Technical Root Cause Analysis Engineer - Infotainment & Connectivity Systems

Job Title: Technical Root Cause Analysis Engineer
Location: Auburn Hills, MI
Job Duration: 6 Months Contract with possibility of extension

Position Summary:
The Technical Root Cause Analysis Engineer is responsible for end-to-end technical investigation, reproduction, and resolution of high-impact infotainment and connectivity issues affecting customers in the field.

This role operates at the center of Warranty Issue execution and reduction activities, serving as the technical driver for reactive problem solving. The engineer leads issue reproduction on vehicle and bench, performs returned parts analysis, drives log and data collection, and identifies validated root causes to enable robust corrective actions.

Core Responsibilities
1) Customer-Symptom Driven Investigation
Deep dive customer verbatims to translate symptoms into reproducible technical failure modes
Support High and Medium Priority Category Issue investigations with structured technical analysis
Group issues by customer symptom to identify systemic root causes
Correlate warranty claims with internal fleet data to prioritize high-impact investigations
Provide technical clarity in escalation and war room forums

2) Issue Reproduction Vehicle & Bench
Reproduce customer issues on:
Production vehicles, Captive/internal fleet vehicles, Bench/HIL/VHIL environments
Validate:
Software level and build
Vehicle configuration and variant coding
Instrument vehicles and capture required diagnostic data

3) Log & Data Collection / Correlation
Capture and analyze:
CAN/LIN/Ethernet traces
Radio and infotainment application logs
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular connectivity traces
System crash logs and boot events
Ensure traceability to SW versions, Release timing, Vehicle architecture
Correlate:
Warranty claims
IDS / internal fleet complaints
Returned parts behavior
Identify patterns across programs to enable read-across closures

4) Returned Parts Analysis
Lead technical analysis of returned infotainment and connectivity ECUs
Extract logs and validate software/configuration levels
Perform hardware inspection and electrical validation
Compare failed parts to known-good units
Coordinate deeper supplier failure analysis when required
Determine if issue is:
Hardware defect or Software defect
Integration/configuration issue
Environmental/usage condition

5) Structured Root Cause Identification
Apply structured methodologies (8D, 5-Why, Fault Tree, etc.)
Develop hypothesis-driven investigation plans
Validate root cause with reproducible evidence
Define corrective action validation requirements
Ensure closure criteria are met before issue conclusion

6) Reactive Problem Solving & Escalation Support
Operate effectively in war room environments
Prioritize based on customer impact and warranty exposure
Provide structured technical summaries for leadership escalation
Identify risks of recurrence prior to SOP and post-SOP

Critical Skills Required
Advanced System-Level Expertise:
Deep understanding of infotainment and connectivity architecture
Strong knowledge of CAN, LIN, Automotive Ethernet, UDS diagnostics
Understanding of OTA update systems and software flashing processes
Ability to distinguish hardware vs. software vs. integration root causes

Data-Driven Investigation Capability:
Expert log interpretation across multiple domains
Strong ability to correlate large data sets to customer impact
Comfortable working with incomplete or ambiguous field data
Strong analytical mindset under time pressure

Hands-On Technical Competence:
Vehicle instrumentation development and debugging experience
Bench/HIL/VHIL setup and troubleshooting
Returned ECU log extraction and validation
Electrical fundamentals and diagnostic tools

Structured Problem-Solving Discipline:
Demonstrated use of 8D, 5-Why, Fault Tree
Hypothesis-driven debugging approach
Evidence-based validation of root cause
Strong documentation and traceability discipline

Technical Leadership & Influence:
Drives cross-functional alignment without direct authority
Challenges assumptions with data
Escalates risks clearly and early
Communicates complex technical issues concisely to leadership

Experience:
Years of Exp: 5~8 years