Automotive Digital Key Software Engineer

Tech One IT; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Tech One IT is seeking an experienced Automotive Embedded Software Engineer / Technical Lead to design, develop, and validate Digital Key and Vehicle Access software for next‑generation connected vehicles.

You will work on BLE/NFC/UWB ECUs, CCC Digital Key specs, AUTOSAR and FreeRTOS, collaborating across teams to ensure safety, security, and certification readiness.

The role requires hands‑on development, integration, debugging, and active participation in certification activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in EE/CS.
• 5–12+ years in automotive embedded software.
• Experience with Digital Key, BLE, NFC, UWB.
• Proven AUTOSAR and FreeRTOS experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop Digital Key and Vehicle Access software.
• Integrate BLE/NFC middleware between stacks and ECUs.
• Support CCC certification and interoperability testing.
• Participate in architecture reviews and debugging.
• Engage in HIL/SIL testing and production readiness.

Skills

Automotive Digital Key

BLE/NFC/UWB

FreeRTOS

Classic AUTOSAR

C/C++

CAN/CAN-FD

ISO 26262

Cybersecurity

CCC Certification

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s

Electrical Engineering

Computer Science

Tools

Vector CANoe

Wireshark

Gerrit

CI/CD

Job description

Job Description: Automotive Digital Key & Vehicle Access SW Engineer

We are looking for an experienced Automotive Embedded Software Engineer / Technical Lead with strong expertise in Digital Key, BLE, NFC, UWB, vehicle access controllers, Classic AUTOSAR, and FreeRTOS.

The role will be responsible for the design, development, integration, and validation of secure and safety-compliant Automotive Digital Key and Vehicle Access solutions, including BLE/NFC ECUs, Digital Key middleware, communication adapters, and ASIL-compliant vehicle access controllers.

The ideal candidate should have hands‑on experience with Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) Digital Key specifications, automotive embedded systems, wireless connectivity, AUTOSAR, functional safety, and ECU‑level software development.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop Automotive Digital Key and Vehicle Access software for next-generation connected vehicles.
• Develop and integrate BLE and NFC ECU software supporting vehicle locking, unlocking, passive entry, and vehicle start/access functions.
• Work with CCC Digital Key specifications and contribute to implementation, integration, and certification activities.
• Develop and integrate BLE/NFC middleware adapters between connectivity stacks, application software, and vehicle access controllers.
• Develop embedded software components running on FreeRTOS and Classic AUTOSAR platforms.
• Design software architecture for secure and safety‑critical vehicle access controllers.
• Implement communication interfaces between Digital Key middleware and vehicle ECUs using automotive communication protocols.
• Integrate BLE, NFC, and UWB technology stacks with vehicle access applications and ECU software.
• Develop software for secure device discovery, authentication, key exchange, ranging, and vehicle access workflows.
• Ensure implementation meets applicable ASIL requirements and functional‑safety processes.
• Participate in requirements analysis, architecture/design reviews, coding, integration, debugging, and verification activities.
• Perform ECU‑level troubleshooting using logs, traces, debuggers, protocol analyzers, and automotive diagnostic tools.
• Collaborate with system, cybersecurity, functional‑safety, hardware, validation, and vehicle integration teams.
• Support CCC certification and interoperability testing, including issue analysis and resolution.
• Contribute to software design documentation, interface specifications, technical reviews, and development guidelines.
• Support HIL/SIL testing, vehicle‑level integration, and production readiness activities.

Required Technical Skills

Digital Key & Vehicle Access

• Strong hands‑on experience with Automotive Digital Key systems.
• Good understanding of CCC Digital Key architecture and specifications.
• Experience with vehicle access functions such as:
• Passive Entry / Passive Start
• Remote Lock / Unlock
• Secure vehicle access
• Key sharing and lifecycle management
• Experience working with BLE, NFC and/or UWB technologies in automotive applications.

BLE / NFC / UWB

• Strong understanding of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) architecture, profiles, GATT/GAP, pairing/bonding, security, and connection management.
• Experience integrating BLE stacks with embedded automotive applications.
• Knowledge of NFC communication and secure vehicle access use cases.
• Exposure to UWB ranging and localization concepts for Digital Key applications.
• Experience developing BLE/UWB middleware adapters and abstraction/interface layers.

Embedded Software

• Strong programming skills in C/C++.
• Hands‑on experience with FreeRTOS and embedded real‑time software development.
• Strong understanding of RTOS concepts including tasks, queues, semaphores, interrupts, timers, synchronization, and memory management.
• Experience with embedded debugging, performance optimization, and fault analysis.
• Good understanding of MCU peripherals, communication interfaces, and low‑level embedded software.

AUTOSAR

• Strong experience with Classic AUTOSAR.
• Knowledge of AUTOSAR layers including:
• Application Software
• RTE
• BSW
• MCAL
• Communication stack
• Experience with configuration, integration, and debugging of AUTOSAR software components.
• Understanding of automotive communication protocols such as CAN/CAN‑FD, LIN, and Ethernet.

Functional Safety & Security

• Understanding of ISO 26262 functional‑safety concepts and development processes.
• Experience with safety mechanisms, diagnostics, fault handling, watchdogs, safe‑state concepts, and safety monitoring.
• Understanding of automotive cybersecurity concepts and secure communication is highly desirable.
• Experience with secure boot, cryptographic services, key management, or hardware security modules is an advantage.

CCC Certification

Experience with CCC Digital Key certification and compliance activities is highly desirable. The candidate should be familiar with:

• CCC Digital Key certification requirements.
• CCC interoperability and compliance testing.
• Digital Key protocol validation.
• Analysis of certification failures and protocol traces.
• Debugging issues across mobile devices, Digital Key middleware, ECUs, and vehicle systems.
• Supporting certification laboratories and resolving certification defects.

Experience with several of the following is desirable:

• Vector CANoe / CANalyzer
• Wireshark and BLE protocol analyzers
• Automotive diagnostic tools
• Git / Gerrit
• Jenkins / CI-CD
• Static‑analysis and coding‑quality tools
• HIL/SIL testing environments
• Requirements and configuration‑management tools

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Computer Science, Embedded Systems, or a related discipline.
• Typically 5–12+ years of experience in automotive embedded software development, depending on seniority.
• Proven experience in automotive ECU development and integration.
• Strong experience in one or more of Digital Key, BLE, NFC, UWB, vehicle access systems, Classic AUTOSAR, or FreeRTOS.