Computer Hardware Engineer Jobs in Santa Clara, CA

Job Description
Work Arrangment:
Hybrid:
This role is categorized as hybrid. The selected candidate is expected to report to Warren, MI or Sunnyvale, CA at least three days per week (Tuesday-Thursday).
Our Mission:
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 Ideal Candidate:
Connectivity is a foundational enabler of modern vehicle platforms, powering safety, autonomy, infotainment, and cloud-connected services. We are seeking a Staff Hardware Engineer to define and drive the architecture, integration, and execution of next-generation connectivity platforms across GM vehicle lines.

• Recognized technical leader with deep expertise in system architecture, high-speed design, and multi-domain integration.
• Operates effectively across hardware, firmware, RF, and system software, influencing decisions at the platform level.
• Proven ability to lead through ambiguity, drive alignment across organizations, and resolve complex, cross-functional system challenges.
• Demonstrates ownership beyond individual programs, shaping best practices, design methodologies, and long-term technology strategy.

The Role:
The Staff Hardware Engineer will own the system architecture and technical direction for connectivity modules across multiple vehicle platforms. This includes defining scalable architectures, guiding implementation across teams, and ensuring robust system performance from concept through production and field deployment.
This role requires end-to-end ownership with broad organizational impact, including collaboration with silicon vendors, platform software, RF, mechanical, thermal, manufacturing, and validation teams.
What You'll Do:
Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Define and own system architecture for connectivity platforms, including SoC selection, memory (LPDDR), power architecture, and high-speed interfaces (PCIe, USB, Ethernet).
• Drive platform-level design decisions and tradeoffs across performance, power, cost, reliability, and scalability.
• Establish design guidelines, reference architectures, and best practices for hardware development across programs.
• Influence technology roadmap decisions in partnership with silicon vendors and internal stakeholders.

Design Execution & Integration

• Guide schematic design and PCB layout across teams, ensuring best-in-class SI/PI, RF coexistence, and manufacturability.
• Oversee and unblock board bring-up and system integration, including power sequencing, clocking, reset, and boot initialization.
• Drive multi-domain system integration across hardware, firmware, RF, and mechanical disciplines.

System Debug & Validation

• Lead root-cause analysis of complex system-level issues spanning silicon, hardware, RF, and software interactions.
• Define and review validation strategy and coverage to ensure robustness across corner cases and environmental conditions.
• Debug advanced issues such as RF desense, power integrity coupling, and high-speed signal degradation.
• Utilize advanced lab tools (oscilloscopes, VNAs, spectrum analyzers, logic analyzers) for deep system characterization.

Cross-Functional & External Leadership

• Act as the primary technical interface with key silicon vendors (e.g., Qualcomm, NXP, TI) to influence design and resolve issues.
• Partner with firmware/software teams to enable platform functionality and optimize system performance.
• Drive alignment across global teams and influence decision-making at the platform and organizational level.

Mentorship & Organizational Impact

• Mentor and elevate engineers across the team, providing guidance on architecture, debugging, and design rigor.
• Lead technical reviews and raise the bar on engineering quality.
• Contribute to building a scalable and repeatable hardware development framework.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications ):

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in hardware development with significant focus on system architecture and integration.
• Deep expertise in SoC-based system design, including power architecture, clocks, resets, and boot flows.
• Strong experience with high-speed digital design (PCIe, USB, Ethernet, LPDDR) and associated SI/PI considerations.
• Proven track record of solving complex system-level issues across hardware, firmware, and RF domains.
• Experience with power delivery design, PMICs, low-power architectures, and sleep/wake strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical direction across teams and influence without authority.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills in highly ambiguous environments.

What Will Give You A Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications):

• Master's or PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in hardware development with significant focus on system architecture and integration.
• Experience with wireless technologies (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, GNSS) and RF/system coexistence challenges.
• Automotive experience including EMI/EMC, environmental, and reliability validation.
• Experience driving products through production ramp and field issue resolution.
• Familiarity with functional safety, cybersecurity, or automotive networking architectures is a plus.

Benefits:
GM offers a variety of health and wellbeing benefit programs. Benefit options include 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 and more.
Relocation:
This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.
The selected candidate will be required to travel <25% for this role.
Company Vehicle:
Upon successful completion of a motor vehicle report review, you will be eligible to participate in a company vehicle evaluation program, through which you will be assigned a General Motors vehicle to drive and evaluate. Note: program participants are required to purchase/lease a qualifying GM vehicle every four years unless one of a limited number of exceptions applies.
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 compensation may not be representative for positions located outside of New York, Colorado, California, or Washington.
The expected base compensation for this role is: $172,000 - $246,000. Actual base compensation within the identified range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.
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 <25% for this role.This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.
About GM
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Benefits Overview
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We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.
Accommodations
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