Brief Role Description

At the Innovation & Engineering Center California (IECC), we represent the Volkswagen Group in applied research and development. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, we create bold new ideas for the Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Porsche brands. We’re a team of engineers, designers, scientists, and psychologists looking to develop innovations for future generations of cars, and to transfer technologies from many industries and research institutions into the automotive domain. Our mission is to drive change, which means we are not only impacting one of the world’s largest car makers, but also the lives of millions of people. Are you ready to join us?

Role Summary

The Secondary ECU Integration Senior Engineer will lead the end‑to‑end system integration of secondary ECUs across the vehicle—Driver Information Systems (cluster/IC), passenger displays, antenna/telematics subsystems, and audio amplifiers—ensuring network, power state, diagnostic, RF, and HMI behaviors meet production quality at fleet scale. You own interface control, networking/diagnostics, software flashing/coding, RF performance, audio/video path integrity, and compliance (functional safety, cybersecurity, EMC/EMI, environmental). You will partner closely with domain/zonal controllers, gateways, suppliers, manufacturing, service, and OTA platform teams to launch robust, maintainable systems.

The position will be a member of the worldwide connectivity technical team and interfaces with multiple stakeholders of VW Group’s technical team members. This position investigates and develops new architectures for connected systems targeted to the US market.

Long Description

Role Responsibilities

Operational Management

• Ownership of Secondary ECU Integration topics in NAR markets
• Own the relationship with network operator, contract manufacturer, platform provider and lead strategic discussions and technical negotiations.
• Serve as technical authority with Tier‑1/2 suppliers for cluster/display, RF/TCU, and amplifiers: negotiate interfaces, review FMEAs, manage 8D for field issues.
• Partner with manufacturing on secure provisioning, line‑side EOL flashing and coding, and with service on workshop reflashing parity and tooling.
• Mentor engineers, run design reviews, ensure requirements traceability (Polarion/Jama/DOORS), and drive issue burndown to SOP.Identify and mitigate project technology risks and execution risks

Systems Architecture & ICD Ownership

• Define and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and signal maps across CAN/CAN‑FD, LIN, and Automotive Ethernet (100/1000BASE‑T1); curate DBC/LDF/ARXML.
• Architect integration for domain/zonal gateways including routing, VLAN segmentation, QoS, and TSN profiles (802.1AS gPTP, 802.1Qav/Qbv/Qbu, Credit‑Based Shaper) for AV streams.
• Own power mode orchestration: KL15/KL30/KL31 state machine, sleep/wake (LIN wake patterns, CAN Partial Networking), Ethernet Wake‑on‑LAN, and boot sequencing across cluster, displays, RF front‑ends, and amplifiers.

Driver Information System (Cluster) & Passenger Display Integration

• Bring up and validate video links between SoCs and display ECUs: FPD‑Link III/IV, GMSL2/3, MIPI DSI/eDP; manage link training, equalization, spread‑spectrum, EMI margin.
• Verify timing closure (pixel clocks, porch/sync), panel EDID/DDC, backlight control (PWM/LED drivers), and touch controllers (I²C) including firmware updates and palm/reject tuning.
• For AV‑over‑Ethernet paths, configure SOME/IP Audio/Video, IEEE 1722/1733, and gPTP domains; enforce latency/jitter budgets and sync between cluster chimes and UI visuals.
• Integrate safety telltales and legal IMU/ADAS overlays with deterministic timing; align with ASIL decomposition where applicable.

Antennas & Telematics (RF) Integration

• Integrate shark‑fin antenna modules and TCUs supporting LTE/5G NR, GNSS (GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/BeiDou), Wi‑Fi/BLE, AM/FM/DAB/SDARS, and V2X (C‑V2X/DSRC) where applicable.
• Engineer RF harnessing (FAKRA/HSD, 50‑Ω controlled impedance), phantom power/bias‑tee for active antennas, and ensure VSWR, noise figure, isolation, and MIMO/diversity targets.
• Validate telematics bring‑up with call boxes (e.g., R&S CMW/CMX, Keysight UXM), GNSS record/replay (Spirent), V2X testers, OTA/anechoic measurements, and eCall performance.
• Implement and verify eUICC/eSIM lifecycle, SCMS certs for V2X, time sync (GNSS → gPTP) for system coherence; align RF FW updates with vehicle SUMS/OTA policies.

Long Description

Audio Amplifier (“Booster”) Integration

• Integrate external amplifiers via A²B, MOST (legacy), I²S/TDM, or SOME/IP Audio; define clocking topologies, endpoint configuration, stream routing, and diagnostics.
• Calibrate/tune gain staging, EQ/filters, delay, and channel mapping; verify pop/click mitigation, safe mute/unmute, load diagnostics (open/short), thermal derating, and EMC emissions.
• Align AV sync (audio chimes vs. HMI events) via gPTP; enforce QoS isolation to protect audio from bus storms.

Networking, Diagnostics & Flashing

• Lead integration on CAN/CAN‑FD, LIN, Automotive Ethernet, (FlexRay where legacy).
• Own UDS (ISO 14229) and DoIP (ISO 13400): sessions (0x10/0x11), security (0x27), DIDs (0x22), routines (0x31), fault memory (0x19), and UDS flashing (0x34/0x36/0x37).
• Manage ISO‑TP (ISO 15765) segmentation, SOME/IP/SOME‑IP‑SD service discovery (re‑announce, lifecycle), SecOC (AUTOSAR), E2E protection for safety‑relevant signals.
• Author/maintain ODX/OTX artifacts and service scripts; define variant coding/parameterization and COTA/FOTA alignment with OTA platform.

Verification, HIL/SIL & Fault Campaigns

• Build restbus simulations and plant models (Vector CANoe + CAPL; Ethernet SOME/IP stubs), and HIL setups (dSPACE/NI) to cover cluster, display, RF, and audio scenarios.
• Execute fault injection and robustness tests: open/short to GND/BATT, ISO 7637‑2 transients, brown‑out, load dump, bus saturation, frame manipulations, RF desense/co‑existence (LTE↔GNSS/Wi‑Fi).
• Define and track KPIs/SLOs: bus utilization, frame latency/jitter, wake reliability, flash success/rollback rates, DTC coverage, RF KPIs (RSRP/RSRQ/SINR, TTFF), audio latency/SNR/THD+N.

Qualification requirements

Toolchain experience:

• Networks & Middleware (any experience of) :
• CAN/CAN‑FD, LIN, Automotive Ethernet (100/1000BASE‑T1), FlexRay (legacy)
• UDS (ISO 14229), DoIP (ISO 13400), ISO‑TP (ISO 15765)
• SOME/IP & SOME/IP‑SD, SecOC, E2E, NM (CAN/LIN/Ethernet)
• AV/TSN: gPTP (802.1AS), Qav/Qbv/Qbu shaping, IEEE 1722/1733
• Display / HMI (any experience of) :
• Links: FPD‑Link III/IV, GMSL2/3, MIPI DSI, eDP, LVDS
• Peripherals: I²C/SPI touch, PWM/LED backlight, EDID/DDC, HDCP (where applicable)
• Debug: pattern generators, link margin tools, oscilloscopes, high‑speed eye diagrams
• Audio (any experience of) :
• Transports: A²B, I²S/TDM, SOME/IP Audio
• Sync/Tuning: gPTP domains, EQ/XO tuning, delay alignment, pop/click mitigation
• Measurement: Audio Precision APx, CLIO, REW; SPL mics, amp load emulators
• RF & Telematics (any experience of) :
• Air Interfaces: LTE/5G NR, GNSS, Wi‑Fi/BLE, AM/FM/IBOC/SDARS, C‑V2X/DSRC
• HW/Measurement: Spectrum analyzer, VNA, OTA chambers, R&S CMW/CMX, Keysight UXM, Spirent GNSS
• Harness/Connectors: FAKRA/HSD, bias‑tee/phantom power, surge protection, ESD
• Control: MIPI RFFE (for cellular RF front‑end where applicable); eUICC/eSIM mgmt.
• Diagnostics, Flashing & Test Automation (any experience of) :
• ODX/OTX authoring, DIDs, routines, DTCs; seed‑key plugins
• Bootloaders: UDS on CAN/DoIP, A/B or recovery slot strategies; anti‑rollback
• Tools: Vector CANoe/CANalyzer/CANape, vTESTstudio; Wireshark (DoIP/SOME‑IP dissectors), SavvyCAN
• HIL/SIL: dSPACE, NI PXI/VeriStand, Speedgoat; restbus (CAPL/Python)
• Automation: Python (python‑can, pyvisa, scapy), Robot Framework; CI (Jenkins/GitLab)
• Software & Platforms (any experience of) :
• OS/Stacks: AUTOSAR Classic/Adaptive, Linux (Yocto), QNX, AAOS
• Build: Yocto/BitBake, CMake/Bazel; Languages: C/C++, Python/Bash (tools), Rust/Go
• Requirements/PLM: Polarion, Codebeamer, Jira/Confluence
• Standards & Compliance (any experience of) :
• Safety: ISO 26262 (QM–ASIL‑B typical for cluster/audio/body)
• Cybersecurity: ISO/SAE 21434, UNECE R155/R156; ISO 24089 (SUMS)
• EMC/Env/Electrical: CISPR 25, ISO 11452, ISO 16750, LV 124, ISO 7637‑2

Desired

• Experience with zonal E/E architectures, gateway firewall/QoS policies, and TSN scheduling for AV paths.
• Display SoC integration (timing closure, cable/link margining) and audio tuning workflows with Tier‑1 suppliers.
• SecOC/E2E deployments, secure bootloaders, and PKI touchpoints for secondary ECUs.
• RF system integration across 5G + GNSS + Wi‑Fi/BLE + V2X with co‑existence and desense mitigation; eUICC lifecycle.
• SBOM/supplier software governance and alignment to SUMS processes with OTA platform teams.
• Programming experience with the languages C, C++, Java, Python, and script languages

Skills Requirements

Skills Requirements:

• Excellent strategically thinking and communication skills.
• Analytical and conceptual thinking
• Experience in developing strategies for R&D
• Communication skills - interpersonal, presentation and written
• Integration - joining people, processes or systems
• Influencing and negotiation skills
• Strategic/visionary minded
• Resource management
• Interest in designing systems

Specialized Skills

Required

• Knowledge of communication HW & SW architecture and hardware development processes.
• Excellent communication; proven cross‑functional leadership across hardware, software, cloud, manufacturing, compliance, and program management.
• Deep understanding of typical vehicle EE architectures and automotive development processes.
• Deep expertise in UDS/DoIP, SOME/IP/SOME‑IP‑SD, CAN/CAN‑FD/LIN, Automotive Ethernet/TSN, and display/audio links (FPD‑Link/GMSL, A²B/MOST/I²S).
• Proven ownership of flashing/coding/parameterization at manufacturing EOL and service, including ODX/OTX and security/seed‑key flows.
• Hands‑on with HIL/SIL, restbus simulation, fault injection, and EMC/RF debug; comfortable with Audio Precision, spectrum analyzers, VNAs, and TSN analyzers.
• Working knowledge of ISO 26262, ISO/SAE 21434, UNECE R155/R156, ISO 24089, CISPR 25, ISO 16750, ISO 7637‑2.

Years of Required Experience

• 7+ years of hardware or software development experience for connectivity functions in an vehicle manufacturer or supplier
• 5+ years of working in automotive projects including communication technology, ADAS or automation

Education Requirements:

Required

• BS in Engineering

Desired

• MS and/or PhD in Engineering

Work Flexibility:

• Accommodation for working time zone differences between international locations as needed
• Travel is estimated to be 10%.
• Role requires flexibility in daily schedule, including early morning meetings with Europe, afternoons/evenings for the US West Coast or Asia
• Travel is expected regularly to local development teams and partners <20miles from work location

Salary is determined by geographical location and adjusted accordingly. In Silicon Valley, the expected base salary range is between $160,000 - $175,000. 

Skills