Automotive Body Interior CAE Engineer

Why Join Ford of Mexico?

Celebrating over 100 years of legacy in Mexico, we are more than just a business we are a vibrant, collaborative community of over 14,000 innovators shaping the global future of transportation. At Ford, we build what matters, grow where it counts, and drive progress with heart. Whether you are collaborating at our state-of-the-art Global Technology and Business Center (GTBC) or manufacturing iconic, award-winning vehicles in our world-class plants, you will find a culture evolving together, built on trust, passion, and shared purpose. Here, your work moves people forward, and your growth is personal. Join us, and let’s build what’s next together.

In this position.

As part of Product Development at Ford, our Body Interior CAE team drives the virtual design, optimization, and validation of next-generation vehicle interior systems—including instrument panels, center consoles, and door trims—before physical prototypes are built. In this role, you will bridge cutting-edge simulation technology with real-world engineering, ensuring our vehicles deliver exceptional occupant safety, structural durability, and refined acoustics. By collaborating with cross-functional design and physical testing teams early in the product lifecycle, you will directly influence vehicle performance, reduce development cycles, and help shape safer, quieter, and lighter vehicles.

What will you do.

• Develop and execute complex finite element (FE) models for interior components, sub-systems, and full-vehicle environments to predict structural integrity and safety performance.
• Perform high-speed dynamic impact and occupant safety simulations (such as lower interior head impact and airbag deployment) to ensure full compliance with global safety regulations.
• Conduct static and dynamic structural analyses to evaluate strength, durability, component stiffness, and fatigue life under operational, misuse, and extreme load conditions.
• Analyze system modal characteristics and dynamic behavior to mitigate Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) and eliminate Squeak & Rattle (S&R) risks at component interfaces.
• Collaborate with product design and CAD teams to translate simulation results into actionable design improvements, such as optimized rib patterns, structural enablers, and lightweight material selections.
• Partner with physical testing teams to correlate simulation models with physical test data, continuously enhancing virtual testing accuracy and implementing process automation scripts to optimize team workflows.

You'll have.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Automotive, or Materials Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Typically 3 to 5 years of hands-on experience in automotive body interior Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) or structural crashworthiness analysis.
• Demonstrated proficiency with industry-standard pre/post-processors (ANSA or HyperWorks / HyperMesh / HyperView) and solvers (LS-DYNA for occupant safety and impact simulations; NASTRAN, OptiStruct, or Abaqus for linear/non-linear static and durability analysis).
• Solid understanding of global automotive interior safety regulations (such as Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards / FMVSS 201 and global NCAP protocols).
• In-depth knowledge of automotive material behaviors, including thermoplastics (creep, strain-rate dependency, ductile-to-brittle behavior), composites, elastomers/foams, and sheet metals.

Even better, you may have... (Preferred Qualifications)

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical, Aerospace, Automotive, or Materials Engineering.
• Experience with automation scripting languages (e.g., Python, Bash, or ANSA API scripts) for CAE workflow optimization.
• Direct experience with injection molding simulation software (e.g., Moldflow) to capture manufacturing-induced fiber orientation and knit-lines in structural CAE models.
• Familiarity with structural optimization tools such as LS-OPT, HEEDS, or OptiStruct.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with a proven track record of presenting complex technical simulation findings and influencing cross-functional design teams.

Ford of Mexico is committed to being an equal opportunity employer. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace is essential to our success. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, or disability status.

Our focus is to build the best team. If you think you can bring value to Ford, love to collaborate, prioritize and aim to deliver excellence in everything you do, we encourage you to apply!

We thank all candidates for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

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