Sr. Drivability Engineer

Job description

Senior Transmission Shift Quality Calibration Engineer As a Senior Transmission Shift Quality Calibration Engineer, you will be responsible for developing, calibrating, and validating transmission shift quality characteristics for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis vehicles in the North American market. This role focuses on delivering best-in-class shift performance through objective measurements, subjective evaluations, customer feedback analysis, and competitive benchmarking. The engineer will lead transmission shift quality target definition, calibration development, quality investigations, and validation activities across automatic, dual-clutch, hybrid-electric, and electrified powertrain applications. The position requires extensive collaboration with controls development, vehicle integration, testing, and quality teams to ensure production-ready calibrations achieve customer satisfaction and brand-specific driving character targets. What You Will Do Develop and optimize transmission shift quality calibrations for automatic, DCT, and CVT transmissions Define and maintain shift quality performance targets, vehicle character profiles, and transmission behavior requirements for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis products. Conduct subjective and objective evaluations of shift quality, including shift feel, responsiveness, smoothness, shock, consistency for various shift classes Lead on-road and proving ground calibration activities to validate shift quality performance under various operating conditions. Develop shift quality targets using customer feedback, competitive benchmarking, J.D. Power data, warranty information, and third-party media reviews. Analyze vehicle test data using INCA, MDA, MATLAB, AVL DRIVE, and other calibration and data analysis tools. Perform root cause analysis and develop countermeasures for transmission quality issues identified during development, validation, launch, and production. Collaborate with transmission controls, software development teams and transmission Tier2 vendors to improve shift strategies and control logic. Support transmission calibration release activities and ensure compliance with internal ROM and software release processes. Track calibration revisions, software releases, issue status, and validation results using AVL CRETA or equivalent calibration management systems. Develop test procedures, calibration guidelines, shift quality evaluation methods, and objective measurement standards. Investigate field quality concerns and customer feedback related to transmission operation and shift performance. Conduct transmission validation events, including proving ground testing, public-road evaluations, hot and cold weather testing, high-altitude testing, and quality audits at production plants Ensure all shift quality calibration activities meet internal quality standards and development milestones. What You Will Bring to the Role Required Qualifications Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field. 7+ years of experience working in an engineering capacity for vehicle development 5-7 years of experience in transmission calibration, transmission controls development, or shift quality engineering. Demonstrated experience developing and evaluating transmission shift quality for production vehicle programs. OEM vehicle development experience with responsibility for calibration delivery and validation. Technical Skills Advanced experience with ETAS INCA for calibration and measurement. Strong data analysis skills using ETAS MDA, MATLAB, AVL DRIVE, or equivalent analysis tools. Experience with calibration release management and ROM/software release processes. Familiarity with calibration tracking and configuration management tools such as AVL CRETA or equivalent systems. Knowledge of transmission control systems, shift execution strategies, torque management, and driveline dynamics. Experience defining objective and subjective shift quality targets. Understanding of vehicle communication networks including CAN, LIN, and Ethernet. Proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink and other controls development tools. Vehicle Development Experience Extensive experience performing real-world vehicle evaluations and subjective drive assessments. Experience conducting calibration development and validation at proving grounds and public-road test environments. Strong understanding of customer-perceived shift quality attributes and vehicle character development. Experience benchmarking competitor vehicles and translating findings into development targets. Familiarity with customer satisfaction metrics, including J.D. Power studies, media evaluations, and market feedback analysis.. Additional Qualifications Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration abilities. Ability to manage multiple vehicle programs and calibration releases simultaneously. Proven ability to drive issue resolution from root cause identification through production implementation. Ability to work independently while providing technical leadership on shift quality development activities. Preferred Qualifications Experience with automated shift quality analysis tools and objective evaluation methodologies. Knowledge of vehicle-level drivability and integration testing. Experience supporting launch-quality investigations and field issue resolution WHAT HYUNDAI CAN OFFER YOU Zero dollar employee premiums on Medical, Dental, and Vision for you and your family 100% employer-paid disability and life insurance Generous paid time off including vacation, sick and abundant holidays A global environment that fosters diversity Range of Position: $115,000 ~ $155,000/Year Retirement savings and planning benefits Access to health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts Other Details Candidates applying for positions with Hyundai KIA must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. HATCI is an Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled and Veteran. VEVRAA Federal contractor. Cover letter recommended