Power and Actuation Architect - ARC Product Execution

General Motors•Warren, MI

1d•Onsite

About The Position

At General Motors, our product teams are redefining mobility. Through a human-centered design process, we create vehicles and experiences that are designed not just to be seen, but to be felt. We’re turning today’s impossible into tomorrow’s standard —from breakthrough hardware and battery systems to intuitive design, intelligent software, and next-generation safety and entertainment features. Every day, our products move millions of people as we aim to make driving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale. The Role: Step into a pivotal role as a Power and Actuation Architect within our Advanced Robotics Engineering Organization, located in Warren, MI. In this role, you will architect and implement power distribution, power electronics, and actuation‑related electrical hardware, serving as a technical bridge between system architecture and detailed PCB execution. You will work closely with a dedicated Electrical Architect responsible for overall system architecture, communication, and I/O, allowing you to focus on energy delivery, conversion, and board‑level realization that enable reliable and scalable robotic platforms. This is a hands‑on architectural role combining system thinking with deep technical execution in a collaborative, forward‑thinking environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline.
Proven experience in power distribution design, power electronics, and PCB‑based electrical hardware development.
Strong understanding of power conversion topologies, actuation power needs, analog and digital circuits, and PCB design best practices.
Hands‑on experience owning designs from concept through board bring‑up and validation.
Familiarity with industry‑standard ECAD tools such as Altium Designer, OrCAD, or equivalent.
Excellent problem‑solving skills, particularly in power, thermal, and integration‑related challenges.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
3+ years of experience designing power and actuation hardware for robotics, automation, vehicles, or industrial systems.
Experience with high‑current, high‑power, or battery‑powered systems, including actuator and motor‑adjacent power electronics.
Familiarity with embedded systems as they relate to power control, monitoring, and fault handling.
Knowledge of safety and regulatory standards (UL, CE, ISO 13849, etc.), especially as applied to power and actuation subsystems.
Experience using simulation or analysis tools for power, thermal, or circuit behavior (SPICE, MATLAB/Simulink).
Strong communication skills and demonstrated ability to collaborate with system architects and cross‑functional teams.

Responsibilities

Define and own power and actuation electrical architectures for advanced robotics platforms, including power distribution strategies, voltage domains, and protected power paths.
Architect, design, and validate power electronics including AC‑DC, DC‑DC conversion, battery interfaces, actuator power stages, and related protection circuitry.
Lead PCB‑based hardware design from schematic capture through PCB layout collaboration, fabrication, assembly, and validation, with balanced ownership across power integrity, thermal performance, and reliability.
Develop and maintain power budgets, load analysis, derating strategies, and efficiency targets, and ensure alignment with system‑level requirements.
Partner with the Electrical Architect to ensure power and actuation implementations align with overall system constraints, safety concepts, and platform scalability.
Collaborate with mechanical, software, and manufacturing teams to integrate PCB assemblies and power/actuation subsystems into robotic assemblies and enclosures.
Guide component selection for power and actuation hardware, including regulators, switches, magnetics, sensing, and protection devices.
Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to power delivery, actuation performance, thermal behavior, and electrical robustness during integration and testing.
Generate and maintain technical documentation related to power architectures, PCB designs, BOMs, and validation results.
Ensure compliance with applicable electrical safety, EMC, and power‑related standards and internal engineering guidelines.
Drive continuous improvement in power efficiency, reliability, cost, and manufacturability across hardware designs.