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Subaru of America · 3 days ago

NASI - Lead Research & Development Engineer - Advanced Vehicle Development (AVD)

Cypress, CA

Full-time

Hybrid

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$83K/yr - $110K/yr

6+ years exp

Subaru of America is a globally renowned automobile manufacturer known for its commitment to innovation, safety, and sustainability. The Lead Research & Development Engineer is responsible for overseeing various vehicle-related research and development projects while acting as a liaison between U.S. and Japanese engineering teams. This role involves managing large-scale projects, coaching team members, and making high-impact recommendations regarding technical priorities.

Consumer GoodsManufacturing

H1B Sponsor Likely

Responsibilities

Leads multiple large-scale projects to meet timelines and budgets. Independently identifies testing/research needed to progress in each project

Makes schedules and plans to achieve project goals

Guides Subaru Corporation (SBR) development and target specifications based on defined market need

Determines project direction based on team goals/SBR needs with oversight from manager and General Manager (GM)

Enhances impact on SBR by incorporating results and data from other Subaru entities in North America

Proactively identifies future issues and collaborates with other engineers and managers to resolve the issue

Finds methods of improvement for the department including:

Streamlining test methods

Improving procedures

Enhancing efficient allocation of time

Automation of data collection/processing

Suggestion of projects to better achieve team goals

Supports the day-to-day tasks of intern and engineers of lower-level seniority, advising them in the process of testing/evaluation planning and implementations

Gives preliminary reviews of technical reports and other technical work submitted by engineers of lower-level seniority. Supports GM, Associate Director (AD), and managers in communicating project timelines and technical goals with the team members

Assists the GM and manager in assessing employee performance. Delegated by AD and managers, holds regular one-on-one meetings with team members to follow up on their task progress and identify potential issues

Assigns tasks for outsourced workers and contract employees and plans their long-term testing schedule. Provides support and functions as the contact person for any test equipment issues and troubleshooting

Coaches and guides team members to ensure high-quality work and considers team members' professional development

Mentors interns or new engineers via:

Teaching organizational knowledge

Instructing on using company systems

Using workload from current projects to teach interns and new engineers while making beneficial progress

Creates new projects to teach interns and new engineers while making beneficial progress the team would not otherwise have time to complete

Develops professional skills beneficial to the team's current and future goals by taking classes/courses

Works as a part of one or more of the research teams; however, this position has versatile responsibilities to the department as a whole

Demonstrates ability to temporarily step into any role on the team with as little as one week of learning and preparation

Monitors departmental budget usage and discusses project resource needs with upper-level management

Creates presentation materials of progress updates for upper-level management and facilitates product demonstrations for SBR and Subaru of America (SOA) executives

As a project lead, communicates with vendor account managers and monitors budget burndown. Plans and adjusts workflows to ensure that the vendors deliver their products on time

Answers questions from vendors and develops new evaluation/testing approaches as needed to achieve internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), and battery electric vehicle (BEV) performance targets

Serves as one of the key liaisons between the U.S. and Japanese engineering teams

Updates team leads in Japan on current development status and discusses how to improve overall development efficiency and collaboration

Attends meetings with SBR as necessary, and travels to Japan to learn Subaru's vehicle development processes and to share improvements. developed in the U.S

Defines the best practices for development vehicles and test procedures

Develops and updates documentation on how to develop vehicles and implements new processes to improve the efficiency of vehicle hardware and software updates

Defines the best practices in North American market to develop competitive future products with higher efficiency, longer range, easier/faster charging, higher safety, and lower production costs

Considers solutions to U.S.-specific user issues and independently develops solutions while considering resource constraints for mass production

Stays current with industry trends, new technologies, and best practices in ICE, HEV, and BEV development. Shares information with team members to help others in their learning. Makes recommendations to the upper management regarding how to support engineers to stay current with the latest technology

Collaborates with engineers from various disciplines (e.g., mechanical, electrical) to develop competitive future products with higher efficiency, longer range, easier/faster charging, higher safety, and lower production costs while meeting Subaru's quality standards

Collaborates with other departments to identify ways to improve company efficiency and utilize department-specific skills

Qualification

Charging systems developmentCharging communication standardsData analysis toolsProject managementElectrical EngineeringMechanical EngineeringCommunication skillsAnalytical thinkingJapanese language proficiencyInterpersonal skillsMentoring skills

Required

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related multidisciplinary field (required)

6-8 years with a Bachelor's degree

4-6 years with a Master's degree

Up to 2 years with a relevant Ph.D

Proven experience in development, testing, and evaluation of charging systems

Strong knowledge of charging communication standards (J1772, DIN70121, ISO15118-2/20, J3400/NACS, OCPP 1.6/2.0)

Familiarity with Controller Area Network (CAN) and Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) communication

Proficiency with data analysis tools

Skilled in Windows and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)

Demonstrated ability in project management, including budget oversight and timeline management

Ability to teach technical knowledge and mentor team members

Strong analytical and conceptual thinking- both logical and strategic

Deep understanding of U.S. customer trends and demographics

Ability to interpret quarterly updates from Subaru of America (SOA) and other sources

Excellent interpersonal, presentation, and written communication skills

Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a multicultural/multilingual environment

Mastery of technical topics related to active projects and ability to quickly learn new technologies

Preferred

Experience with Tableau preferred

Japanese language proficiency preferred

Benefits

Medical, Dental, Vision Plans

Pension, Profit Sharing, and 401K Match Offerings

15 Vacation days, 5 Floating Holidays, 5 Sick days, and 9 Company Holidays

Tuition Reimbursement Program: $15,000 yearly benefit

Vehicle Discount Programs

Professional growth and development opportunities

Direct partnership with senior leadership

Formal Mentorship Program

LinkedIn Learning License

Company

Subaru of America

Glassdoor3.8

Subaru of America, Inc., (SOA), is the exclusive United States marketer of Subaru products manufactured by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.

Founded in 1968

Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA

1001-5000 employees

http://www.subaru.com

H1B Sponsorship

Subaru of America has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)

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2025 (4)

2024 (4)