Principal CAE Software Engineer
Principal CAE Software Engineer – Crash Pre/Post ProcessingLocation: EuropeWorking Model: Remote / Flexible within EuropeLevel: Senior / PrincipalAbout the OpportunityOur client is an innovative engineering software company developing next-generation CAE, simulation and AI-enabled engineering technologies for the global automotive and industrial markets.As part of its continued expansion in Europe, the company is looking for an experienced CAE Software Engineer specialising in crash simulation pre- and post-processing software development.This is a software development position rather than a traditional CAE simulation role. The successful candidate will contribute to the architecture and development of dedicated software capabilities used to prepare, manipulate, validate and analyse complex full-vehicle crash simulation models.The ideal candidate combines strong knowledge of finite element modelling and automotive crash simulation with hands-on software development experience, particularly in C++.ResponsibilitiesDesign and develop advanced CAE pre-processing and post-processing software for automotive crash and safety simulation.Develop software functionality for full-vehicle finite element model preparation, model assembly and simulation result processing.Develop algorithms and tools for mesh manipulation, model checking, geometry handling and FE model data processing.Build functionality for model creation, editing, visualisation and automated processing of large-scale crash models.Develop interfaces and data structures supporting major explicit crash solvers and CAE formats.Develop tools for handling components, materials, properties, connections, contacts, boundary conditions and solver-specific entities.Develop automated model validation and quality-checking functionality, including penetration, connectivity and model consistency checks.Develop high-performance visualisation and post-processing capabilities for large simulation datasets.Optimise software performance when handling very large automotive CAE models.Work closely with solver developers, geometry/meshing engineers and CAE domain experts to develop an integrated engineering software platform.Contribute to software architecture, technical design, code reviews, testing and product development standards.RequirementsDegree in Computer Science, Computational Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics or a related discipline.Strong professional software development experience, preferably in engineering, scientific or CAE software.Strong programming skills in C++.Good understanding of object-oriented software design, algorithms and data structures.Strong understanding of finite element modelling and CAE data structures.Experience with automotive crash, crashworthiness or vehicle safety simulation.Good understanding of crash simulation pre-processing and/or post-processing workflows.Experience with one or more relevant CAE environments such as:ANSA / METAHyperMesh / HyperViewLS-PrePostOasys PRIMER / D3PLOTLS-DYNARadiossPAM-CRASH / VPSAbaqus/ExplicitKnowledge of mesh and geometry processing, FE model assembly, connectivity and model validation.Experience working with large and complex CAE datasets.Highly DesirablePrevious experience developing commercial or internal CAE software rather than only using CAE tools.Experience developing mesh generation or mesh manipulation algorithms.Knowledge of computational geometry.Experience developing scientific or engineering visualisation software.Experience with OpenGL, VTK, Qt or similar graphical/visualisation technologies.Experience developing solver interfaces, file readers/writers or FE data exchange formats.Knowledge of automotive BIW, crash load cases, occupant safety or vehicle structural analysis.Experience with parallel computing or performance optimisation for large engineering models.Ideal BackgroundWe are particularly interested in engineers who have previously worked on the development of CAE pre/post-processing, meshing, crash simulation or engineering software products.Candidates from automotive OEMs, CAE software companies, simulation software vendors and engineering software R&D organisations are especially relevant.