Electrical Hardware Engineer

Dataspeed Inc.; Rochester Hills (MI); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Competitive salary

Dental insurance

Flexible schedule

Free food & snacks

Health insurance

Paid time off

Vision insurance

Job summary

Dataspeed Inc. in Rochester Hills, MI seeks a hands‑on Electrical Hardware Engineer with 1–3 years of experience to design electrical systems for autonomous vehicles. You will split time between schematics work and the vehicle garage, installing drive‑by‑wire systems and validating performance in real hardware.

Responsibilities include power design, CAN bus testing, and developing documentation while prioritizing safety and reliability in mission‑critical automotive contexts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Mechatronics.
• 1–3 years of experience in electrical engineering, vehicle systems, or electromechanical integration.
• Proficiency in ECAD tools, harness assembly processes, and designing electrical interfaces for advanced compute modules and sensors.

Responsibilities

• Determine power and load requirements; design harnesses and power distribution components.
• Lead projects from ECAD schematic to installed, debugged systems.
• Prototype with soldering, crimping, routing; use lab equipment for testing.

Skills

CAN bus communication

Soldering & debugging

Schematic reading

Autonomous vehicle systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Mechatronics

Tools

ECAD tools

Harness assembly processes

Electrical interfaces design

Job description

Benefits

• 401(k)
• Competitive salary
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Free food & snacks
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

About the Role

We are looking for a hands‑on Electrical Hardware Engineer with 1-3 years of experience to join our team and design the electrical systems that turn conventional vehicles into autonomous platforms. Your week will be dynamically split between the engineering desk and the vehicle garage. Some days you will be at a workstation creating schematics, designing wire harnesses, and specifying power requirements. Other days, you will be in the garage installing drive‑by‑wire systems that control the vehicle’s throttle, braking, shifting, and steering, while routing harnesses and validating that your systems behave correctly when the vehicle is running.

At Dataspeed, the distance between design and hardware is short; you will regularly see your designs go from a schematic to an installed hardware system.

Role Description

• Determine precise power and load requirements, specifying circuit protection, wire gauges, and connectors to design and build vehicle interface harnesses and other electrical components (such as sensor integrations and power distribution systems, like our iPDS).
• Operate as an independent se lf-starter, taking projects from an ECAD schematic directly to a physically installed and debugged system.
• Utilize hands‑on prototyping skills including soldering, crimping, routing, and using standard lab equipment for testing
• Enable autonomous control of the vehicle’s throttle, braking, shifting, and steering. Test and debug CAN bus networks to ensure reliable communication between compute systems and physical vehicle actuators.
• Troubleshoot complex electrical issues originating from design, debug, or manufacturing
• Create and maintain precise documentation, including ECAD schematics, BOMs, Engineering Standards, and Arena PLM data.
• Prioritize safety by doing things right the first time and treating electrical reliability as a mission‑critical factor.
• Define customer needs and requirements. Lead and manage project specifications, order materials, job scopes and specifications
• Partner cross‑functionally with suppliers and other engineering disciplines such as mechanical, researching emerging electrical technologies to propose new applications.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Mechatronics.
• 1 to 3 years of experience in electrical engineering, vehicle systems, or electromechanical integration.
• Proficiency in ECAD tools, harness assembly processes, and designing electrical interfaces for advanced compute modules and sensors.
• Working knowledge of communication protocols (CAN bus, Ethernet, serial, digital, fiber) and proficiency with diagnostic lab equipment (oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, signal generators, load banks).
• Legally authorized to work in the US without sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience documenting and designing cable harness assemblies to industrial or military specifications.
• Hands‑on background designing low‑voltage DC power and distribution systems (e.g., 12V, 24V, 48V).