Principal Engineer - Product Integrity

Job Summary

The Principal Engineer — Product Integrity reports directly to the Director of Product Integrity and provides high level technical support for the Products Legal Team's three missions related to: 1) product safety; 2) technical evaluation of product liability matters; and 3) post-sale safety and noncompliance regulatory issues. The position is routinely involved in proactive efforts to promote product integrity in the product development process, as well as acting as an expert consultant on product integrity issues that arise at any time in a product's life cycle, from conception to post-sale performance.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide proactive product integrity support for new product development programs by helping to detect and resolve potential issues early. Act as an expert staff consultant in support of other product integrity issues arising at any time, from concept to post-sale performance, in a product’s life cycle.
• Provide product integrity support for corporate technical and advertising literature as well as warnings and instructions.
• Provide technical expertise and support for the Company's efforts to analyze and defend product liability matters, combining multidisciplinary engineering expertise with detailed product, industry, and state-of-the-art knowledge to successfully analyze and explain technical aspects of products claims.
• Provide technical support in the analysis and resolution of challenging post-sale safety and noncompliance issues that are critical to our customer's safety and the Company's compliance with various technical standards and governmental regulations worldwide.
• Analyze, recommend, and implement improvements to the Corporate Product Integrity Program, the defense of product liability, warranty matters and recall processes.
• Deliver highly complex, technical information to small and large groups of internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain close familiarity with the current state-of-the-art in the motorcycle and related industries; participate in industry and professional organizations, internal and external courses, seminars, readings and other learning opportunities to continuously update expertise across multiple engineering competencies, including the design, manufacturing and testing of products.
• Continuously update riding skills and detailed knowledge of the Company's products, processes, information sources and organization.
• Interact with a variety of internal and external stakeholders both verbally and in written format. This includes customers, their counsel, and/or opposing technical "experts" at vehicle and scene inspections.
• Participate in product and crash scene inspections nationwide on relatively short notice, crash reconstructions and forensic testing.
• Provide forensic engineering analysis of crashes.
• Participate in the litigation process by assisting with responding to discovery, organizing testing as needed, giving deposition and trial testimony and helping to explain technical issues to the rest of the trial team.
• Support training initiatives to leverage product integrity expertise throughout the organization.
• Take an active role in the Product Integrity Familiarity Program (PIFP), serving as a mentor to participants.

Education Requirements

Education Specifications

A Master's Degree and/or PE license is preferred. 

Experience Requirements

This role typically requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience including:

• Significant new product development, product safety and forensic engineering experience is highly desirable.
• Must possess outstanding leadership, communication, problem solving and teaching skills; the self-initiative to successfully resolve complex, undefined issues; and the highest level of personal integrity and professional competency.
• Participation in the Product Integrity Familiarity Program or significant experience interacting with the H-D Product Integrity group.
• Advanced motorcycle rider training and/or significant motorcycle riding experience.