Senior Vehicle Integration Engineer - San Antonio, Texas

Work on the 1-million sq. ft.  factory is now under way on the 400-acre site. It will be the company’s second largest plant, rivalled only by JCB’s world headquarters in Rocester, Staffordshire, England, and create 1,500 new jobs over five years. The factory will make Loadall telescopic handlers and aerial access equipment, with production scheduled to start in 2026. The factory will also have the capacity to expand and build other products in the future.

 

Company Profile

80 years and countless innovations later, JCB is the world’s largest privately-owned manufacturer of construction and agricultural equipment. At 23 plants spanning four continents—and countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, India and Brazil—JCB manufactures a range of more than 300 products including telescopic handlers, backhoe loaders, excavators, wheel loaders, compact excavators, skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, Access aerial work platforms, rough terrain forklifts, and tractors.

 

JCB people are at the heart of our business and as a family-owned business we answer to our customers, not a group of shareholders. That freedom allows us to concentrate on developing the latest technologies and incorporating them into our equipment. We focus on what our customer needs on the jobsite – a machine that holds up in the toughest environment and increases their productivity.

 

At JCB, we stand behind our products – and our name.

 

Position Purpose

The Senior Vehicle Integration Engineer – JCB Access will serve as the technical authority for machine‑level integration of all major systems—structures, hydraulics, electrics, controls, drivetrain, stability systems, and operator interfaces across the Aerial Work Platform (AWP) portfolio.This role ensures all subsystems come together seamlessly to deliver optimal performance, reliability, stability, manufacturability, and regulatory compliance. The engineer will lead integration architecture development, system‑level DFMEAs, packaging, trade‑off studies, interface definitions, and machine validation activities across the full product lifecycle.

This position will be based at the JCB World Headquarters in the UK until Q1 2027, after which it will relocate permanently to the new JCB San Antonio, Texas facility, supporting the establishment of the North American Access engineering centre.

Position Type

Full Time, Exempt

 

Major Tasks, Responsibilities & Key Accountabilities

Vehicle Integration Leadership

• Lead the complete vehicle integration strategy for boom and scissor AWP platforms.
• Ensure cohesive interaction of hydraulics, electrics, controls, structures, and stability systems.
• Lead packaging, machine layout, component placement, and system interface definition.
• Drive cross‑system trade‑off decisions balancing performance, cost, manufacturability, and service access.

  

System-Level Engineering & Compliance

• Conduct system architecture reviews, DFMEAs, safety assessments, and regulatory alignment.
• Ensure all machine-level designs meet ANSI, CSA, CE, ISO, and other AWP global requirements.
• Lead machine‑level validation, including functional testing, stability evaluation, load testing, and duty‑cycle integration assessments.
• Support root‑cause analysis of integration issues and lead corrective actions.

 

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with structures, hydraulics, electrical, controls, software, stability, and validation teams to ensure system compatibility.
• Support NPIP teams to deliver integrated system performance for new product programmes.
• Partner with Current Product Engineering to resolve field issues with system‑level impacts.
• Work with Manufacturing Engineering to ensure vehicle designs are optimised for assembly, routing, serviceability, and production readiness.

 

Prototyping & Vehicle Build Support

• Oversee prototype vehicle build events to ensure correct system integration and functionality.
• Conduct machine commissioning, integration debugging, and performance tuning.
• Ensure integration-critical features are protected throughout development and validation.

 

Technical Mentorship & Influence

• Serve as the subject matter expert for machine‑level engineering within the Access division.
• Mentor engineering colleagues on vehicle integration principles, best practices, and system‑level thinking.
• Contribute to engineering standards, integration guidelines, and continuous improvement initiatives.

 

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering, or related discipline.
• Extensive experience integrating systems on Aerial Work Platforms (AWP) or comparable off‑highway mobile machinery.
• 7+ years of relevant engineering experience with strong understanding of hydraulics, electrics, controls, mechanical systems, and machine‑level performance.
• Experience with global AWP standards (ANSI, CSA, CE, ISO).
• Strong capability in system architecture, packaging, DFMEAs, and integration troubleshooting.
• Background in prototype vehicle builds, commissioning, and machine validation.
• Knowledge of DFM, DFA, and manufacturing processes.
• Ability to work effectively across global engineering teams.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with NX and Teamcenter.
• Professional Engineer (PE) designation.

 

Knowledge, Skills & Competencies

• Strong engineering judgement and decision-making
• System-level problem-solving and analytical ability
• Excellent cross-functional and cross-system communication
• Leadership in design reviews and machine-level technical discussions
• Continuous improvement mindset

 

 Location & Transition Timeline

• Primary location (2026–Q1 2027): JCB World Headquarters, Rocester, UK
• Permanent relocation (Q1 2027 onward): JCB San Antonio, Texas, USA
• International travel may be required to support global engineering and manufacturing teams.

 

Job Conditions

• Both office environment and occasionally manufacturing/factory environment
• Subject to noise and temperature changes

 

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to:

• Sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.
• The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.
• The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

 

JCB is an equal employment opportunities (EEO) employer in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. JCB complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. EEO EMPLOYER/VET/DISABLED.

 

JCB Inc. is not currently hiring individuals for this position who now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status; however, as a global company, JCB offers many job opportunities outside of the U.S. which can be found through our website at https://www.jcb.com/en-gb/about/careers.

 

Disclaimer: This job description is general in nature and is not designed to contain or to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job.