Thermal Systems Calibration Engineer
Northville, MI
Description

The Thermal Systems Calibration Engineer is responsible for developing, calibrating, validating, and optimizing vehicle thermal management and cabin HVAC control systems. This role requires 3+ years of hands-on vehicle calibration and testing experience to ensure thermal performance, component protection, energy efficiency, and occupant comfort across a wide range of operating and environmental conditions. The engineer will work closely with cross-functional teams to develop robust thermal control strategies and validate system performance through vehicle, dynamometer, and climatic chamber testing.


Responsibilities:

  • Calibrate and validate powertrain thermal management and cabin HVAC control systems to optimize thermal performance, energy efficiency, component protection, and occupant comfort.
  • Develop and tune thermal control strategies for pumps, fans, valves, compressors, coolant and refrigerant circuits, and heating/cooling devices.
  • Execute powertrain thermal and HVAC calibration activities, including hot/cold soak, thermal protection, derate, warm-up, cool-down, defrost, demist, and cabin comfort testing.
  • Perform hands-on vehicle testing, climatic chamber testing, and dynamometer evaluations to assess and improve thermal system performance under varying operating conditions.
  • Analyze vehicle data and instrumentation results to optimize coolant, refrigerant, airflow, temperature control, and overall thermal system effectiveness.
  • Calibrate thermal management functions across a wide range of ambient temperatures, vehicle speeds, drive cycles, propulsion modes, charging conditions, and powertrain loads.
  • Validate thermal system performance and control robustness through vehicle-level testing and real-world environmental assessments.
  • Utilize calibration and data acquisition tools to troubleshoot system interactions and optimize integrated thermal and HVAC performance.
  • Support vehicle-level thermal system integration, balancing propulsion cooling/heating requirements, cabin comfort demands, energy consumption, and system constraints.
  • Collaborate with systems, controls, software, and validation teams to achieve thermal performance, efficiency, durability, and customer comfort targets.
Requirements
  • Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related field.
  • 3+ years of hands-on experience in vehicle thermal management and HVAC calibration.
  • Proven experience conducting vehicle-level testing, climatic chamber testing, and dynamometer testing.
  • Strong understanding of coolant systems, refrigerant systems, HVAC controls, thermal protection strategies, and vehicle energy management.
  • Experience with calibration and data acquisition tools such as CANape, INCA, ETAS, Vector, or equivalent.
  • Proficiency in data analysis and calibration development using vehicle test data.
  • Experience supporting thermal management systems for conventional, hybrid, or electric vehicles.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with MATLAB/Simulink and controls development.
  • Experience supporting EV, hybrid, or advanced propulsion thermal systems.
  • Knowledge of thermal modeling, vehicle controls, and system integration.
  • Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills.
  • Experience collaborating with cross-functional engineering teams in a fast-paced vehicle development environment.