Virtual Propulsion Engineer

General Motors

Senior CAE Engineer developing advanced Computer-Aided Engineering capabilities for General Motors. Collaborating with engineering teams to enhance product development through data-driven decisions.

Posted 6/11/2026full-timeWarren • Missouri • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

As the Senior CAE Engineer, you will be a key technical leader responsible for developing, enhancing, and deploying advanced Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) capabilities to support product development.
Partner closely with cross-functional engineering teams to virtually evaluate designs, identify risks early, and drive data-based decisions that improve product performance, quality, and time-to-market.
Lead CAE capability development, owning the creation, enhancement, and deployment of new CAE methodologies, tools, and best practices to support evolving product and performance requirements.
Participate as the CAE lead on new, major, and minor product design programs, providing analysis-based insights to support concept selection, design trade-offs, and design validation.
Plan and execute simulation activities to assess structural performance, durability, stiffness, strength, or other performance attributes as required by the program.
Build high-quality Finite Element Analysis (FEA) models from CAD solid models, including geometry cleanup, meshing, material assignment, boundary conditions, and load case definition.
Develop and apply methods for root cause analysis, failure investigation, and performance optimization using CAE results, physical test data, and field feedback.
Correlate analytical results with test outcomes to improve model fidelity and build confidence in simulation-based decision making.
Serve as a subject matter expert, mentoring junior engineers on CAE methods, tools, and best practices.
Collaborate with design, test, manufacturing, and supplier teams to ensure CAE insights are integrated into design requirements and hardware decisions.
Communicate complex analysis results in a clear, concise manner to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Create and maintain documentation for analysis methods, workflows, and templates to ensure consistency and reusability.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
Significant hands-on experience with FEA-based CAE tools (e.g., ANSA, HyperMesh, Nastran, Abaqus, OptiStruct, or equivalent).
Proven experience building and executing FEA models from CAD solid models, including meshing, boundary condition setup, and results interpretation.
Strong understanding of mechanics, materials, and structural analysis fundamentals.
Demonstrated ability to perform root cause analysis and translate simulation results into clear design recommendations.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical information in a clear and actionable way.
Master’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline (Preferred).
Experience supporting product development teams on full lifecycle programs (concept through launch) (Preferred).
Familiarity with optimization, DOE, and automation of CAE workflows (Preferred).
Experience correlating CAE results with physical test data and refining models accordingly (Preferred).
Prior experience mentoring or leading other engineers in a CAE-focused environment (Preferred).

Benefits

Comp & perks

From day one, we're looking out for your well-being–at work and at home–so you can focus on realizing your ambitions.

ATS Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

Finite Element Analysisroot cause analysisstructural analysismechanicsmaterialssimulationoptimizationdesign validationCAE methodologiesdata-based decision making

Soft Skills

communicationmentoringcollaborationleadershipproblem-solvinganalytical thinkingpresentation skillsinterpersonal skillsorganizational skillsclear documentation

Certifications

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical EngineeringBachelor’s degree in Aerospace EngineeringMaster’s degree in relevant engineering discipline