Staff Engineer, HIL Design, Hardware Integration & Test Automation

Staff Engineer, HIL Design, Hardware Integration & Test Automation

Mountain View, CA

We are Cariad, an automotive software development team with the Volkswagen Group. Our mission is to make the automotive experience safer, more sustainable, more comfortable, more digital, and more fun. To achieve that we are building the leading tech stack for the automotive industry and creating a unified software platform for over 10 million new vehicles per year. We’re looking for talented, digital minds like you to help us create code that moves the world.

Together with you, we’ll build outstanding digital experiences and products for all Volkswagen Group brands that will transform mobility. Join us as we shape the future of the car and everyone around it.

Role

Summary:

The Staff Engineer, HIL Design, Hardware Integration & Test Automation is responsible for the hardware-oriented architecture, technical standards, and bring-up strategy for HIL benches, integration benches, harnesses, Interface Control Documents (ICDs), and lab automation used to validate CARIAD hardware platforms. This is a hands-on staff-level individual contributor role requiring deep experience in HIL design, embedded hardware, wire harnesses, system integration, and cross-functional technical leadership.

The role defines scalable HIL architectures, reviews and approves harness and interface documentation, leads the most complex hardware bring-up and debug activities, and establishes repeatable test execution from requirements and ICDs through lab evidence.

The Staff Engineer also owns the technical roadmap for the hardware side of an AI-enabled integration lab, including AI-agent-based workflows, MCP servers, equipment interfaces, automated evidence capture, governance, rollout metrics, and test orchestration for hardware validation.

Role Responsibilities:

HIL Architecture, Hardware Integration & Bring-Up Strategy

• Own staff-level HIL architecture for embedded automotive hardware platforms, including I/O strategy, signal conditioning, fault insertion, load/sensor simulation, safety interlocks, instrumentation, reuse patterns, and bench readiness criteria.
• Define scalable bench architectures, configuration baselines, readiness checklists, and technical standards for HIL benches, integration benches, breakout/load boxes, fixtures, harnesses, and lab stations used for HW/SW integration and validation.
• Lead the most complex board, ECU, and system bring-up across prototypes and revisions, including power, reset, clock, boot, flashing, communications, peripheral interfaces, diagnostics, and cross-domain issue isolation.
• Provide technical direction for bring-up plans and debug strategies, ensuring ownership, evidence, decision records, and closure criteria are clear across engineering teams and suppliers.
• Debug complex hardware/software interface issues using schematics, ICDs, harness drawings, logs, instruments, and controlled reproduction steps, while mentoring engineers on structured methods.

Wire Harness, ICD & Test Infrastructure Technical Ownership

• Own and approve harness drawings, pinouts, connector definitions, cable assemblies, and lab wiring documentation required for integration and HIL execution.
• Serve as technical authority for Interface Control Documents (ICDs) for bench and system interfaces, including electrical definitions, signals, protocols, timing, diagnostics, power states, and test coverage mapping.
• Translate requirements, ICDs, schematics, and supplier documentation into HIL coverage strategy, test procedures, hardware fixture needs, automation requirements, and validation evidence expectations.
• Establish configuration control and release discipline for benches, harnesses, firmware/images, flashing steps, lab equipment,…