Mission
Complexity Engineer
Location: Remote
Job Type: Full-Time
Experience Level: Mid-Level (3+ Years)
Travel Required: 15%–25% (Travel to manufacturing facilities, assembly plants, and regional supply chain hubs as needed)
About the Role
We are seeking a data-driven and analytical Complexity Engineer to lead the optimization, rationalization, and management of product variety across our vehicle platforms.
In this role, you will sit at the intersection of Product Engineering, Supply Chain, Purchasing, and Manufacturing. Your main mission is to control and reduce build-combination complexity, eliminate non-value-added component variants, and minimize manufacturing friction—all while protecting customer-facing option choices. You will establish feature-tiering strategies, manage configuration rules, and quantify the total cost of complexity across the product lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities
Variant & Combination Analysis: Analyze complete vehicle option matrices, feature offerings, and build combinations using data modeling to identify, quantify, and eliminate low-volume or high-friction variants.
Component Rationalization: Partner with Design Release Engineers (DREs) across electrical, mechanical, and interior/exterior attributes to consolidate part numbers, maximize carry-over parts (COP), and drive modular architecture strategies.
Cost of Complexity Modeling: Develop financial and operational cost models that evaluate the downstream impacts of adding new features or part variants (tooling cost, inventory holding, assembly line time, supply chain risk).
Configuration & Rule Management: Define, release, and maintain variant configuration rules within PLM and ERP systems to prevent non-buildable or redundant feature combinations.
Cross-Functional Strategy: Lead alignment workshops with Product Planning, Marketing, Purchasing, and Manufacturing teams to establish clear variance targets for new vehicle programs and running changes.
Plant & Launch Support: Travel to manufacturing plants during prototype builds and launch phases to review physical build variance on the assembly line, assess station complexity, and identify opportunities for station balancing or part standardization.
Profile
Qualifications & Skill Requirements
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Analytics, or a related technical field.
Experience: Minimum 3+ years of experience in complexity management, variant management, systems engineering, or industrial engineering within the automotive or mobility industry.
Data Analytics & Modeling: Proficiency in data visualization and analytics tools (e.g., Python, SQL, Power BI, Tableau, or advanced Excel modeling) to evaluate large-scale option/BOM data sets.
Systems Integration & PLM: Strong understanding of Bill of Materials (BOM) structures, configuration management, and variant coding within PLM/ERP environments (Teamcenter, Enovia, or SAP).
Cross-Functional Communication: Demonstrated ability to influence engineering, commercial, and manufacturing stakeholders to make balanced trade-off decisions between product features and operational complexity.
Travel Flexibility: Ability and willingness to travel 15%–25% to support assembly facilities, supplier integration reviews, and program milestone workshops.
Preferred Qualifications
Master’s Degree in Engineering Management, Systems Engineering, or Industrial Engineering.
Direct experience with automotive feature mapping, option dependencies, or modular platform strategies.
Hands-on knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Value Engineering (VA/VE), and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles.