Staff Hardware Engineer: Connectivity Modules

Job Description

Hybrid:
This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to one of the following locations: Warren, MI or Sunnyvale, CA three times (Tues., Wed., Thurs.) per week, at minimum.

The Ideal Candidate

Connectivity plays a pivotal role in using and advancing technology to offer unparalleled customer experience and develop revenue-generating streams, while acting as a cornerstone to offer safety-critical, hands-free driving solutions in line with General Motors’ strong safety culture.

We are seeking an experienced Staff Hardware Engineer to own and drive validation and test strategy for best-in-class automotive connectivity systems. The ideal candidate has deep, hands-on experience developing and executing component- and system-level test plans for systems involving high-performance computing and wireless interfaces, plus a proven track record of leading and mentoring engineers, and influencing cross-functional direction.

The Role

The Staff Hardware Engineer will serve as the technical leader for validation and test of connectivity hardware, responsible for:

• Defining and implementing detailed validation strategies and plans to verify schematic design, PCB layout, performance, functional and electrical validation of all interfaces.
• Ensuring robust issue detection, triage, and resolution for hardware components and systems that support Connectivity technologies across all GM vehicles and architectures.
• Providing technical leadership and day-to-day guidance to other hardware validation engineers, establishing best practices and driving continuous improvement in methods, coverage, and metrics.

This role is tightly coupled to cross-functional teams, including mechanical designers, PCB layout, product managers, RF/Wireless and systems engineers, suppliers, and software/firmware teams, to:

• Create secure and reliable Connectivity solutions.
• Assist in defining future technology roadmaps.
• Ensure timely resolution of issues that arise throughout development and production.
• Represent hardware validation status, risk, and trade-offs to program leadership.

What You’ll Do

• Serve as validation and test lead for Connectivity modules, ensuring alignment of test strategy with program requirements and milestones.
• Expert use of lab instruments: Oscilloscopes, VNAs, Spectrum Analyzers, Logic Analyzers, Power Analyzers.
• Lead validation of signal and power integrity for LPDDR5, PCIe, USB3.x/2.0, SPI, I2C, CAN and LIN buses.
• Develop, execute, and maintain comprehensive validation plans for Connectivity modules to verify component- and system-level functionality, including regression and corner-case coverage.
• Collaborate with design and production teams to understand and test against product requirements; challenge requirements and test coverage where necessary to ensure robustness.
• Analyze and interpret data from validation tests, offering clear insights, risk assessments, and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Validate power delivery, power sequencing, and power rail stability under various operating modes and environmental conditions.
• Collaborate with silicon vendors (e.g., NXP, TI, Qualcomm) to align on SoC bring-up, interface characteristics, and debug of complex issues.
• Collaborate with software/firmware, systems, and design teams to support hardware validation, root-cause analysis, and functional bring-up.
• Collaborate with wireless/RF systems and design teams to support hardware validation, root-cause analysis, and functional bring-up for cellular, Wi‑Fi, GNSS, UWB, and other wireless technologies.
• Create clear test reports, validation metrics, and dashboards; recommend corrective actions or design improvements based on test results and trends.
• Mentor and coach junior engineers and peers in test methodology, lab practices, and data analysis.
• Drive process and methodology improvements in validation, including automation, coverage tracking, and design-for-test feedback to design teams.

Required Skills and Experience

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 8+ years of hands-on validation experience with focus on embedded and connectivity systems, preferably in automotive or high-volume consumer electronics.
• Demonstrated experience leading validation activities or teams (formal or informal), including planning, prioritization, and reporting of validation status and risks.
• Experience validating high-performance computer systems and high-speed digital interfaces (e.g., PCIe, USB, Ethernet, LPDDR).
• Familiarity with power management ICs, voltage regulators, low-power design principles, and deep sleep/wake-up flows.
• Strong skills in data analysis and debug, including the ability to isolate and root-cause complex HW and system issues across silicon, board, and system levels.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to clearly present technical status, risks, and recommendations to cross-functional teams and leadership.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, while providing structure and leadership to validation efforts.

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• Master’s degree in a related engineering field.
• Knowledge and experience in wireless interfaces and technologies (e.g., cellular, Wi‑Fi, GNSS, UWB, Bluetooth).
• Experience in automotive electronics development, launch, and production support.
• Experience with design-for-test, HW/SW co-validation, and validation automation frameworks.
• Experience mentoring engineers, leading cross-functional debug efforts, and influencing architecture and design decisions based on validation learnings.

Additional Information:

Relocation may be available for this position.

COMPENSATION: The compensation information is a good faith estimate only. It is based on what a successful applicant might be paid in accordance with applicable state laws. The compensation may not be representative for positions located outside of the California Bay Area.

The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position, as well as geography of the selected candidate.

       • The salary range for this role is 145,000 to 222,200. The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.

       • Bonus Potential: An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.

Benefits:

       • Benefits: GM offers a variety of health and wellbeing benefit programs. Benefit options include medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plan, sickness and accident benefits, life insurance, paid vacation & holidays, tuition assistance programs, employee assistance program, GM vehicle discounts and more.

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Benefits Overview

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