General Motors

Senior Thermal Hardware Engineer - ECU

General Motors • $120K — $150K *
Sunnyvale, CA 94087In-Person
Manufacturing & Automotive
5 - 7 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • BS in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline focused on heat transfer and thermodynamics.
  • 5+ years of experience in thermal design and analysis of electronics.
  • Hands-on experience with thermal simulation tools such as Ansys Icepak or FloEFD.
  • Strong understanding of conduction, convection, radiation, and thermal interface materials.
  • Practical experience in defining or executing thermal test plans in environmental chambers.
  • Ability to interpret electrical power maps and work closely with EE/PCB teams.
  • Strong communication skills for presenting complex thermal trade studies.

Responsibilities

  • Translate CTRS and vehicle requirements into thermal design constraints.
  • Define thermal budgets for critical components such as SoCs and power devices.
  • Perform steady-state and transient simulations to optimize thermal solutions.
  • Evaluate cooling options and recommend the best thermal architecture.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement thermal design strategies.
  • Develop thermal test plans and conduct thermal characterization tests.
  • Provide thermal inputs to design reviews and present status to leadership.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work on cutting-edge automotive technology.
  • Collaborative and innovative team environment.
  • Leadership development opportunities.
  • Access to professional development resources.
  • Flexible work hours with potential remote work options.
Full Job Description
Job Description

The Role:

General Motors is at the forefront of the transformation of automotive with the electrification of our portfolio and the development of leading-edge central compute and autonomous capabilities. Our ECU Mechanical & Thermal Design team is a dynamic, high-energy, and innovative group focused on developing mechanical and thermal design of next generation ECUs (Electronic Control Units). The team is responsible for developing Mechanical and Thermal design of new next gen ECU designs, with math, CAD and analysis. The team also reviews and approves production ECU design changes.

We are seeking a high-performing Thermal Design Engineer interested in leading the in-house development of electronics design. You will be responsible for the thermal design, development and review of Electrical Controllers and cooling solutions, for our next generation SDV (Software Defined Vehicle) architecture. You will be dependent upon building strong partnerships with internal and external customers.

What You'll do:
  • Translate CTRS / vehicle requirements into thermal requirements and design constraints (ambient temp, under-hood vs in-cabin environment, duty cycles, altitude etc.)
  • Define thermal budgets (Tj/Tc limits, margins) for SoCs, power devices, memories, and other critical components.
  • Perform steady-state and transient simulations to optimally size heatsinks, cold plates, fins, airflow paths, and liquid loop elements.
  • Evaluate options such as passive cooling, forced air, liquid cooling, heat pipes, and vapor chambers and recommend the best architecture.
  • Work with cross-functional teams to implement your thermal design strategy.
  • Develop thermal test plans and run thermal characterization tests.
  • Provide thermal inputs to DFMEA, DRBFM, and design reviews; clearly quantify risks, margins, and mitigations
  • Present thermal status, trade studies, and recommendations at PDTs, design reviews, and leadership updates


Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)
  • BS in Mechanical Engineering (or related discipline) with strong focus on heat transfer and thermodynamics.
  • 5+ years of experience in thermal design and analysis of electronics (ECUs, servers, power electronics, or similar).
  • Hands-on experience with thermal simulation tools (e.g., Ansys Icepak, FloEFD, Flotherm, or equivalent) and data analysis (e.g., MATLAB, Python, or similar).
  • Strong understanding of:
    • Conduction, convection (forced and natural), radiation
    • Thermal interface materials (TIMs, gap pads, PCMs)
    • Heatsink and cold-plate design, flow/pressure trade-offs
  • Practical experience defining or executing thermal test plans in environmental chambers and correlating models to lab results.
  • Ability to interpret electrical power maps/BOMs, derive thermal loads, and work closely with EE/PCB teams.
  • Strong communication skills; able to present complex thermal trade studies clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Demonstrated ability to work across cross-functional and global teams and manage multiple programs in parallel.


What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred)
  • MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering (Thermal/Fluids) or related field.
  • Automotive experience with automotive environmental/thermal standards.
  • Experience with high-power SoCs, GPUs, power modules, or in-vehicle central compute ECUs.
  • Familiarity with mechanical design of housings and ECU packaging (castings, injection molded parts, sealing, IP ratings).
  • Experience integrating thermal design into DFMEA/DRBFM/DFx processes.
  • Prior work with ECU Designs


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About General Motors

General Motors Company engages in the manufacture and sale of cars and trucks in the United States, China, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy. It offers sedans, crossovers, sport utility vehicles, pick-up trucks, coupes, sports/convertibles and hybrid vehicles, hatchbacks/wagons, and vans, as well as mini cars in India. The company also provides parts and accessories, such as iPod and MP3 compatibility, mobility accessories, performance parts, AC parts and services, and merchandise. In addition, it offers vehicle safety, security, and information services. The company provides used vehicles. It offers its products through dealers and distributors. General Motors Company was formerly known as NGMCO, Inc. and changed its name to General Motors Company in July 2009. The company was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Detroit, Michigan. It operates manufacturing facilities in India, the United States, and Canada. General Motors Company operates as a subsidiary of the United States Department of The Treasury. General Motors led global vehicle sales for 77 consecutive years from 1931 through 2007, longer than any other automaker, and is currently among the world's largest automakers by vehicle unit sales. General Motors acts in most countries outside the USA via wholly-owned subsidiaries but operates in China through 10 joint ventures. GM's OnStar subsidiary provides vehicle safety, security, and information services. In 2009, General Motors shed several brands, closing Saturn, Pontiac, and Hummer, and emerged from a government-backed Chapter 11 reorganization. In 2010, GM made an initial public offering IPOs to date and returned to profitability later that year.

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Learn more about General Motors
Size
157,000 employees
Market Cap
$46.9 billion
Industry
Manufacturing & Automotive
Net Income
$6.4 billion
Founded
1908
5 Year Trend
-3.2%
Revenue
$122.4 billion
NASDAQ
GM
* Ladders Estimates

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