Senior Simulation Engineer, Factory Design

Senior Simulation Engineer (Factory Design)

Remote (with travel)

Duration: initial 6-month contract

Pay: $49-54/hr




Must be able to travel in the first month of onboarding for 1 week to Normal, IL--additional travel based on projects.




We are seeking a Simulation Engineer to support early-stage manufacturing engineering and factory planning for a new vehicle production program. This role is responsible for developing and analyzing discrete event simulation (DES) models to support manufacturing system design, capacity planning, and throughput optimization before equipment procurement and detailed factory design.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop discrete event simulation models (FlexSim preferred) for manufacturing and material flow applications, including inter-shop buffers, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) traffic, and production line throughput.
• Translate high-level manufacturing requirements—including production demand, shift schedules, product mix, first-pass yield (FPY), mean time between failures (MTBF), and mean time to repair (MTTR)—into simulation-ready assumptions and scenarios.
• Perform scenario analysis and sensitivity studies to:
  • Validate production throughput against target jobs per hour (JPH)
  • Quantify overspeed requirements, overall performance metrics (OEE/TEE), and buffer capacities
  • Evaluate jobs-per-shift (JPS) consistency and production risk scenarios
• Present simulation findings through concise reports and executive-ready presentations, clearly communicating trade-offs related to throughput, manufacturing risk, equipment utilization, and facility space.
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, facility layout, and material flow teams to ensure simulation models accurately reflect production requirements and operational constraints.
• Maintain simulation models in accordance with established modeling standards, documentation practices, and handoff procedures.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• 3+ years of experience supporting automotive or advanced manufacturing environments with direct responsibility for discrete event simulation projects.
• Advanced proficiency with Autodesk FlexSim.
• Demonstrated experience modeling:
  • Multi-line manufacturing systems with buffers, rework, and production variability
  • Stochastic processes including equipment failures, repairs, and cycle time variability
  • Throughput analysis, capacity planning, and bottleneck identification
• Strong understanding of manufacturing performance metrics including JPH, JPS, OEE/TEE, MTBF, MTTR, work-in-process (WIP), and buffer sizing.
• Experience organizing, validating, and preparing manufacturing data for simulation analysis.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex simulation results into clear, actionable recommendations for technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing custom simulation logic using FlexScript, C++, or Python.
• Experience supporting greenfield manufacturing facilities, new production launches, or major factory capacity expansion projects.
• Familiarity with cross-functional manufacturing engineering disciplines including body, paint, general assembly, battery, drive unit, or material flow systems.

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