{"id":3936523,"url":"https://alion.io/job/exponent-principal-engineer-vehicle-engineering-msphd","title":"Principal Engineer - Vehicle Engineering (MS/PhD)","company":{"id":452188,"name":"Exponent","domain":"exponent.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/exponent-5","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"iCIMS","truth_index":null},"role":"Automotive","role_family":"Automotive","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Menlo Park, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":212500,"max":280000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":280000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-08T08:34:43Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-08","last_verified_at":"2026-11-08T21:03:26Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"About Exponent\nExponent is the only premium engineering and scientific consulting firm with the depth and breadth of expertise to solve our clients’ most profoundly unique, unprecedented, and urgent challenges.\nWe are committed to engaging multidisciplinary teams of science, engineering, and regulatory experts to empower our clients with solutions that create a safer, healthier, more sustainable world. For over five decades, we've connected the lessons of past failures with tomorrow's solutions to advise clients as they innovate technologically complex products and processes, ensure the safety and health of their users, and address the challenges of sustainability.\nJoin our team of experts with degrees from top programs at over 500 universities and extensive experience spanning a variety of industries. At Exponent, you’ll contribute to the diverse pool of ideas, talents, backgrounds, and experiences that drives our collaborative teamwork and breakthrough insights. Plus, we help you grow your career through mentoring, sponsorship, and a culture of learning. Thanks for your interest in joining our team!\nKey statistics:\n950+ Consultants\n640+ Ph.D.s\n90+ Disciplines\n30+ Offices globally\nOur Opportunity\nWe are currently seeking a Principal Engineer for our Vehicle Engineering Practice in Menlo Park, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Irvine, CA; Farmington Hills, MI; Warrenville, IL; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Atlanta, GA; Tampa, FL; Natick, MA; Austin, TX; Houston, TX; or Phoenix, AZ. This position will involve applying fundamental engineering and scientific techniques to analyze incidents involving passenger and commercial vehicles, construction and industrial machines, and traditional root-cause and failure analysis. As a Principal Engineer, you will cultivate relationships with existing clients, identify new business opportunities, lead teams to perform leading-edge technical analyses, and contribute to the growth of our Vehicle Engineering Practice.\nYou will be responsible for\nLeading projects for failure analysis, root cause analysis investigations, product development and expert witness engagements in requisite areas of expertise\nIdentifying and pursuing business development opportunities\nManaging multidisciplinary teams and collaborating with experts in other technical disciplines\nProject management and building client relationships\nPerforming engineering calculations and analyses\nPerforming laboratory experiments and analytical or computational modeling\nPlanning and executing testing programs\nPreparing written reports, proposals, and presentations\nDomestic travel will likely be required\nMost assignments will require the ability to gather information from, and convey technical conclusions to, individuals in engineering, the legal profession, business and industry\nYou will have the following skills and qualifications\nPh.D. or Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related field, with a practical and theoretical understanding of on-road and/or off-road vehicles, dynamics, and vehicle testing \nPresently legally authorized to work in the United States. No immigration sponsorship or processing required. \nProfessional Engineer (P.E.) Licensure is required\n10+ years of full-time work experience related to or in the automotive industry; vehicle design; occupant protection systems; vehicle safety; Advanced Driver Assistance Systems\nPrior experience testifying as an expert witness is required\nDeep and fundamental knowledge of dynamics and mechanics\nSignificant demonstrated experience generating business and managing client relationships\nExcellent written and verbal communications skills\nAbility to gather information from, and convey technical conclusions to, individuals in engineering, the legal profession, business and industry\nApplicants are encouraged to submit a CV with publications (feel free to include publications that are in review or pending) [not restricted to 1 page].\nLife @ Exponent\nTo learn more about life at Exponent and our impact, please visit the following links:https://www.exponent.com/careers/life-exponenthttps://www.exponent.com/company/our-impact\nAttracting, inspiring, developing, and rewarding exceptional people with diverse backgrounds and expertise are central to our corporate culture. Our diverse team allows us to provide better value to our clients and enjoy an enriched work environment.\nOur firm is committed to offering a variety of programs and resources to support health and well-being. We believe that providing competitive benefits as well as compensation and recognition programs empowers our staff to do work that makes a difference.\nWork Environment\nAt Exponent, we have found that in-person interactions deepen employee engagement and are crucial for development, for realizing the full potential of our talented and diverse teams, and for building a more inclusive workplace where all have a sense of belonging. In our offices, you can expect a supportive culture and a collaborative, dynamic, multi-disciplinary work environment. Our consultants engage in-person in the office unless they are traveling for client work or other business activities.\nWe value the rich lives our colleagues enjoy outside of work and understand that work/life balance is critical to our employees and their well-being. Consultants have the autonomy to balance their work and personal schedules so you can meet with clients, visit inspection sites, attend conferences, and make time for priorities outside of work, too. It is this flexible, agile work style and working hours that allow our teams to drive innovation and results in their own ways, while meeting the needs of clients. #LI-Onsite\nCompensation\nOur consultants are rewarded for their technical and business contributions and have an opportunity to plan for future success and career growth. Exponent's total compensation plan is consistent with its expectations of the quality and quantity of work performed and with the professional standards set by Exponent. At the Manager level and above total compensation includes base salary, annual bonus, and 401(k) employer contribution of 7% of base salary.\nThe base salary range for this position is depending on experience and capabilities, which will be assessed during the interview process.\nSalary Range\nUSD $212,500.00 - USD $280,000.00 /Yr.Benefits you will enjoy\nAccess benefits information on our Life@Exponent page:https://www.exponent.com/careers/life-exponent\nExponent is a proud equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status.\nIf you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may email us at .\nJob Locations\nUS-CA-Menlo Park US-AZ-Phoenix US-MI-Farmington Hills US-CA-Irvine US-GA-Atlanta US-IL-Chicago US-CO-Denver US-CA-Los Angeles US-TX-Houston US-TX-Austin US-FL-Tampa ...","description_format":"text","description_chars":7056,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":10,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"master","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Engineering Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-08T08:34:43Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"adverts_offering_sponsorship_24m":0,"sanctioned_now":false,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 9 · green card filings: 3","filings_12m":9,"filings_prev_12m":16,"green_card_filings_12m":3,"median_offered_wage_usd":115833,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-11-08T10:45:15+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":34,"reasons":["conf:2","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-08T23:04:43Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":280000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/exponent-principal-engineer-vehicle-engineering-msphd","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/exponent-principal-engineer-vehicle-engineering-msphd.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-08T23:04:43Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":48057,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-09T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":452188},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=452188"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fexponent-principal-engineer-vehicle-engineering-msphd"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":2,"usd":0.2},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fexponent-principal-engineer-vehicle-engineering-msphd"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fexponent-principal-engineer-vehicle-engineering-msphd"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/exponent-principal-engineer-vehicle-engineering-msphd\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fexponent-principal-engineer-vehicle-engineering-msphd"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3936523}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"exponent.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3936523},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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