What are the responsibilities and job description for the Product Engineer position at Optimal Inc.?
***POSITION IS HYBRID***
Position Description:
The ideal candidate will work under experienced Quality Assurance team leadership and support the Digital Experience Quality center of excellence within Digital Product Design by:
•Securing test vehicle availability, scheduling testing locations and materials, as needed. Prepping vehicles to be reviewed, which includes, but is not limited to: loading the required software level and configuration parameters as required, ensuring vehicle connectivity is available, ensuring fuel level is appropriate, etc.
•Developing and maintaining test protocols and reporting documentation regarding digital user interfaces across different platforms, electrical architectures, and display configurations.
•Performing user interface assessments, including heuristic evaluations, vehicle-level testing, compliance testing of NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) Driver Distraction guidelines on new vehicle programs, etc.
•Identifying discrepancies between user interface implementation and specified requirements and regulations. Lead resolution across functional teams to ensure UI designs comply with expected user experiences, attribute targets, and corporate requirements.
•Providing evidence of compliance and sign off on digital user interface designs in Company's requirements database.
•Functioning as contact between Digital Experience Quality and vehicle program team, consistently monitoring and communicating updates in program timing and feature content, and digital user interface status towards delivery.
•Occasionally perform evening and overnight test drives on company vehicles.
Skills Required:
•Must be able to drive company test vehicles (such as prototypes) on Company's property (e.g. labs, garages, parking lots, etc), as well as on public roads. (Company will be responsible for providing any required access and training).
•Comfortable working on changing demands and early vehicle program work and technologies is preferred.
•Self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks with minimal direction, and comfortable with changing environments and deadlines is preferred.
•Passion for User Experience and Customer-Centered Design is preferred.
•Strong sense of customer empathy, problem identification and resolution is preferred.
•Comfortable working in a cross-functional /global HMI role is preferred.
•Strong written and oral skills. Ability to communicate and present to high levels of management is preferred.
Experience Required:
•2 years of experience working with quality metrics and processes
•2 years of validation experience, including authoring test plans
•Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, Vehicle Network Logging and Analyst tools (e.g. CANalyzer, Vehicle Spy), and good disposition to learn new tools required for the job.
•Familiarity with regulations and guidelines as they refer to in-vehicle user interfaces for the North American market.
•Prior knowledge of Ford GPDS program deliverables preferred.
•Knowledge of electrical architecture and HMI Subsystems (cluster, center stack/Sync, rear displays, physical controls) and driver assistance features preferred.
Education Required:
•Bachelor's degree in quantitative field (e.g., Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, etc.)
