Contract Embedded Systems Engineer Jobs in Detroit, MI

Global Manufacturing Electrical & SDV is looking for innovators who thrive in tough challenges and are passionate about tackling meaningful work that will shape the future of the automotive industry. This isn't a role for those looking for an easy path-it's for those who embrace change, push through obstacles, and take ownership of complex problems. While there will be long days and moments that test your resilience, you'll find purpose in your work, flexibility to prioritize your family, and the support of a people-first culture. If you're ready to grow, thrive, and make a real impact, we'd love to hear from you.

WHY: This role exists to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced manufacturing technologies by rapidly designing, building, and implementing innovative electrical and embedded solutions.

WHAT: As an Electrical & Embedded Systems Technical Expert, you will design, develop, validate, and maintain firmware, software, PCBs, and embedded systems that enable GM Manufacturing tools, processes, and test systems across development, validation, and production environments.

HOW: Partner directly with manufacturing, engineering, and IT teams to rapidly design, prototype, and deploy embedded hardware and software solutions-owning problems end-to-end from concept through plant implementation, and iterating in real time based on system performance, build feedback, and production needs.

What You'll Do (Responsibilities):

• Design and maintain embedded firmware/applications in C/C++ for manufacturing and test equipment.

• Design, review, and validate PCBs and interface hardware for labs, vehicles, and plant tools.

• Integrate and debug vehicle communication (CAN, LIN, Automotive Ethernet/DoIP, UDS) and related diagnostic applications.

• Configure and troubleshoot networked systems (switches, routers, gateways, VLANs) in lab and plant environments.

• Rapidly prototype new hardware/software concepts and take them from lab demo to onvehicle / inplant deployment.

• Act as a firstline problem solver for urgent electrical, embedded, and networking issues during builds, trials, and launches.

• Collaborate across IT, Product Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, and Operations and clearly communicate status and risks.

• Foster a forward-thinking work culture that embraces change and navigates future organizational and industry challenges.

• Build and nurture strategic relationships across various functions including software, manufacturing, and program management to synergize efforts towards future innovations.

Your Skills and Abilities (Required Qualifications):

• Strong experience in firmware/embedded software development using C or C++; familiarity with Python is a plus.

• Handson experience with vehicle communication protocols (CAN, LIN, Automotive Ethernet/DoIP).

• Working knowledge of computer networking such as

  TCP/IP, switches/routers, VLANs, basic routing and tools such as ping, traceroute, Wireshark or similar.

• Proven debugging and troubleshooting skills across hardware, firmware, and networks.

• Knowledge of vehicle electrical architectures and basic vehicle electrical/mechanical systems.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and ability to manage multiple concurrent, unplanned tasks.

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.

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

• Solid understanding of embedded systems and hardware bringup (microcontrollers, SoCs, SBCs such as NXP, TI, STM32, Raspberry Pi, etc.).

• Experience with PCB design (schematic capture, layout tools like Altium/OrCAD/KiCad, SI, power, EMI/EMC).

• Experience with DoIP, SoAD, UDS and tools such as Vehicle Spy, CANoe, or similar.

• Background in automotive development, testing, or manufacturing and familiarity with VIP/vehicle architectures.

• Experience with test automation, lab or plant test systems, and scripting (Vehicle Spy, AutoVal, AutoBot, Python, etc.).

• Understanding of basic cybersecurity for invehicle and lab networked devices.

• Handson rapid prototyping (3D printing, quickturn PCB services, bench builds, hardware hacking).

• Familiarity with GitHub, Jira, and modern development workflows.