Senior Hardware Engineer- NFC Digital Key
$125,200–$193,000 year
On-siteSunnyvale, California, United States or Warren, Michigan, United States
Job Summary
Architect NFC hardware and requirements for GM's Digital Key systems, defining specifications for readers, Secure Elements, and controllers to support vehicle entry, start, and trunk access. Lead schematic reviews, bring-up, and lab validation of NFC subsystems, optimizing coil geometry, tuning networks, and coupling paths while executing test plans for realistic automotive packaging conditions. Manage short-range coexistence analysis for NFC alongside Qi, UWB, BLE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, and GNSS, ensuring robust detection and transaction reliability. Collaborate with Vehicle Access, Cybersecurity, and supplier teams to deliver scalable solutions aligned with CCC Digital Key standards and ISO interoperability requirements. Mentor junior engineers and produce structured documentation for design reviews and cross-functional initiatives.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
- 5+ years of relevant RF or wireless hardware experience
- Experience delivering Digital Key or similar access systems that leverage NFC in automotive or consumer products
- Hands-on experience with CCC Digital Key specifications and broader industry trends in digital vehicle access and secure ranging, including standards such as IEEE 802.15.4z and draft 802.15.4ab for UWB ranging and NFC standards like ISO/IEC 14443, ISO/IEC 15693, and ISO/IEC 18092 (or equivalent regional variants)
- Strong understanding of Electromagnetic fundamentals, and material properties, and the ability to reason about interference and coupling paths in dense automotive designs
- Experience with NFC reader antenna and coil design and placement in vehicle contexts optimizing wireless charging module pad geometry, reader orientation, and nearby metal keep-outs for robust card/phone detection at door, trunk, and center console locations
- Demonstrated experience with short range coexistence involving NFC, Qi, UWB, BLE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, cellular, and GNSS, including test definition, analysis, and mitigation strategies
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and a track record of leading cross functional technical initiatives across hardware, software, systems, and supplier teams
- Must be able to lift 50 lbs
Desired Qualifications
- Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
- Hands-on experience with UWB, and BLE transceivers and systems, including ranging, link budgets, and RF front end design
- Experience with RF and hardware design reviews, bring-up, and debug on complex, multi radio boards that integrate NFC, Qi, UWB, BLE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular, and GNSS
- Awareness of cybersecurity and privacy considerations for UWB, BLE and NFC systems used for secure vehicle access
- Proficiency with RF test equipment and at least one scripting language such as Python for test automation and data analysis
- Contributions to patents, standards, or technical publications in UWB, UWB-NBA, NFC, or short-range wireless hardware design
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