Electrical Hardware Test Engineer – MCU

General Motors Corporation; Warren (MI); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

General Motors seeks a Hardware Test Engineer – MCU to define and execute hardware test strategies for MCU solutions in SDV platforms. You will perform MCU and board bring‑up, develop automated test scripts, and work across MCU hardware, ECU hardware, and software teams to ensure functional, performance, and reliability goals from early samples through production.

You will use lab equipment to characterize signals, validate timing and margins, and diagnose issues, while mentoring junior

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or related field.
• 4+ years in hardware validation or test engineering for complex digital systems or MCUs.
• Strong understanding of MCU subsystems and IP blocks.
• Experience bringing up and testing complex digital boards.
• Experience creating and executing structured hardware test plans.
• Proficiency with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, analyzers, power supplies).
• Hands-on board-level electrical characterization across PVT corners.
• Experience debugging automotive serial interfaces (CAN‑FD, LIN, Ethernet, SPI).
• Experience developing automated hardware tests and data collection scripts (Python, C/C++, or similar).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Define end-to-end hardware test strategies and bring-up plans for MCUs and boards.
• Plan and execute MCU and board-level electrical characterization testing across PVT corners.
• Design and maintain automated test frameworks and scripts to improve coverage and efficiency.
• Develop test content for MCU subsystems and interfaces (CAN, LIN, Ethernet, SPI, I2C, UART).
• Use lab equipment to characterize signals, validate timing and margins, and root-cause issues.
• Collaborate with MCU hardware, ECU hardware, and software teams to map requirements to test cases.
• Create reusable test procedures, documentation, and checklists across programs.
• Support environmental testing by defining hardware monitoring and diagnostics.
• Mentor junior engineers on test methods and lab best practices.

Skills

MCU knowledge

Test plan development

Automated testing

Python scripting

C/C++ scripting

Lab equipment proficiency

Electrical characterization

Team collaboration

Hardware debugging

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Protocol analyzers

JTAG tools

Power supplies

Job description

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 design and commercialization of leading‑edge silicon enabling the future of GM’s Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) platforms – central compute units, connectivity modules, and other controllers. We are seeking a skilled and driven Hardware Test Engineer – MCU to join our Semiconductor Center of Excellence. This role will contribute to the definition, development, and execution of hardware test strategies for state‑of‑the‑art Microcontroller (MCU) solutions used in next‑generation automotive electronics platforms. You will be responsible for MCU and MCU‑centric ECU board bring‑up, test plan creation, automated test development, and systematic debug to ensure our silicon and hardware platforms meet functional, performance, and reliability goals from early samples through production.

Responsibilities

• Define end-to-end hardware test strategies and structured bring‑up plans for MCUs and associated components (embedded flash, SRAM, external flash/DRAM where applicable, PMIC, transceivers, watchdog, oscillators) across EVKs, reference boards, and ECUs — including power‑on sequencing, clock/reset validation, basic sanity, peripheral bring‑up, regression suites, coverage goals, and clear pass/fail criteria.
• Plan and execute MCU and board‑level electrical characterization testing (for example voltage/current limits, static and dynamic power, leakage, sleep/wake current, timing margins, and I/O thresholds) across PVT corners and operating modes.
• Design, implement, and maintain automated test frameworks and scripts (for example, Python, C/C++, or similar) to improve coverage, repeatability, and execution efficiency.
• Develop test content and automation for key MCU subsystems and interfaces, such as CAN, LIN, Ethernet, SPI, I2C, UART, embedded flash & SRAM, ADC/DAC, PWM/timers, and HSM/security IP, including margin, and stress testing.
• Use lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, power supplies, electronic loads, JTAG tools, etc.) to characterize signals, validate timing and margins, and root‑cause hardware issues.
• Partner closely with MCU hardware design engineers, ECU hardware teams, and software teams to translate system requirements into concrete test cases and coverage metrics.
• Develop and maintain reusable test procedures, documentation, and checklists that can be applied across multiple programs and platforms.
• Support DV/PV and component environmental testing by defining hardware functional monitoring, lab setups, and diagnostics required to exercise MCU‑level functionality.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to junior engineers on test methods, lab best practices, and debug techniques.

Qualifications – Required

• Required Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a related field.
• 4+ years of experience in hardware validation or test engineering for complex digital systems, MCUs, or high‑integration ECUs.
• Strong understanding of MCU subsystems and IP blocks (CPU cores including lockstep, embedded flash, peripherals, automotive networking, power management, and safety mechanisms) from a validation and debug perspective.
• Proven hands‑on experience bringing up and testing complex digital boards, including power sequencing, clock/reset validation, and interface bring‑up.
• Demonstrated experience creating and executing structured hardware test plans, including definition of objectives, coverage, pass/fail criteria, and traceability to requirements.
• Proficiency with lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, power supplies, electronic loads, and precision power / current measurement tools.
• Hands‑on experience with MCU and board‑level electrical characterization (voltage/current limits, static and dynamic power, leakage, timing margins, and I/O thresholds) across PVT corners, including correlation to specifications and models.
• Practical experience debugging automotive serial interfaces (CAN‑FD, LIN, Ethernet, SPI) and/or higher‑speed memory interfaces, including interpretation of signal integrity and timing issues.
• Experience developing automated hardware tests and data collection scripts (Python, C/C++, or similar scripting environments).
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to isolate root causes across silicon, board, and software boundaries.
• Exceptional collaboration and teamwork skills; proven ability to work across functional and organizational boundaries.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple test efforts in parallel, including planning, execution, and reporting.

Qualifications – Preferred

• Preferred Master’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with validation of automotive or other safety‑critical MCUs and ECUs.
• Experience defining and executing environmental, reliability, and margin testing (voltage/temperature corners, jitter and eye diagrams, long‑duration stress).
• Experience with test automation frameworks, CI pipelines, and lab management tools used to run large‑scale automated regressions.

This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week (or other frequency dictated by their manager). The selected candidate will be required to travel <25% for this role. This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us

We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Benefits Overview

From day one, we're looking out for your well‑being–at work and at home–so you can focus on realizing your ambitions. Learn how GM supports a rewarding career that rewards you personally by visiting Total Rewards resources.

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers. All employment decisions are made on a non‑discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws.

Accommodations

General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us or call us at 1-800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

We are leading the change to make our world better, safer and more equitable for all through our actions and how we behave. Learn more about: Our Company Our Culture How we hire Our diverse team of employees bring their collective passion for engineering, technology and design to deliver on our vision of a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion. We are looking for adventure‑seekers and imaginative thought leaders to help us transform mobility.

Explore our global locations. We are determined to lead change for the world through technology, ingenuity and harnessing the creativity of our diverse team. Join us to help lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all by becoming a member of GM’s Talent Community (beamery.com). As a part of our Talent Community, you will receive updates about GM, open roles, career insights and more.