We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life-saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.
As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.
When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.
Job Summary
The Thermal/HVAC Feature Validation Engineer will be responsible for validating vehicle-level thermal management and HVAC features to ensure system performance, functionality, reliability, and customer requirements are met.
The engineer will work closely with HVAC, thermal systems, controls, software, electrical, and vehicle integration teams to develop validation plans, execute testing, analyze results, identify issues, and support root-cause investigations.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and execute vehicle-level validation plans and test procedures for HVAC and thermal management features.
- Validate HVAC system functionality, including:
- Heating and cooling performance
- Cabin temperature control
- Air distribution and airflow
- Defrost/defog functionality
- Blower and fan operation
- Climate control modes
- HVAC controls and feature behavior
- Perform feature validation across different vehicle operating conditions, ambient temperatures, and drive cycles.
- Validate thermal management features for both ICE and electrified vehicle platforms, as applicable.
- Execute testing using vehicle, bench, and/or dynamometer environments.
- Collect, analyze, and interpret test data to identify performance gaps and system issues.
- Perform functional, integration, regression, and feature-level testing.
- Troubleshoot HVAC and thermal system issues and support root-cause analysis.
- Work with software and controls teams to investigate issues related to HVAC controls, calibration, sensors, actuators, and control logic.
- Document test results, defects, observations, and recommendations.
- Track validation issues through resolution and perform re-testing/regression testing after fixes.
- Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to resolve system-level issues.
- Support vehicle launches and program milestones by providing validation status, risks, and technical recommendations.
- Participate in competitive benchmarking and vehicle performance assessments as required.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Automotive, Electrical, Controls, or a related Engineering discipline.
- 2+ years of experience in automotive testing, validation, thermal systems, HVAC, or vehicle integration.
- Experience with vehicle-level testing and troubleshooting.
- Understanding of automotive HVAC and/or thermal management systems.
- Ability to analyze test data and identify system performance issues.
- Strong problem-solving and communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively with cross-functional engineering teams.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with automotive HVAC systems and climate control features.
- Experience validating thermal management systems for EV/HEV/PHEV or conventional powertrain vehicles.
- Knowledge of HVAC components such as compressors, condensers, evaporators, expansion valves, heaters, blowers, valves, pumps, sensors, and actuators.
- Experience with CAN/CANalyzer/CANoe or similar automotive communication and diagnostic tools.
- Experience with Vector tools, data acquisition systems, or vehicle diagnostic tools.
- Experience with MATLAB/Simulink or similar engineering/data-analysis tools.
- Knowledge of automotive communication protocols and vehicle diagnostics.
- Experience with test automation and scripting, preferably Python or CAPL.
- Experience with climatic chamber, chassis dynamometer, or environmental testing.
- Understanding of HVAC controls, thermal management controls, and software feature validation.
- Experience with JIRA, ALM, or similar defect/requirement tracking tools.
- Experience working in a OEM vehicle development environment is a plus.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.
Please beware of job seeker scams and see this important notice on our careers page for more information about our recruiting process.
Compliance Notice: Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
Drug Screening Requirement: As a federal contractor, Alten USA maintains a drug-free workplace. All candidates selected for employment will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment drug screening as a condition of hire.