Staff Hardware Engineer - DFx (Manufacturing, Test & Tooling)

General Motors; Lansing (MI); Hybrid; USD 159,000 - 245,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Health Savings Account

Flexible Spending Accounts

retirement savings plan

sickness and accident benefits

life insurance

paid vacation & holidays

tuition assistance programs

employee assistance program

GM vehicle discounts

Job summary

General Motors is seeking a Staff DFx Engineer to lead design for manufacturing, design for testing, and tooling for ECUs. You will partner with internal design teams and contract manufacturers to ensure robust DFx strategies across GM's SDV electronics development.

You will own cross-functional DFx execution from PCB layout and assembly to in-field testing, driving early manufacturing insight, process discipline, and best practices for module development within GM's hybrid work environment.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• 7+ years in-plant electronic control module manufacturing leadership.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD modeling, 2D drawings, schematic designs, test SW development, tolerance analysis.
• Hands-on experience engaging with electronics manufacturers.

Responsibilities

• Lead DFx strategy and execution for ECUs across GM’s SDV architecture.
• Collaborate with internal design teams and contract manufacturers.
• Drive DFx processes from PCB layout to final assembly and testing.
• Develop analysis/test plans and lead prototyping and testing efforts.

Skills

DFx strategy

PCB design

3D CAD

DFM/DFT

Cross-functional collaboration

Test plan development

Soldering & testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering

Job description

The Role:

General Motors is leading the transformation of the automotive industry through electrification, central compute, and autonomous technologies. We are building a high-energy team of Senior DFx (Design for Manufacturing, Test, and Tooling) engineers to serve as the critical link between internal design teams and contract manufacturers for next-generation ECUs. This team will establish and drive DFx processes for in-house GM designs, ensuring strong alignment between design and manufacturing. They will bring early insight into manufacturing, assembly, testing, and tooling—embedding best practices, lessons learned, and critical requirements into module development. We are seeking a high-performing Staff DFx Engineer to represent the voice of manufacturing, testing, and tooling across GM’s electronics development. This role focuses on circuit board design, population, test, and assembly, working closely with both internal design teams and external manufacturing partners. You will lead DFx strategy and execution for electrical controllers supporting GM’s Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) architecture, while building strong, cross-functional partnerships to ensure successful product delivery.

Responsibilities of the Design for Manufacturing, Design for Testing, Tooling Engineer include:

• Work with cross functional teams for the selection of test point location, in-circuit board coverage, functional test requirements from design teams, and programming requirements from design/CM teams.
• Expertise in process from bare board to fully populated, soldered, tested PCB
• Expertise in Solder Paste/Stencil process and materials, SPI Solder process Inspection, Acceptance Criteria, SMD placement, line loading, AOI, Reflow profile, Intermetallic and PCB surface finish
• Perform design calculations, GD&T and tolerance stacks required for tooling and test fixtures
• Create 3D CAD, 2D CAD & lead CAD reviews with stakeholders.
• Develop analysis and test plans for new designs, perform proof of concept tests and analysis.
• Lead prototyping and testing, analyze test data, and make necessary adjustments to manufacturing process/materials, in-plant testing and tooling designs.
• Work with electrical engineers and PCBA designers to integrate components into test fixtures for in-circuit, functional, and in-process SW programming.
• Build partnerships with functional peers internally within GM and externally at CM suppliers to align on ECU design per development cycles.
• Develop virtualization technologies that help accelerate and de-risk product development.
• Communicate Contract Manufacturing progress and risks to stakeholders and customers.
• Drive Cross CM strategies for commonality within GM’s in-house designs.
• Solid organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• BS in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent engineering degree
• 7+ years in-plant electronic control module manufacturing experience leading a cross functional team of Design/Manufacturing engineers for best in class DFM and DFT designs
• Collaborative, team centered experience which leads to on-time delivery of quality products
• Exceptional collaboration and teamwork skills; demonstrated ability for working across functional and organizational boundaries.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD modeling, 2D drawings, schematic designs, test SW development, tolerance analysis, design for manufacturability, and assembly.
• Strong analytical skills and engineering fundamentals in manufacturing, testing, tooling of automotive electronic modules.
• Hands-on experience engaging with electronics manufacturers.

What Will Give You A Competitive Edge (Preferred Skills)

• Master’s degree/PhD in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering
• Mechanical design of PCBAs, computers, or automotive electronics
• Experience establishing a DFx organization within an automotive OEM.
• Industry leading expertise with aspects of manufacturing including: Designed SMT placement equipment, solder reflow equipment, Developed AOI, SPI, Assembly line transfer equipment.

Compensation:

Compensation: The compensation information is a good faith estimate only. It is based on what a successful applicant might be paid in accordance with applicable state laws. The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position, as well as geography of the selected candidate. The salary range for this role is (159,400 to 245,000). The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.Bonus Potential: An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.

Benefits:

• medical
• dental
• vision
• Health Savings Account
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• retirement savings plan
• sickness and accident benefits
• life insurance
• paid vacation & holidays
• tuition assistance programs
• employee assistance program
• GM vehicle discounts

GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This includes direct company sponsorship, entry of GM as the immigration employer of record on a government form, and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g., H1-B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc). 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

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.

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.