Senior Hardware Engineer – Propulsion Controller

Jobtailor; Milford (MO); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor seeks an experienced electrical hardware engineer to design propulsion controller hardware from concept through production. You will own schematic capture, PCB layout, and rigorous SI/PI analyses while coordinating with software, mechanical, and manufacturing teams for on‑time, within‑cost delivery.

Responsibilities include validation planning, DFMEA/PFMEA, and collaboration with contract manufacturers to scale from prototype to mass production.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Electrical, Computer Engineering or equivalent.
• 5+ years of electronic hardware design experience with propulsion controller focus.
• Experience with propulsion controller hardware and components (SoCs, MCUs, Ethernet Switches, PHY, CAN, power supply).
• Strong circuit design, schematic, PCB layout, SI/PI, and power management skills.
• Proficient with Mentor Graphics, Ansys, Simplis, Altair, Mathcad, PSpice & Saber.
• Proven track record of launching build‑to‑print hardware into production.
• Knowledge of FMEA/PH analyses; verification and validation processes.
• Know‑how of embedded software development and related tools.
• Understanding of hardware design, failure modes, DFM/DFA/DFT, and safety‑critical principles.
• Experience with system‑level integration and automotive standards (ISO 26262/ASIL).

Responsibilities

• Design propulsion controller hardware from concept to launch.
• Lead schematic capture and PCB layout with SI/PI focus.
• Collaborate with software, mechanical, and manufacturing teams.
• Coordinate with contract manufacturers from prototype to mass production.
• Perform hardware analyses including thermal and power integrity.
• Develop and execute hardware validation plans and test equipment.
• Lead DFMEA/PFMEA and provide post‑mortem lessons.
• Provide guidance to DREs and support manufacturing troubleshooting.
• Ensure manufacturability and testability of designs.

Skills

Electrical hardware design

Propulsion controller

Automotive electronics

PCB layout

Signal integrity

Power integrity

DFMEA/PFMEA

System integration

Embedded software development

DFM/DFA/DFT

Automotive safety

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering

Tools

Mentor Graphics

Ansys

Simplis

Altair

Mathcad

PSpice

Saber

Job description

Responsibilities

• Design of propulsion controller electrical hardware: from schematic capture, worst case analysis, PCB layout, bring-up, debug, signal integrity and power integrity (SI/PI), design verification test (environmental and EMC), to manufacturing support and production launch.
• Design and development of the propulsion controller hardware (from concept design to launch) while meeting cost, timing, quality, and safety targets.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams, such as software, mechanical, and manufacturing, to ensure seamless integration of the electrical design of the propulsion controller hardware.
• Work closely with contract manufacturing partners to ensure successful product build, from prototype through to mass production, while maintaining quality, cost, and timing targets.
• Electrical schematic design and PCB layout.
• Support new IC design/development strategic to new propulsion controller designs and architectures.
• Perform/support detailed hardware analysis – worst case analysis, thermal analysis, signal integrity, power integrity, etc.
• Execute bring‑up of hardware design from power supplies, SoCs, MCUs, network devices, solenoid/valve control, instrumentation, etc.
• Lead design for manufacturing (DFM), design for assembly (DFA), and design for testing (DFT).
• Drive the validation and testing of hardware components and systems, ensuring high levels of reliability and performance.
• Develop requirements and maintain validation support equipment.
• Establish test plans and protocols to validate designs against requirements. Work with other team members to perform testing.
• Develop test equipment to enable bench root‑cause analysis for validation and warranty.
• Troubleshoot hardware issues, perform root‑cause analysis, and develop solutions to resolve design problems.
• Support manufacturing partners in troubleshooting and resolving any production‑related issues that arise during the manufacturing process.
• Develop requirements to enable third‑party manufacturing to build controller.
• Conduct design reviews and provide constructive feedback to ensure optimal solutions.
• Lead/support DFMEA/PFMEA; ensure lessons learned and best practices are included.
• Provide guidance and consultation to Design Release Engineers (DREs).

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree (or higher) in Electrical, Computer Engineering or equivalent.
• 5+ years of experience in electronic hardware design, with a strong focus on propulsion controller hardware design and automotive hardware electronics design.
• Experience in designing propulsion controller hardware and components, such as SoCs, MCUs, Ethernet Switches, PHY, CAN, power supply design, etc.
• Strong proficiency in circuit design, schematic creation, PCB layout, signal integrity and power integrity, and power management.
• Experience in design & analysis tools like: Mentor Graphics (schematic & layout), Ansys (signal integrity), Simplis (power integrity), Altair (EMC), Mathcad, PSpice & Saber.
• Proven ability of successfully launching build‑to‑print hardware into production.
• In‑depth knowledge of requirements engineering process (FMEA, Preliminary Hazard Analyses).
• In‑depth knowledge of verification and validation processes.
• In‑depth knowledge of embedded software development, testing and associated tools.
• Understanding of hardware design and failure mode.
• Thorough knowledge of design development and test engineering, manufacturing and assembly operations, engineering processes and procedures.
• Knowledge of automotive industry standards (ISO 26262, ASIL) and safety‑critical design principles.
• Experience with system‑level integration, including interfacing with sensors, processors, and communication protocols.
• Experience with design for manufacturing (DFM), design for assembly (DFA), and design for testing (DFT).
• Demonstrated proficiency in controller development process, including but not limited to knowledge of schematics, PCB layouts, EMC and power dissipation.
• In‑depth knowledge of validation procedures and methods to test.
• Knowledge of controller manufacturing.
• This position requires you to be able to legally operate a motor vehicle.