Engineer / Sr. Engineer - Infotainment Telematics Systems

At Kia, we’re creating award-winning products and redefining what value means in the automotive industry. It takes a special group of individuals to do what we do, and we do it together. Our culture is fast-paced, collaborative, and innovative. Our people thrive on thinking differently and challenging the status quo. We are creating something special here, a culture of learning and opportunity, where you can help Kia achieve big things and most importantly, feel passionate and connected to your work every day.

Kia provides team members with competitive benefits including premium paid medical, dental and vision coverage for you and your dependents, 401(k) plan matching of 100% up to 6% of the salary deferral, and paid time off. Kia also offers company lease and purchase programs, company-wide holiday shutdown, paid volunteer hours, and premium lifestyle amenities at our corporate campus in Irvine, California.

Status

Exempt 

General Summary

The Infotainment and Telematics Engineering team, within the Kia North America Product Quality department, represents the voice of the North American customer by identifying infotainment and telematics vehicle quality concerns and developing effective countermeasures to support Kia America’s vast dealership network. The team collaborates with various engineering groups in North America and Korea to continuously improve vehicle quality and customer satisfaction.

The Engineer influences customer perception of Kia vehicle quality. This position serves as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Kia vehicles in the U.S. market and leads investigations into emerging infotainment and telematics issues. A strong working knowledge of conventional automotive infotainment and telematics systems is required, along with the ability to perform thorough, accurate assessments independently and with minimal supervision.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Priority One – 40%

Platform Management

• Manage vehicle infotainment platform(s) by identifying, investigating, and analyzing product quality concerns.
• Report on product quality concerns through Quality Information Reports (QIRs).
• Review data sources such as warranty, techline, customer care, social media, and develop action plans for quality improvement as needed.
• Validation of countermeasure effectiveness through analysis of available data sources, including comeback analysis.
• Escalation of high priority issues to management for further review with Korean and/or North American engineering teams.
• Support Kia America Techline, Customer Care, and Kia Dealers with quality advice as needed to prevent comebacks and potential repurchase(s).
• Support Jira ticket process for Kia Connect customer issues to resolve concerns and product improvement.

Priority Two – 30%

Software/OTA Test Support

•  Support software and OTA testing relative to new model software activities, OTAs, and map updates including log file collection and reporting and follow-up of concerns to appropriate teams

Priority Three – 20%

Customer Metrics Activities (IQS/VDS/CR)

• Maintain and improve Kia America’s performance in studies such as J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS), J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), and Consumer Reports Reliability Rankings.
• Leveraging customer quality metrics (IQS/VDS) associated with assigned platform(s) to improve customer perception of quality, including, but not limited to: verbatim review, performance/trend assessment, ownership experience improvement proposals, and customer education material review.
• Support customer clinic activities and leverage the voice of the customer for quality improvements.

Priority Four – 10%

Dealer Interface/Investigations and Dealer Facing Communications

• Lead the preparation of field publications, including Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs), Service Actions (SAs), and Pitstops (PSs). 
• Coordinate field investigations including dealer visits in collaboration with Korea/North American engineering teams, including but not limited to Kia Corporation (Kia HQ), Kia Georgia (KaGA), and Kia Mexico (KMX).

This list of essential responsibilities and duties is not exhaustive and may be supplemented and changed as necessary by management.

Qualifications/Education

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering discipline or related field required.

Job Requirement

• Engineer I: 0-2 years’ experience in quality assurance or engineering environment required.