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 ris