Electrical Hardware Engineer – MCU

General Motors LLC; Dearborn (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

General Motors seeks a Hardware Engineer – MCU to own MCU hardware deliverables for in-house ECU designs, including I/O mapping, reference schematics, and DFMEA alignment. You will collaborate with ECU hardware, software, safety, and PCB teams to ensure robust, testable MCU platforms ahead of qualification.

You will bring hands-on debugging with oscilloscopes and JTAG, plus experience with board bring-up and electrical characterization to drive successful deployment of automotive-grade MCUs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a related field.
• 4+ years of experience in hardware design and development, including component- or board-level ownership.
• Knowledge of microcontroller subsystems and IP blocks, including processor cores, memory, analog/ADC, communication peripherals (SPI, I2C, UART/LIN, CAN, ethernet), timers/PWM, and GPIO.
• Demonstrated experience with MCU I/O and resource mapping, pin planning, and translating system/connector requirements into a hardware pin definition.
• Hands-on experience with circuit design and analysis, including worst-case analysis, DFMEA, circuit simulation tools, and schematic capture tools (e.g., Mentor Graphics).
• Experience with board bring-up, electrical characterization, and hardware validation of MCUs or similar silicon.
• Hands-on experience with hardware debugging tools such as oscilloscopes and JTAG/debug probes.
• Exceptional collaboration and teamwork skills; proven ability to work across functional and organizational boundaries.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously, including planning, execution, and monitoring.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to learn quickly.

Responsibilities

• Own MCU I/O and resource mapping for in-house ECU designs, reserving and allocating pins across GPIO, ADC, eMIOS/PWM, SPI, I2C, LIN, and other peripherals.
• Develop and maintain MCU application deliverables including the HSIS signal matrix, pin-mapping documentation, reference schematics, and symbol/library content.
• Lead component-level DFMEA for MCU sub-circuits and ensure findings roll up into ECU DFMEA.
• Establish electrical characterization and functional test plans for MCUs and supporting silicon including board bring-up.
• Perform hands-on debug and validation using oscilloscopes and JTAG on ARM cores.
• Define MCU-to-peripheral interfaces and support change-control activities across suppliers and internal teams.
• Collaborate with ECU hardware design, HWIO/software, functional safety, Power, and PCB layout teams on specifications.
• Develop clear component specifications to enable sourcing decisions aligned with milestones.
• Partner with silicon and tooling suppliers to resolve technical issues and align on requirements.

Skills

MCU hardware design

Pin mapping / I/O planning

DFMEA

Oscilloscope / JTAG

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or related field

Tools

Mentor Graphics

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, connectivity, and autonomous capabilities. Our Semiconductor Engineering team is a dynamic, high-energy, and innovative group focused on the design and commercialization of leading-edge silicon enabling the future of GM's Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) platforms—central compute units, aggregators, connectivity modules, and other controllers. We are seeking a driven Hardware Engineer – MCU to join our Semiconductor Center of Excellence. In this role you will own the microcontroller (MCU) hardware engineering deliverables that bring our in-house ECU designs to life—from I/O and resource mapping through application schematic support, component-level safety analysis, and hands‑on board bring‑up and validation. You will work shoulder‑to‑shoulder with ECU design, software, functional safety, and PCB layout teams, and collaborate directly with silicon suppliers to ensure our MCU‑based platforms are designed right the first time.

Responsibilities

• Own MCU I/O and resource mapping for in‑house ECU designs, reserving and allocating pins across GPIO, ADC, eMIOS/PWM, SPI, I2C, LIN, and other peripherals, and optimizing use of I/O expanders and ADC MUXes to meet system requirements.
• Develop and maintain MCU application deliverables including the HSIS signal matrix, pin‑mapping documentation, reference schematics, and symbol/library content, ensuring alignment with requirements and electrical design intent.
• Lead component‑level Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) for MCU sub‑circuits (power, crystal, MCU‑to‑networking, MCU‑to‑PMIC, MCU‑to‑Driver, etc.) and ensure findings roll up correctly into ECU (system) level DFMEA.
• Establish and execute electrical characterization and functional test plans for MCUs and supporting silicon including board bring‑up, voltage‑rail and ADC verification, and interface validation to confirm design intent ahead of formal qualification.
• Perform hands‑on debug and validation using tools such as oscilloscopes and JTAG/debug probes on ARM cores, including GPIO toggling and register‑level verification.
• Define MCU‑to‑peripheral interfaces (PMIC, ethernet switch, I/O expander, etc) and support change‑control activities, coordinating design changes across suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with ECU hardware design, HWIO/software, functional safety, Power, and PCB layout teams to define specifications and align on architectural and system‑level requirements.
• Develop clear component specifications within your scope to enable timely sourcing decisions aligned with electronic development and vehicle program milestones.
• Partner with silicon and tooling suppliers (e.g., MCU vendors and analysis partners) to resolve technical issues and align on requirements.
• Stay current with MCU product portfolios, supply‑chain dynamics, and emerging technology roadmaps.

Qualifications – Required

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a related field.
• 4+ years of experience in hardware design and development, including component- or board-level ownership.
• Knowledge of microcontroller subsystems and IP blocks, including processor cores, memory, analog/ADC, communication peripherals (SPI, I2C, UART/LIN, CAN, ethernet), timers/PWM, and GPIO.
• Demonstrated experience with MCU I/O and resource mapping, pin planning, and translating system/connector requirements into a hardware pin definition.
• Hands‑on experience with circuit design and analysis, including worst‑case analysis, DFMEA, circuit simulation tools, and schematic capture tools (e.g., Mentor Graphics).
• Experience with board bring‑up, electrical characterization, and hardware validation of MCUs or similar silicon.
• Hands‑on experience with hardware debugging tools such as oscilloscopes and JTAG/debug probes.
• Exceptional collaboration and teamwork skills; proven ability to work across functional and organizational boundaries.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously, including planning, execution, and monitoring.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and ability to learn quickly.

Qualifications – Preferred

• Master's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with automotive‑grade MCUs (e.g., NXP S32K, Infineon AURIX, or similar) and their supporting PMICs.
• Familiarity with automotive functional safety (ISO 26262) and component/ECU DFMEA methodology.
• Experience with debug/validation toolchains such as Lauterbach TRACE32 and ARM Cortex‑M/R core bring-up.
• Familiarity with ECU‑level hardware integration, HWIO software interaction, and requirements‑driven design flows.
• Experience contributing to hardware design processes, guidelines, or tools that enable other engineers.
• Proven track record supporting ECU hardware development from requirements definition through validation.

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