Mechanical CAD Designer – Automotive ECU Packaging

General Motors LLC; United States; On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

General Motors Company is seeking a highly skilled Mechanical CAD NX Designer to support the design, development, and packaging of ECU hardware for next-generation automotive electrical architecture. You will create 3D models, assemblies, and GD&T-compliant drawings using Siemens NX, collaborating with electrical, thermal, manufacturing, and vehicle integration teams from concept through production.

The ideal candidate has strong experience in automotive electronics packaging, sheet metal and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or 10+ years CAD design experience in automotive components.
• Experience designing mechanical components and assemblies using Siemens NX.
• Strong understanding of automotive electronics packaging and ECU design.
• Experience creating production-ready 3D models, detailed drawings, and assembly documentation.
• Knowledge of GD&T, tolerance analysis, and manufacturing processes.
• Experience supporting product development from concept through production.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Design ECU housings, brackets, covers, heat sinks, mounting features, and related mechanical components in Siemens NX.
• Lead vehicle-level packaging studies including space claims, clearances, mounting, serviceability, harness and connector interfaces, and assembly requirements.
• Create detailed 3D models, assemblies, 2D drawings, BOMs, and engineering release documentation.
• Apply GD&T, tolerance analysis, DFM, DFA, and DFQ principles to deliver manufacturable designs.
• Collaborate with hardware, electrical, thermal, EMI/EMC, validation, manufacturing, and vehicle integration teams.
• Support thermal packaging, structural assessments, prototype builds, validation, root-cause investigations, and production launch activities.
• Work with suppliers and manufacturing teams to resolve feasibility, tooling, assembly, and build issues.
• Support engineering changes, design reviews, PLM activities, and continuous product improvement.

Skills

Mechanical design

Siemens NX

ECU packaging

GD&T

Tolerance analysis

DFM/ DFA/ DFQ

Cross-functional collaboration

Product development

3D modeling

Sheet metal & plastics

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related field

10+ years CAD mechanical design experience in automotive

Tools

Teamcenter PLM

Siemens NX (as design tool)

Job description

Job Description About the Team

Compute & Connectivity Hardware (CCH) is part of GM’s Vehicle Software & Electronics Engineering (VSEE) organization within Software & Services Engineering. The team develops the physical hardware foundation for GM’s software-defined vehicles, including compute, connectivity, networking, displays, and other electronic platforms that enable in-vehicle software, infotainment, ADAS, vehicle controls, and connected experiences.

CCH’s work spans architecture, requirements, hardware and electronics design, embedded hardware, systems integration, validation, launch, and in-market performance.

Our engineers collaborate across software, systems, controls, cybersecurity, functional safety, vehicle engineering, suppliers, and manufacturing to develop reliable, production-ready hardware for GM’s vehicle portfolio.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Mechanical CAD NX Designer to support the design, development, and packaging of Electronic Control Unit (ECU) hardware for next-generation automotive electrical architecture, develop production-ready mechanical designs and vehicle packaging solutions for electronic control units (ECUs) and next-generation automotive electrical architecture. Using Siemens NX, you will create 3D models, assemblies, and GD&T-compliant drawings while collaborating with electrical, thermal, manufacturing, supplier, and vehicle integration teams from concept through production. The ideal candidate has strong experience in automotive electronics packaging, sheet metal and plastic component design, tolerance management, and vehicle-level integration of electronic modules. You will play a critical role in developing the mechanical architecture and packaging of next-generation automotive ECUs, creating innovative and manufacturable designs that enable advanced vehicle electronics, connectivity, and software-defined vehicle platforms. Working alongside cross-functional engineering teams, you will help bring complex electronic products from concept through production launch while ensuring quality, performance, and vehicle integration success.

Key Responsibilities

• Mechanical Design & CAD Development Design ECU housings, brackets, covers, heat sinks, mounting features, and related mechanical components in Siemens NX.
• Develop and lead vehicle-level packaging studies, including space claims, clearances, mounting, serviceability, harness and connector interfaces, and assembly requirements.
• Create detailed 3D models, assemblies, 2D drawings, BOMs, and engineering release documentation.
• Apply GD&T, tolerance analysis, DFM, DFA, and DFQ principles to deliver robust, manufacturable designs.
• Collaborate with hardware, electrical, thermal, EMI/EMC, validation, manufacturing, and vehicle integration teams.
• Support thermal packaging, structural assessments, prototype builds, validation, root-cause investigations, and production launch activities.
• Work with suppliers and manufacturing teams to resolve feasibility, tooling, assembly, and build issues.
• Support engineering changes, design reviews, PLM activities, and continuous product improvement.

Where you will be contributing:

ECU Packaging & Vehicle Integration

Participate in vehicle-level package studies to ensure compliance with space claim, clearance, and interface requirements. Influence mechanical interfaces between ECU hardware, wiring harnesses, connectors, and vehicle structures. Support integration of ECUs into zonal architectures, centralized compute systems, and connectivity platforms.

Product Development & Engineering Collaboration

Work closely with hardware, electrical, thermal, EMI/EMC, validation, and manufacturing teams throughout product development. Support design reviews, CAD reviews, and cross-functional engineering activities. Collaborate with suppliers to ensure design feasibility and manufacturability. Incorporate Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Quality (DFQ) principles into component designs. Support engineering change management and continuous product improvements.

Thermal, Structural & Manufacturing Support

Support thermal packaging activities, including heat sink integration, airflow considerations, and thermal interface design.

Documentation & Release Activities

Generate detailed component and GD&T-compliant engineering documentation. Maintain BOM structures and engineering release packages.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, or related field OR 10 + years of CAD mechanical design experience on automotive components
• Experience designing mechanical components and assemblies using Siemens NX.
• Strong understanding of automotive electronics packaging and ECU design.
• Experience creating production-ready 3D models, detailed drawings, and assembly documentation.
• Knowledge of GD&T, tolerance analysis, and manufacturing processes.
• Experience supporting product development from concept through production.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing automotive ECUs, modules, compute platforms, gateways, or connectivity hardware.
• Knowledge of die-cast aluminum, plastic injection molding, sheet metal, and stamped component design.
• Familiarity with thermal management solutions for electronic hardware.
• Experience with automotive EMC considerations.
• Understanding of wiring harness integration, connectors, and vehicle architecture.
• Experience with Teamcenter PLM.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to help define the future of vehicle technology. You'll collaborate with experts across hardware, software, systems, controls, and integration engineering to solve difficult technical problems at scale. Whether you're driving architecture decisions, developing cutting-edge hardware, or validating complex systems, your work will directly influence the capabilities of millions of vehicles on the road. If you're passionate about designing high-performance hardware, tackling multidisciplinary engineering challenges, and seeing your innovations come to life in production vehicles, we'd love to have you on the team.

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