Principal EMI/EMC Engineer

Cariad, Inc. • Mountain View, CA

7d • $194,670 - $282,735

About The Position

We are CARIAD, an automotive software development team with the Volkswagen Group. Our mission is to make the automotive experience safer, more sustainable, more comfortable, more digital, and more fun. To achieve that we are building the leading tech stack for the automotive industry and creating a unified software platform for over 10 million new vehicles per year. We’re looking for talented, digital minds like you to help us create code that moves the world. Together with you, we’ll build outstanding digital experiences and products for all Volkswagen Group brands that will transform mobility. Join us as we shape the future of the car and everyone around it.
Role Summary:
The Principal EMI/EMC Engineer owns emissions and immunity compliance for hardware platforms—defining the EMC control/verification plan, leading pre‑compliance and certification testing at internal and third‑party labs and driving debug‑to‑fix mitigations. The Principal EMI/EMC Engineer also partners with design teams on schematics/layout, harness/shielding, and test readiness reviews, communicating risks and evidence to ensure global regulatory and internal spec adherence.

Requirements

• Deep hands-on experience with automotive EMC instrumentation and setups: EMI receiver/spectrum analyzer, LISN, near-field probes, current probes, RF amplifiers, signal generators, antennas, and proper grounding/bonding practices in chamber and bench environments
• Proven ability to lead pre-compliance and certification testing (including third-party lab execution), interpret results, and drive debug-to-fix mitigation to closure
• Experience supporting multi-region regulatory approval contexts (e.g., FCC / RED / SRRC) as they intersect with EMC deliverables and documentation expectations
• Strong capability to review schematics, PCB layouts, and mechanical/harness designs to identify EMC risks and apply effective mitigation (partitioning/return paths, filtering, shielding/termination, cable routing, connector strategy)
• Expert interpretation of applicable automotive EMC standards and criteria (e.g., CISPR 25) and alignment to company internal specifications; able to translate requirements into clear test plans and pass/fail criteria
• Technical leadership skills
• Analytical and conceptual thinking
• Supervisory and management skills
• Experience in developing strategies for R&D
• Communication skills – interpersonal, presentation and written
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and rapidly changing environment
• Excellent organization and delegation skills
• Strategic/visionary mindset
• 12+ years of experience in EMC compliance testing industry
• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline

Nice To Haves

• Working knowledge of infotainment and driver assistance systems and common EMC risk areas in high-speed digital and mixed-signal automotive electronics
• Experience collaborating within VW Group ey7tngineering / validation ecosystems (processes, stakeholders, ways of working)
• Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end EMC/ECU strategy, planning, execution, and issue closure for hardware platforms and ECUs across development milestones (EVT/DVT/PVT), including pre-compliance and certification phases
• Own the EMC Control & Verification Plan, requirements traceability, and compliance matrix (internal specs + applicable regulatory standards), ensuring test coverage aligns to product use cases and release criteria
• Lead EMC/EMI testing at third-party labs (test planning, scheduling/logistics, witnessing, configuration control, and timely delivery of complete test reports), and drive corrective actions to closure when issues occur
• Execute and/or oversee in-house pre-compliance scans and bench-top EMI assessments (conducted/radiated as applicable), using results to identify risks early and reduce certification re-test cycles
• Lead EMC Test Readiness Reviews and provide formal go/no-go recommendations for chamber entry and certification (test plan readiness, HW/SW configuration control, harness/setup definition, operational modes, pass/fail criteria, and run sheets)
• Provide design consultation and technical leadership to engineering teams: schematic and PCB layout reviews, component and filter selection, grounding/return-path strategy, shielding/bonding approaches, and cable/harness mitigation recommendations (balancing performance, cost, and manufacturability)
• Lead debug-to-fix investigations for EMC failures, including hypothesis-driven experiments, measurement plans, mitigation selection, verification scans, and documenting root cause + design lessons learned
• Develop and maintain correlation methods between in-house pre-scan setups and external certification labs (fixtures, bandwidth/detectors, harness/config, grounding) to improve predictability of pass/fail outcomes against internal specifications
• Review and advise on domestic and international automotive EMI/EMC certification requirements and approvals (e.g., CISPR 25 and market regulatory expectations) and ensure engineering/test deliverables meet documentation and evidence needs
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including hardware engineers, software developers, and quality assurance specialists
• Support team members across various stages of the product development lifecycle
• Foster a collaborative working environment by actively engaging with different teams to address and solve problems

Benefits

• Benefits include medical, dental, vision, 401k with employer match and defined contribution plan, short and long term disability, basic life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment plans, maternity and non-primary caregiver leave, adoption assistance, employee referral program and vacation and paid holidays.
• We also offer a unique vehicle lease program that covers registration and insurance fees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal