Lead Engineer - Automation Tooling

Scout Motors · Charlotte, NC

Apply on Scout Motors ↗

Level: Manager
Team: Controls
Base pay: $160k–$193k
Degree: Required
Experience asked: 12+ years
Industry: Automotive
Posted: 30+ days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A management controls role at Scout Motors (automotive) in Charlotte, NC.

They ask for: 12+ years · degree required
Tools it names: Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), Automation, Tooling
Base pay: $160k–$193k

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026

Controls Engineer roles in North Carolina: typical posted base $108k–$154k. This one lists $160k–$193k.

Median of the low and high ends of 7 live postings that list pay, out of 35 controls engineer openings in North Carolina, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

North Carolina plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 34 other live controls postings in North Carolina.

Base pay: About 35% above similar roles
Experience asked: More than usual (12+ vs 5+)

Skills these teams ask for most

✓ Automation 83%
PLC 69%
Robotics 40%
✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 34%
AutoCAD 23%
MES 23%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

It asks for 12+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

1
Pick 2–3 people on the Controls team at Scout Motors
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: Scout Motors in Charlotte

3 other open roles at this site.

Director, Product Cost Excellence and Value Engineering · Lean / CI · Director+
ADAS Calibration and Validation Engineer · Quality
ADAS Calibration & Validation Engineer · Quality

Full description from Scout MotorsAs posted on their careers site.Show

requirements

— an all-electric powertrain as well as the Harvester™ range extender powertrain which includes a built-in gas-powered generator with an estimated 500 miles of combined range.

At Scout Motors, we empower our talented, inclusive, and entrepreneurial teams to innovate. What makes a Scout employee? Someone who is a visionary and a leader, who seeks new paths and shares lessons learned. A knowledgeable doer who collaborates across the company to build better. A go-getter with unrivaled passion.

Join us at Scout Motors and be part of shaping the future of transportation. If you're ready to drive change and make history, apply now!

What you’ll do

At Scout Motors , you don't just design vehicles- you shape the future of the road. Our Engineering team is where bold ideas meet rigorous execution, building machines that are as durable and capable as the people who drive them. You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with brilliant minds across disciplines, turning complex challenges into elegant, scalable solutions that meet the highest standards of safety, performance, and user experience. This is a place where your fingerprints are found on metal – where what you design gets built, driven, and remembered. If you're hungry to engineer something that matters, Scout Motors is where that ambition finds its highest gear.

We are seeking a highly skilled, hands-on Lead Engineer to lead the design, development, and scale-up of automation tooling for next-generation Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) platforms. This role focuses on CI/CD pipelines, automated test frameworks, validation infrastructure, and developer productivity tools across embedded automotive software ecosystems. The ideal candidate combines strong software engineering skills with deep knowledge of automotive development workflows, embedded systems, and scalable automation approaches. This person will work across platform software, embedded systems, validation infrastructure, cloud tooling, and developer productivity systems to enable fast, reliable, and scalable software releases for vehicle programs.

Become part of an iconic brand that is set to revolutionize the electric pick-up truck & rugged SUV marketplace by achieving the following:

✓Architect and develop scalable CI/CD systems for embedded and vehicle software platforms.
✓Build automation frameworks that support continuous integration, continuous testing, automated regression, release qualification, fleet validation, and OTA readiness.
✓Develop internal engineering tools that improve developer velocity and software quality across SDV programs.
✓Lead automation efforts for embedded Linux platforms, ECU software, vehicle middleware, platform APIs, and simulation environments.
✓Design infrastructure for distributed test execution across SIL/HIL benches, virtual ECUs, and cloud environments.
✓Build intelligent test orchestration systems that optimize execution time and resource utilization, including AI-driven use cases.
✓Integrate automated quality gates, including static analysis, security scanning, code coverage, performance validation, and reliability metrics.
✓Drive “shift-left” validation practices enabling developers to detect issues earlier in the development lifecycle.
✓Partner closely with firmware, platform, vehicle integration, validation, and cloud infrastructure teams.
✓Experience in modern automotive toolchain, familiarity with AUTOSAR / Adaptive AUTOSAR, OTA update systems, vehicle telemetry pipelines, fleet diagnostics
✓Experience building cloud-native developer platforms, large-scale simulation and validation infrastructure, HIL/SIL automation frameworks.
✓Leadership Competencies
✓Strong system-level thinking, technical arbitration capability
✓Structured problem solving
✓Program milestone ownership, ability to operate in high-pressure launch environments

Show full description ↓

Here at Scout Motors, we're carrying forward the heritage of one of the most iconic American vehicles in history. A vehicle dating back to 1960. One that forged the path for future generations of rugged SUVs and trucks and will do so once again.

But Scout is more than just a brand, it’s a legacy steeped in a culture of exploration, caretaking, and hard work.

The Scout brand is all about respect. Respect for the past and the future by taking an iconic American brand that hasn’t been around for a while, electrifying it, digitizing it, and loading it with American innovation. Respect for communities by creating a company that stands for its people and its customers. Respect for both work and play, with vehicles that are equally at home at a camp site, a job site, or on a Tuesday commute. And respect for our customers by developing two powertrains that meet their

Location & Travel Expectations

•This role may be based out of the Scout Motors corporate headquarters in Charlotte, NC .
•This role requires 4-5 days per week in the office, with regular in-person meetings and events.
•Applicants should expect that the role will require the ability to convene with Scout colleagues in person and travel to participate in events on behalf of the company from time to time.

What you’ll bring

We expect all Scout employees to have integrity, curiosity, resourcefulness, and strive to exhibit a positive attitude, as well as a growth mindset. You’ll be comfortable with change and flexible in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. You’ll take a collaborative approach to achieve ambitious goals. Here's what else you'll bring:

•Master’s degree in Electrical or Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, with 12+ years of experience.
•Strong understanding of vehicle E/E architecture and ECU-level software stacks, automotive communication protocols (CAN, LIN, FlexRay, Ethernet), UDS diagnostics (ISO 14229) and diagnostic communication tools
•Expertise with modern DevOps and infrastructure tools, including Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, Docker, Kubern