Within a globalized market context, the classical trial-and-error design process is no longer capable of answering to the ever-growing demands in terms of short deadlines, reduced production costs, etc. The optimization tool presents itself as an answer to these issues, accompanying the engineers in the optimal design task.The focus of this thesis is centered on the optimal design of complex systems. Two main optimization approaches are addressed within this work: the metamodel-based design optimization and the decomposition-based complex systems optimal design.The use of computer-aided design/engineering (CAD/CAE) software has become a regular practice in the engineering design process. The metamodel-based optimization approach is intended to address the optimization of devices represented by such accurate but computationally expensive simulation models, as the finite element analysis (FEA) in electromagnetics.Engineering systems such as railway traction systems are too complex to be addressed as a whole. The decomposition-based optimization strategies are intended to address the optimal design of such systems. The decomposition of such systems is required in order to simplify the problem and to distribute the computational burden across the decomposed structure. Appropriate multi-level strategies have been identified and analyzed within this work. Such approaches allow each team of specialists to work independently at the object of their expertise.The optimization approaches developed within this work are applied for solving several electromagnetic optimization problems and a railway traction system optimal design problem of the Alstom Company