Plant Vehicle Engineer, Powertrain & Chassis

ABOUT SLATE

At Slate, we’re building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love—and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them.

| WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Slate is looking for a hands-on Plant Vehicle Engineer, Propulsion, HV Systems & Chassis to support vehicle assembly, launch readiness, production quality, and continuous improvement for propulsion, high-voltage, thermal, and chassis systems in the Warsaw Assembly Plant.

This role supports plant execution of propulsion and chassis content across drive unit(s), HV battery, HV system integration, thermal systems, suspension, steering, brake systems, and related vehicle interfaces, ensuring each system can be assembled consistently and to product intent in a manufacturing plant environment.

This role serves as the engineering link between the manufacturing plant, Design & Release Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Suppliers, Production, Safety, End of Line, Vehicle Integration, Service, and other cross-functional teams. The position focuses less on new component design or manufacturing process ownership and more on protecting product intent in the plant, resolving production and integration issues, and improving build quality in production.

This role does not own production release of propulsion, HV, thermal, or chassis designs. It is responsible for identifying build and integration issues, supporting root cause analysis, protecting safety-critical and quality requirements, and driving plant-side issue resolution in partnership with Design & Release Engineering and the broader manufacturing organization.

| WHAT YOU GET TO DO

Propulsion, HV & Chassis Integration Support

• Support the launch and ongoing production of propulsion, high-voltage, thermal, and chassis systems in a vehicle assembly plant environment.
• Serve as the Plant Vehicle Engineering point of contact for production and vehicle integration issues related to drive unit(s), HV battery interfaces, HV cables/connectors, HV system integration, thermal systems, suspension, steering, brake systems, and chassis interfaces.
• Help ensure plant build execution maintains product design intent, safety requirements, quality standards, functional performance, serviceability, and customer expectations.
• Enforce safety-critical characteristics, HV safety boundaries, and torque-to-spec requirements; maintain traceability and escalation protocols; support containment and no-build/no-ship decisions where required.

Production Issue Resolution

• Investigate, diagnose, and resolve production issues related to drive unit installation, HV battery and electrical interfaces, HVIL concerns, cable routing, thermal connections, chassis assembly, brake system installation, torque-controlled joints, leaks, fit/function, NVH, diagnostics, and component interfaces.
• Lead root cause analysis, containment, corrective action development, and breakpoint coordination; validate permanent fixes before closure.
• Analyze production data, audit findings, end-of-line results, repair trends, teardown feedback, supplier concerns, and plant feedback to identify risks, trends, and improvement opportunities.

Launch, Change & Cross-Functional Support

• Partner with Design & Release Engineering, Propulsion Engineering, HV Systems Engineering, Chassis Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Production, Suppliers, Safety, End of Line, Vehicle Integration, and Service teams to resolve plant and vehicle-level concerns.
• Support engineering change implementation, prototype/pilot builds, breakpoint coordination, plant readiness, issue tracking, containment, readiness reporting, and lessons learned.
• Contribute plant-perspective input to DFM/DFA reviews, PFMEAs, control plan reviews, and station readiness reviews; represent build and integration requirements in product and process improvement discussions.

Documentation & Process Improvement

• Review and support production documentation, including work instructions, inspection standards, torque requirements, quality alerts, repair procedures, HV safety instructions, and related process documentation.
• Support issue tracking, change management, quality systems, deviation / waiver processes, containment documentation, and production breakpoint control.
• Drive continuous improvement actions that reduce defects, improve first-time quality, minimize rework, and strengthen production robustness for propulsion, HV, thermal, and chassis systems.

Success Factors

• Improve first-time quality for propulsion, HV battery, HV system integration, thermal systems, and chassis including brake systems.
• Reduce rework, repair loops, and recurring production issues across drive unit(s), HV interfaces, thermal systems, suspension, steering, brake systems, and chassis-related content.
• Improve launch readiness through effective build support, issue tracking, station readiness, system integration discipline, and closure management.
• Improve containment effectiveness and accelerate issue resolution through clear triage, documentation, breakpoints, traceability, and validation.
• Strengthen feedback loops between the plant, Design & Release Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Production, Suppliers, Safety, End of Line, Vehicle Integration, and Service.

| WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TEAM

Education and Experience

• 5+ years of related automotive engineering, manufacturing engineering, launch, quality, plant vehicle engineering, resident engineering, vehicle integration, propulsion, EV high-voltage systems, chassis, or similar experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field preferred; equivalent hands-on automotive launch, manufacturing, or product engineering experience will be considered.
• Experience supporting vehicle development and launch, with an understanding of the product lifecycle from concept through production ramp and mass production.
• Experience with drive unit(s), HV battery interfaces, HV cable routing, HVIL, thermal systems, suspension, steering, brake systems, torque-controlled assemblies, end-of-line diagnostics, or vehicle integration preferred.
• Additional technical training is preferred, such as Lean, 5S, Kaizen, SPC, Six Sigma, Red X, EV high-voltage safety, or similar structured problem-solving methods.

Skills

• Strong understanding of BOMs, engineering change control, manufacturability, assembly methods, process validation, quality metrics, and design reviews.
• Strong technical, interpersonal, and communication skills, with the ability to represent engineering positions clearly to manufacturing, quality, operations, and supplier stakeholders.
• Ability to read and interpret drawings, schematics, technical documents, specifications, quality standards, torque requirements, diagnostic information, and system interface requirements.
• Experience with issue tracking, change management, quality systems, deviation/waiver processes, containment tracking, and production breakpoint control.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical discussions, drive issues to root cause, and see corrective actions through to verified closure.
• Hands-on experience supporting assembly lines and driving improvements in build quality, process stability, and production robustness.
• Understanding of high-voltage safety, HV connector seating, HVIL, isolation concepts, cable routing, thermal leak paths, chassis fastener integrity, brake system installation, suspension/steering interfaces, and vehicle-level diagnostic concerns.
• DFM and DFA experience, with the ability to provide plant feedback into product and process decisions.
• Ability to work on the plant floor more than 50% of the time.
• Ability to travel domestically up to 20%.
• Must be willing to relocate to Warsaw, Indiana. Relocation assistance will be provided.

Working Conditions

• Position is fully onsite.

Manufacturing plant environment with hands-on vehicle issue triage requiring adherence to all company safety procedures and high-voltage authorization requirements.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time.​​

WHY JOIN TEAM SLATE?

At Slate, we’re fueled by grit, determination, and attention to detail. The start-up spirit of ingenuity and resourcefulness move our business forward. Team Slate fosters a culture of excellence, innovation, and mutual respect, and is motivated by shared principles.

• Safety First

• Delight Customers

• One Team

• Relentless Improvement

• Fast, Frugal, and Scrappy

• Respectful Collaboration

• Positive Legacy

WE WANT TO WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT REFLECT THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE OPERATE.

Slate is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, parental status, cultural background, organizational level, work styles, tenure and life experiences. Or for any other reason.

Slate is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at

[email protected].