Simulation Engineer, Factory Design

Position: Simulation Engineer
Contract Duration: 6-Month Contract (Possible Extension)
Work Location: Remote

• Must be able to travel during the first month of onboarding for 1 week to Normal, Illinois.
• Additional travel may be required based on project needs

• Client's Factory Design & Simulation team is seeking a Contract Simulation Engineer (DES) to support early manufacturing engineering and throughput architecture for the R2 production ramp in Normal, Illinois.
• This role focuses on building and analyzing Discrete Event Simulation (DES) models to support factory and production line design decisions before the Request for Quotation (RFQ) and detailed design phases.
• The selected candidate will work closely with the Body, General Assembly (GA), Paint, Battery, Drive Unit, and Material Flow teams to validate production capacity, determine appropriate buffer sizes, and identify bottlenecks that could impact the R2 launch and production ramp in Normal.

• Build Discrete Event Simulation (DES) models (Autodesk FlexSim preferred) for manufacturing and material flow applications, including:
  • Inter-shop buffer analysis
  • ASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System) sizing
  • AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) flow analysis
  • Shop overspeed trade-off evaluations
• Translate high-level factory requirements into simulation-ready assumptions and scenarios, including:
  • Production demand
  • Shift patterns
  • Product mix
  • First Pass Yield (FPY)
  • Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
  • Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
• Conduct scenario and sensitivity analyses using FlexSim Experimenter to:
  • Validate line and shop net Jobs Per Hour (JPH) against production targets.
  • Quantify overspeed, OPR/TEE, and buffer requirements.
  • Evaluate Jobs Per Shift (JPS) regularity and associated risk envelopes.
• Prepare clear, decision-focused reports and presentation materials for Manufacturing Engineering (ME) and program leadership, outlining trade-offs related to:
  • Throughput
  • Operational risk
  • Factory space utilization
• Collaborate with:
  • Factory Layout Engineering
  • Material Flow Engineering
  • Industrial Engineering

• Follow Client's Discrete Event Simulation standards and libraries for:
  • Model structure
  • Naming conventions
  • Documentation
  • Model handoff

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline (preferred).
• Minimum 3+ years of experience in automotive manufacturing engineering in one or more of the following areas:
  • Body Shop
  • Paint Shop
  • General Assembly (GA)
  • Battery Manufacturing
  • Drive Unit Manufacturing
  • Material Flow
• Hands-on ownership and execution of Discrete Event Simulation (DES) projects.
• Expert-level proficiency with Autodesk FlexSim.
• Demonstrated experience modeling:
  • Multi-line assembly systems with buffers and rework
  • Stochastic manufacturing behavior, including equipment failures, repairs, and process time variability
  • Throughput, capacity, and bottleneck analysis
• Strong understanding of manufacturing performance metrics, including:
  • Jobs Per Hour (JPH)
  • Jobs Per Shift (JPS)
  • Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
  • Total Effective Equipment Performance (TEE)
  • Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
  • Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
  • Work In Progress (WIP)
  • Buffer sizing methodologies
• Ability to:
  • Clean and structure simulation input data
  • Develop realistic simulation scenarios
  • Clearly communicate model assumptions and limitations
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to translate complex simulation outputs into actionable business recommendations for technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Discrete Event Simulation
• FlexSim

• 12 Industrial Engineers
• Automotive Manufacturing

• Experience with FlexScript, C++, or Python for developing custom simulation logic and automation tools.
• Previous experience supporting:
  • Greenfield manufacturing facility design
  • Factory capacity expansion projects
  • Production launch and ramp-up initiatives
• Experience working within cross-functional manufacturing engineering teams supporting factory design, material flow, and industrial engineering.