Description
Design, develop, and validate internal combustion, hybrid, and electric powertrain systems, including engines, e-motors, transmissions, drivelines, and controls, using CAD/CAE and calibration tools. Lead prototyping, integration, and testing to meet performance, efficiency, NVH, durability, emissions, and regulatory targets.
- • Keep current on powertrain technologies, regulations, and competitor benchmarks via literature, conferences, and supplier reviews.
- • Establish production and quality control standards for powertrain components and end-of-line testing.
- • Prepare and present powertrain technical reports, test results, and program status.
- • Develop and implement powertrain development methods, calibration processes, and test procedures.
- • Write, review, and maintain powertrain requirements, specifications, and design documentation.
- • Conduct research to advance ICE, hybrid, and electric powertrain concepts and materials.
- • Coordinate prototype builds and production launch with purchasing, manufacturing, service, and quality.
- • Provide technical direction to calibration, test, and design engineers and technicians.
- • Perform root cause analysis for performance, durability, NVH, and emissions issues.
- • Define and integrate torque, energy, and thermal control feature requirements.
- • Develop engineering specifications, bills of materials, and cost estimates for engines, e-motors, transmissions, and drivelines.
- • Develop calibration and test methodologies, HIL/MIL/SIL tools, and dynamometer procedures.
- • Lead powertrain design reviews, DFMEA, and DVP&R.
- • Calibrate engine, hybrid, and transmission controls for drivability, fuel economy, performance, and emissions.
- • Build and validate system and control models for feature verification and calibration.
- • Modify designs to meet targets for efficiency, performance, packaging, cost, and reliability.
- • Design and analyze powertrain subsystems such as air path, fuel, aftertreatment, lubrication, cooling, electrified drive units, and gearsets.
- • Plan and execute system- and vehicle-level powertrain tests, including durability, thermal, and NVH.
- • Design control algorithms for torque management, energy management, thermal management, and diagnostics including OBD.
- • Create alternatives such as advanced boosting, variable valve timing, Miller/Atkinson cycles, e-axles, or multi-speed gearboxes to improve efficiency.
- • Specify recyclable and lightweight materials for powertrain components to reduce mass.
- • Develop specifications for alternative fuels, hybrid architectures, and electric drive systems.
- • Research and implement connected, intelligent, and automated powertrain control applications.
- • Apply green technologies including electrification, waste heat recovery, and low-friction designs.
- • Ensure compliance with emissions, OBD, noise, and regional regulatory standards (EPA, CARB, WLTP).
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
