidance is unavailable
Benefits
Premium paid medical, dental and vision coverage for you and your dependents
401(k) plan matching of 100% up to 6% of the salary deferral
Paid time off
Company lease and purchase programs
Company-wide holiday shutdown
Paid volunteer hours
Premium lifestyle amenities at our corporate campus in Irvine, California
Company
Kia America
Kia America is headquartered in Irvine, California and is a subsidiary of Kia Corporation.
501-1000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Seungkyu Yoon
President & CEO
John Yoon
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Recent News
Morningstar.com
2025-10-31
2025-10-30
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