Staff Engineer, Hardware Design, System Integration & Test Automation

Cariad•Mountain View, CA

9h•Onsite

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 Staff Engineer, Hardware Design, System Integration & Test Automation is a hands-on staff-level individual contributor who connects detailed embedded hardware design with system-level integration and validation. The ideal candidate is an accomplished design engineer who wants to broaden their ownership from board or ECU design into complete system behavior, interfaces, bring-up, and verification. This engineer applies a systematic view across hardware, software, power, networks, mechanics, diagnostics, manufacturing, and validation to translate design intent and requirements into robust integration strategies, HIL and bench architectures, interface documentation, and repeatable test evidence. The role leads complex board, ECU, and system bring-up; resolves cross-domain issues; improves design-for-integration and design-for-test practices; and guides scalable automation for CARIAD hardware platforms, including AI-enabled workflows where they provide safe, traceable engineering value.

Requirements

Staff-level technical leadership spanning embedded hardware design, system integration, validation infrastructure, HIL, and lab automation.
System-level understanding of how hardware, software, mechanics, power, networks, diagnostics, manufacturing, and validation interact across the product.
Systematic engineering approach to requirements decomposition, interface analysis, trade-off evaluation, risk identification, verification planning, and evidence-based closure.
Structured problem solving and disciplined hardware debug for ambiguous, cross-domain failures.
Clear written, verbal, and executive-ready communication with data-backed recommendations.
Cross-functional influence across hardware, software, systems, validation, manufacturing, suppliers, and lab operations.
Ability to translate detailed design knowledge into scalable integration methods, standards, documentation, and reusable test capability.
Hands-on ownership in a prototype lab environment, with mentorship of engineers and disciplined follow-through on risks and corrective action.
Deep embedded hardware design foundation, including schematic design and review, component selection, power architecture, reset and clocking, high-speed and low-speed interfaces, signal/power integrity considerations, PCB layout trade-offs, design for test, and design verification.
Demonstrated ability and interest to expand from component or board design into system integration ownership, connecting design intent to ECU, vehicle, bench, software, and validation behavior.
Strong system understanding and a systematic view of requirements, interfaces, dependencies, operating states, failure modes, trade-offs, integration sequencing, and verification across the product lifecycle.
Embedded hardware integration and bring-up across power, reset, clock, boot, peripherals, firmware, BSP, drivers, test infrastructure, and HW/SW issue isolation, with ability to guide complex cross-domain investigations.
Ability to interpret and connect system requirements, schematics, datasheets, PCB and connector documentation, interface control documents, harness drawings, supplier deliverables, logs, and validation evidence.
Interface and test infrastructure ownership, including connector and pinout definition, electrical interfaces, signal routing, grounding/shielding, protocols, timing, diagnostics, harnesses, fixtures, HIL benches, readiness criteria, and configuration control.
Strong lab instrumentation and interface knowledge, including scopes, meters, power supplies, loads, logic analyzers, CAN/Ethernet/serial tools, JTAG, CAN, LIN, Ethernet, USB, UART, SPI, I2C, GPIO, analog/digital I/O, power/wake lines, and diagnostics.
Python automation for instrument control, data capture, sequencing, log parsing, evidence collection, repeatable execution, and reusable automation libraries, with familiarity with AI-enabled lab workflows or comparable tool interfaces.
8+ years of relevant experience in embedded hardware or ECU design, schematic and PCB development, design verification, hardware bring-up, system integration, interface definition, hardware validation, HIL, lab automation, or debug of automotive or comparable high-reliability embedded platforms.
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechatronics, or related technical discipline.

Nice To Haves

Automotive ECU design and integration experience, including telematics, connectivity, infotainment, zonal controllers, high-performance compute platforms, or similar embedded hardware.
Experience owning a design through prototype build, board bring-up, design verification, system integration, failure analysis, and corrective-action validation.
Commercial or custom HIL platform experience, such as dSPACE, NI/VeriStand, Vector, ETAS, Speedgoat, Keysight, or Python-based frameworks.
Experience with Linux, Android, QNX, YOCTO, ADB/serial console, flashing, bootloaders, diagnostics, manufacturing/EOL tooling, DV/PV, EMC/ENV, validation, supplier issue support, or AI-enabled lab automation.
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechatronics, or related discipline.

Responsibilities

Lead the transition from board and ECU design intent into successful system integration, ensuring requirements, interfaces, dependencies, operating states, and verification needs are understood before bring-up.
Review schematics, component choices, PCB implementation, power architecture, clocks, reset, interfaces, design margins, and design-for-test provisions to identify integration risks and improve system readiness.
Lead complex board, ECU, and system bring-up across prototypes and revisions, including power, reset, clock, boot, flashing, communications, peripheral interfaces, diagnostics, and cross-domain issue isolation.
Build systematic integration plans with clear sequencing, entry/exit criteria, instrumentation, configuration baselines, expected behavior, evidence, decision records, owners, and closure criteria.
Debug hardware/software/system issues using schematics, requirements, ICDs, harness drawings, logs, instruments, controlled experiments, and root-cause methods while mentoring engineers in disciplined investigation.
Maintain a system-level view across hardware, software, networks, power states, diagnostics, mechanics, manufacturing, and validation; identify interface gaps and integration risks early.
Own and approve Interface Control Documents, harness drawings, pinouts, connector definitions, cable assemblies, and lab wiring documentation required for system integration and HIL execution.
Translate requirements, design documentation, schematics, supplier deliverables, and failure modes into integration coverage, HIL strategy, test procedures, fixtures, automation needs, and validation evidence expectations.
Define scalable bench architectures, configuration baselines, readiness checklists, and technical standards for integration benches, HIL benches, breakout/load boxes, fixtures, harnesses, and lab stations.
Support DV/PV, EMC/ENV, manufacturing, and end-of-line readiness by ensuring test infrastructure can reproduce failures, validate design changes and corrective actions, and scale across program needs.
Define repeatable validation methods that connect requirements and design intent to test conditions, measurements, pass/fail criteria, traceable evidence, and technical closure.
Guide reusable Python automation and tool interfaces for equipment control, bench state, test orchestration, data capture, artifact retrieval, failure triage, and report generation.
Develop scalable workflows for setup verification, automated execution, log capture, failure clustering, evidence packaging, and regression testing across hardware revisions and system configurations.
Partner with software, automation, IT, systems, and validation teams to integrate lab equipment, HIL frameworks, requirements repositories, issue tracking, evidence storage, and reporting tools.
Apply AI-enabled or agent-based lab workflows where useful, ensuring they remain safe, traceable, reviewable, governed, and subordinate to sound engineering judgment.
Serve as staff-level escalation point for complex integration failures and drive structured triage across hardware design, software, systems, validation, manufacturing, and supplier teams.
Influence design and supplier deliverables for board revisions, interfaces, harnesses, HIL equipment, bench blockers, technical risks, and corrective actions using a system-level perspective.
Communicate status, blockers, risks, trade-offs, recovery plans, decisions, and recommended next steps with clear evidence and appropriate technical depth.
Document configurations, issues, debug findings, validation evidence, technical decisions, and closure rationale in a structured and traceable manner.
Mentor engineers and strengthen design-for-integration, design-for-test, structured problem solving, lab practices, templates, checklists, and knowledge sharing.