General Motors

Staff Electrical Hardware Engineer - Central Compute

General Motors • $159K — $245K *
Sunnyvale, CA 94087In-Person
Manufacturing & Automotive
8 - 10 years of experience
Yesterday
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
  • 10+ years of experience in developing automotive or high-complexity electronic systems.
  • Strong expertise in analog, digital, mixed-signal, and power electronics design.
  • Proven experience leading hardware architecture and complex ECU development programs.
  • Extensive background in schematic design, electrical analysis, and hardware debugging.
  • Deep understanding of WCCA, DFMEA, reliability engineering, and hardware development processes.
  • Strong communication and technical leadership skills.

Responsibilities

  • Define and drive electrical hardware architecture for Central Compute and high-performance compute platforms.
  • Lead technical trade studies and recommend architecture balancing performance, cost, reliability, and manufacturability.
  • Establish design guidelines and best practices across hardware development teams.
  • Guide schematic development and ensure compliance with electrical and reliability requirements.
  • Lead electrical robustness assessments and drive DFMEA and safety compliance initiatives.
  • Direct root cause investigations for hardware and software issues impacting production readiness.
  • Define Hardware Software Interface Specifications and govern integration strategies.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage options.
  • Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Accounts available.
  • Retirement savings plan contributions.
  • Life insurance and sickness benefits.
  • Paid vacation and holiday time.
  • Tuition assistance programs for continuing education.
  • Discounts on GM vehicles.
Full Job Description
Job Description

Role Summary

General Motors is accelerating the development of next-generation Central Compute, ADAS, and software-defined vehicle platforms. The Staff Electrical Hardware Engineer will serve as a technical leader responsible for defining hardware architectures, driving complex design decisions, and ensuring successful execution across multiple vehicle programs.

This role requires deep expertise in electrical hardware development combined with strong system-level thinking and cross-functional leadership. The Staff Engineer will influence architecture, mentor engineering teams, resolve complex technical challenges, and drive hardware solutions from concept through production.

Key Responsibilities
Hardware Architecture & Technical Leadership
  • Define and drive electrical hardware architecture for Central Compute and high-performance compute platforms.
  • Own system partitioning, power architecture, clocking strategies, high-speed interconnects, redundancy concepts, and hardware scalability.
  • Lead technical trade studies and make architecture recommendations balancing performance, cost, reliability, manufacturability, and future platform needs.
  • Establish design guidelines, best practices, and technical standards across hardware development teams.
  • Review and approve critical design decisions throughout product development.
Hardware Design & Development
  • Provide technical oversight for complex mixed-signal, high-speed digital, and power circuitry designs.
  • Guide schematic development, component selection, and design optimization activities.
  • Lead design reviews and ensure compliance with electrical, thermal, reliability, safety, and EMC requirements.
  • Drive PCB design strategy, including signal integrity, power integrity, grounding, and EMI/EMC mitigation approaches.

Electrical Analysis, Reliability & Functional Safety
  • Lead electrical robustness assessments, including:
    • Worst Case Circuit Analysis (WCCA)
    • Power integrity analysis
    • Interface margin analysis
    • Power sequencing validation
    • Thermal and derating evaluations
  • Drive DFMEA development and mitigation strategies across subsystem and system interactions.
  • Partner with Functional Safety teams to ensure hardware compliance with ISO 26262 requirements and safety goals.
  • Champion design-for-reliability and design-for-manufacturability initiatives.

Hardware Bring-Up & Complex Problem Solving
  • Lead first-board bring-up, integration, and debugging efforts for advanced compute platforms.
  • Direct root cause investigations involving hardware, software, systems, manufacturing, and supplier teams.
  • Resolve complex cross-domain issues impacting performance, reliability, or production readiness.
  • Drive corrective actions and lessons learned across programs.

Hardware-Software Integration & System Collaboration
  • Define and govern Hardware Software Interface Specifications (HSIS).
  • Partner closely with software and systems engineering teams on boot architecture, device drivers, diagnostics, firmware dependencies, and platform integration.
  • Ensure hardware architectures support software scalability, maintainability, and future feature growth.
  • Influence platform-level integration strategies across compute domains.

Verification, Validation & Program Leadership
  • Provide technical leadership across EV, DV, PV, and production launch phases.
  • Guide hardware verification planning and validation strategy development.
  • Ensure test coverage aligns with system requirements, safety objectives, and product reliability targets.
  • Review validation results and drive closure of critical technical issues.

Technical Mentorship & Organizational Impact
  • Mentor and develop electrical hardware engineers across multiple experience levels.
  • Serve as a subject matter expert for compute platform hardware architecture and design.
  • Influence technical roadmaps, engineering processes, and future technology adoption.
  • Represent hardware engineering in executive reviews, architecture reviews, and supplier engagements.

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
  • 10+ years of experience developing automotive or other high-complexity electronic systems.
  • Strong expertise in analog, digital, mixed-signal, and power electronics design.
  • Proven experience leading hardware architecture and complex ECU development programs.
  • Extensive experience with schematic design, electrical analysis, and hardware debugging.
  • Deep understanding of WCCA, DFMEA, reliability engineering, and hardware development processes.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead technical decisions and influence cross-functional teams.
  • Strong communication, presentation, and technical leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline.
  • Experience leading Central Compute, ADAS, autonomous driving, or high-performance compute platforms.
  • Deep knowledge of Ethernet, PCIe, DDR, SerDes, and other high-speed interfaces.
  • Strong understanding of ISO 26262 Functional Safety and cybersecurity requirements.
  • Experience defining hardware platform strategies and product roadmaps.
  • Experience working with global engineering teams and semiconductor suppliers.
  • Proven success launching complex production ECUs in automotive environments.


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 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 ($159,400 - 245,000). 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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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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Join the dynamic team at General Motors, a global leader in automotive innovation and technology. At General Motors, we offer unparalleled job opportunities that propel your career forward while contributing to a legacy of engineering excellence.

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As part of our global workforce, you will collaborate with talented individuals who are passionate about shaping the future of transportation. General Motors offers a variety of career paths in engineering, design, IT, marketing, and more. With over 155,000 employees worldwide, our network provides expansive opportunities for networking and professional development.

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Start your career journey with a General Motors internship, where you can apply your academic knowledge to real-world projects. Our internships provide a robust foundation in the automotive industry, with mentorship from experienced leaders. Full-time employees enjoy a wealth of benefits, including comprehensive health care, retirement plans, and performance bonuses, ensuring that your hard work is rewarded.

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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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