Mechanism Engineer

RLE INTERNATIONAL is one of the world’s leading engineering and consultation service ­providers to the international mobility and energy industries. On the basis of our engineering development and methodological expertise, we lay claim to thirty years of experience in creating innovative and effective solutions for our international customers. RLE believes in providing excellence in Engineering Services; supporting our customers in developing mobility solutions around the world. Locations in Europe, North America, India, and China allow us to remain close to our ­customers. Our employees play an active role in shaping the future of our company by continuously increasing their personal and technical development.

RLE International USA is seeking a mechanism engineer to work on-site at our Romulus Development Center. This position is currently short term and may require some travel.

Role Purpose

Assess existing vehicle mechanical mechanisms and develop repair, rebuild, or replacement concepts to support reliability, maintainability, obsolescence management, passenger experience, and future fleet life-extension objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate existing mechanical mechanisms, including door systems, access panels, latches, hinges, locks, slides, retention devices, operator interfaces, and other moving assemblies.

• Assess mechanism performance, wear, reliability risks, serviceability concerns, and failure trends over the anticipated 2040-2055 fleet life-extension period.

• Develop conceptual and preliminary repair, rebuild, and replacement recommendations for mechanical mechanisms, including modernization and obsolescence mitigation strategies.

• Analyze mechanism interfaces with vehicle structures, interiors, electrical systems, controls, operators, and maintenance procedures.

• Support mechanism design improvements focused on durability, accessibility, ergonomics, safety, and lifecycle cost reduction.

• Review existing drawings, specifications, maintenance records, and field conditions to identify opportunities for standardization and performance improvements.

• Coordinate with cross-functional engineering teams to ensure compatibility with vehicle packaging, structures, interiors, and electrical control systems.

• Support development of cost estimates, schedules, design concepts, engineering documentation, specifications, and drawing packages.

• Participate in design reviews and provide technical recommendations for mechanism system upgrades and life-extension activities.

Primary Deliverables

• Mechanism condition assessment and risk analysis

• Mechanism repair, rebuild, and replacement recommendation matrix

• Reliability and maintainability assessment

• Obsolescence evaluation and mitigation strategy

• Preliminary mechanism concepts and interface definitions

• Engineering calculations and design documentation

• Component specifications and procurement support

• Final design support for mechanism drawings and specifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent engineering experience.

• 5+ years of experience in mechanism design, product design, automotive systems, rail vehicle systems, industrial equipment, aerospace systems, or specialty vehicle engineering.

• Experience with mechanical assemblies including hinges, latches, locks, slides, actuators, linkages, access systems, and motion-control mechanisms.

• Strong understanding of tolerancing, manufacturing methods, materials, wear analysis, and design-for-maintainability principles.

• Experience developing engineering drawings, specifications, and design documentation.

• Proficiency with CAD tools such as SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo, or similar.

• Rail vehicle, passenger vehicle, or transportation industry experience preferred.

Physical Demands

This position requires the ability to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods; lift and carry up to 50 pounds occasionally; and perform tasks requiring bending, reaching, stooping, and climbing. The employee must be able to work effectively in office, engineering, laboratory, manufacturing, and customer-site environments and use a computer for prolonged periods.