Kia launches large-scale engineer recruitment drive for second half of 2026

Kia announced Monday it will conduct an engineer recruitment drive for the second half of 2026, selecting candidates with skills suited to future manufacturing environments under a talent profile the automaker has redefined for the first time in 12 years.

Applications will be accepted for two weeks, from Aug. 10 to Aug. 21, through the company's recruitment website. Applicants must hold at least a high school diploma; there are no age or gender restrictions.

Kia said the hiring process will apply its newly established engineer talent profile, developed to reflect a rapidly changing manufacturing landscape shaped by electrification and digital transformation.

The profile, the company's first overhaul since 2014, centers on three core values — expertise, growth and trust — with a focus on securing engineers who demonstrate problem-solving ability, adaptability to change and the collaborative skills demanded by future manufacturing environments.

Based on this talent profile, Kia plans to recruit top candidates with an emphasis on job competency and apply the framework across its broader talent development system to strengthen its future manufacturing competitiveness.

"Through this recruitment drive, we aim to bring in people who can grow alongside their colleagues by drawing on their professional expertise in a rapidly evolving manufacturing environment," a Kia official said. "We plan to select engineers with potential and technical capability to strengthen our competitiveness in future mobility."

Meanwhile, Kia has been expanding its corporate social responsibility efforts, including the recent launch of "Kia Move to You," a program aimed at improving food accessibility in rural and fishing communities.

"Move to You" is a new social contribution project Kia is pursuing to address food desertification affecting elderly residents in areas at risk of depopulation, as the country's population continues to concentrate in the Greater Seoul area.