Senior Hardware Engineer- Wi-Fi/BT Connectivity

General Motors•Sunnyvale, CA

6d•$125,200 - $192,700•Hybrid

About The Position

You will be a senior individual contributor in the Wireless Technology organization, with primary responsibility for Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth connectivity on multi‑radio products. You will translate vehicle‑level use cases into robust, testable RF hardware and system requirements. You will contribute to Wi‑Fi/BT RF system architectures defined by Staff/Principal engineers and help drive those architectures into concrete designs and validation plans. You will lead RF validation, characterization, and debug across bench, chamber, and in‑vehicle environments, with a strong emphasis on multi‑radio coexistence. You will actively collaborate with GM’s compliance teams and external labs in debugging and troubleshoot issues found in Wi‑Fi Alliance and Bluetooth SIG certification.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field with 5+ years of relevant experience with a bachelor’s degree.
Substantial experience in RF and connectivity hardware design and validation for Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth (Classic and BLE), ideally including multi‑radio modules (e.g., GNSS, cellular) in automotive or other high‑reliability environments.
Experience with wireless protocols and features relevant to modern vehicle connectivity and/or other IoT products (e.g., Wi‑Fi 6/6E, Wi‑Fi 7 readiness, advanced Bluetooth audio, Matter or similar ecosystems).
Hands-on experience with Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth protocol analyzers/sniffers for packet capture, protocol-level analysis, debugging, and root-cause investigation.
Hands‑on experience with RF lab equipment (spectrum analyzers, VNAs, VSAs, oscilloscopes, OTA chambers, shielded boxes) and RF characterization methods.
Proven ability to define and maintain hardware/system requirements (e.g., ERDs, CTRS) and to translate system use cases into executable test plans and validation strategies.
Solid understanding of multi‑radio coexistence, EMC/EMI considerations, and practical mitigation techniques (filtering, shielding, antenna isolation, time‑domain coordination) for Wi‑Fi/BT in dense RF environments.
Strong technical communication, documentation, and cross‑functional collaboration skills, with comfort driving technical discussions and issue resolution.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field with 7+ years of relevant experience with a master’s degree in similar RF/connectivity roles.
Experience delivering automotive infotainment, telematics, or SDV platforms from concept through production, including DV/PV and launch support.
Strong expertise in RF/high‑speed PCB schematic and layout practices, including stack‑up definition, impedance control, return‑path management, and grounding for Wi‑Fi/BT circuits.
Familiarity with regional and global regulatory and compliance requirements for Wi‑Fi/BT systems, and experience working with Wi‑Fi Alliance and Bluetooth SIG certification or pre‑certification test campaigns.
Working knowledge of thermal and mechanical impacts on RF performance and long‑term reliability of connectivity modules.
Proficiency in Python or similar scripting languages for test automation and data analysis.
Prior experience developing dashboards and analytics for RF KPI tracking across programs.
Demonstrated ability to mentor junior engineers and technicians and to contribute to organization‑wide RF and connectivity best practices.

Responsibilities

Translate vehicle‑level Wi‑Fi/BT use cases into clear, testable hardware and system requirements for connectivity ECUs and subsystems.
Develop, maintain, and trace connectivity requirements for Wi‑Fi/BT hardware and RF performance, ensuring alignment with program and customer objectives.
Contribute to Wi‑Fi/BT RF system architectures and connectivity modules - including clocking, filtering, front‑end partitioning, and antenna/interconnect concepts.
Provide structured feedback from validation, characterization, and field issues back into requirements and architecture documents to drive continuous improvement.
Support schematic development and guide PCB layout for Wi‑Fi/BT RF signal paths, including PAs, LNAs, FEMs, switches, diplexers, filters, and antenna interfaces.
Influence PCB stack‑up, routing discipline, impedance control, and grounding strategies to meet GM and industry RF performance margins across voltage, temperature, and environmental conditions.
Define and review sub‑system interconnect strategies (power, RF, high‑speed data) for connectivity modules, including connector selection and placement, with attention to EMI/EMC robustness and manufacturability.
Review design changes for their RF and coexistence impact, providing practical guidance to hardware design teams.
Develop and refine RF performance targets and KPIs for Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth (Classic and BLE), ensuring traceability to program requirements and user experience goals.
Analyze and validate multi‑radio coexistence across Wi‑Fi/BT and neighboring radios (e.g., UWB, LTE/5G, GNSS, NFC and other radios) in shared modules, focusing on desense, blocking, intermodulation, and noise coupling paths.
Propose and evaluate mitigation strategies - such as filtering, shielding, antenna isolation, timing/resource coordination, and layout/placement changes.
Support regulatory and standards compliance by providing RF data, participating in EMC/IME reviews, and contributing to certification test planning and issue resolution.
Define and execute RF and system‑level validation strategies for: Wi‑Fi AP and STA modes across all supported bands and channel widths (2.4/5/6 GHz). Bluetooth Classic and BLE‑based use cases (e.g., low‑power peripherals, proximity‑based experiences, and audio). High‑throughput wireless data paths (e.g., wireless streaming) and low‑power/always‑on connectivity behaviors.
Own Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, and relevant coexistence test plans and execution across bench, RF chambers, and in‑vehicle environments for connectivity modules that integrate Wi‑Fi/BT.
Integrate Wi‑Fi/BT coexistence coverage into connectivity modules’ wireless and antenna validation plans; track execution, trend data, and monitor recurrence using structured dashboards and KPIs.
Perform detailed RF characterization using spectrum analyzers, VNAs, VSGs, OTA chambers, and shielded environments, leveraging scripting‑based automation to evaluate performance vs. voltage, temperature, mechanical tolerances, and packaging.
Troubleshoot and root‑cause connectivity issues using oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, RF diagnostic tools, and logs - driving issues to closure with clear data and recommendations.
Coordinate environmental and vehicle‑level hardware validation related to Wi‑Fi/BT performance, ensuring issues are captured, reproduced, tracked, and resolved across programs.
Collaborate closely with hardware, systems, software, antenna, validation, manufacturing, and supplier teams throughout the full development lifecycle for connectivity ECUs.
Drive resolution of Wi‑Fi/BT performance and coexistence issues by structuring problems, designing targeted experiments, analyzing logs and measurements, and coordinating corrective actions with domain experts.
Represent Wi‑Fi/BT connectivity hardware considerations in cross‑functional reviews and program forums, providing data‑driven recommendations.
Prepare high‑quality technical documentation, including RF system block diagrams, validation strategies, test reports, and ERD/CTRS updates suitable for design and program reviews.
Develop reusable Wi‑Fi/BT test setups, automation scripts, and scalable dashboards to enable consistent RF and coexistence validation across modules and vehicle programs.
Share best practices and provide informal mentorship to junior engineers and lab personnel in RF design, test methodologies, and debug approaches.
Contribute to the definition and continuous improvement of GM’s wireless hardware standards, design guidelines, and RF review checklists.