Hardware Design Engineer

Hitachi - Harrodsburg, KY

Full-time

Onsite - Harrodsburg, KY

Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing

About the position

Hitachi Astemo Americas, Inc. is seeking a talented and self-motivated automotive Electrical Engineering Hardware (EE HW) Engineer to join our Design Engineering group. This position is crucial for the development of advanced automotive Electronic Control Units (ECUs) that will shape the future of automotive technology. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in designing, developing, and validating ECUs, and will thrive in a culture that encourages creativity and problem-solving. As part of a dynamic development team, you will be responsible for analyzing system requirements and customer needs, interfacing with a multi-disciplinary team of engineers, customers, and vendors to discuss existing and potential new projects. In this role, you will modify existing hardware designs or create new hardware to meet operational and performance requirements. You will prepare block diagrams and detailed circuit schematics, manage PCB layout for hardware concepts and final designs, and perform necessary analysis, simulation, and verification of both analog and digital hardware and firmware. Additionally, you will develop and manage test specifications, utilize reliability and quality tools to assess hardware designs, and support manufacturing teams in releasing hardware designs into production. Your responsibilities will also include representing the company at customer meetings, evaluating products, and recommending design modifications based on various factors such as requirements and cost. The position requires a thorough understanding of automotive control systems, EMC specifications, and engineering analysis methods. You will be expected to set up and use laboratory test equipment, communicate effectively in English, and have proficiency in various communication protocols. The role also involves programming and data acquisition experience, particularly with the National Instruments Labview ecosystem. A BS or MS in Electrical Engineering with a focus on power electronics and circuits is required, along with 3-5 years of hands-on experience in an automotive ECU design and development environment.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and comprehend system requirements and customer needs.
• Interface with a multi-disciplinary team of engineers, customers, and vendors to discuss existing and potential new projects.
• Modify existing hardware designs or create new hardware to realize the desired operational and performance requirements.
• Prepare block diagrams and detailed circuit schematics and manage the PCB layout of hardware concepts and final designs.
• Use technical and engineering understanding to perform the necessary analysis, simulation, and verification of analog and digital hardware and firmware.
• Develop, oversee and manage test specifications and their execution.
• Use reliability and quality tools to assess hardware designs.
• Work with and thoroughly support manufacturing teams to release hardware designs into production.
• Represent the employer at customer meetings to explain or defend technical findings and recommendations.
• Evaluate and investigate products and recommend repair or design modifications based on requirements, cost, company resources, and capabilities.
• Design and coordinate the fabrication and configuration of laboratory test equipment for hardware testing.
• Assist root cause analysis and corrective action for hardware and software components and products.
• Attend training to learn new tools and methodologies and to stay up to date on market and technical trends.
• Create and strive towards a positive work environment by demonstrating and sharing functional and technical knowledge.
• Work closely with other departments including production locations and software development teams.

Requirements

• BS Electrical Engineering or MS Electrical Engineering with a course focus on power electronics and circuits and systems.
• 3-5 years of hands-on experience in automotive ECU design and development environment.
• Thorough understanding of analog and digital hardware as applied to automotive control systems.
• Understanding of EMC specifications and EMC mitigation techniques.
• Understanding engineering analysis methods and interpreting the results to convey this information to others.
• Proficient in setting up and using laboratory test equipment such as multi-meters, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers.
• Fluent in written and verbal communication in English.
• Ability to read and make electrical schematics and engineering drawings.
• Perform schematic capture and PCB layout using Altium Designer or equivalent.
• Perform circuit analysis and simulation using LTSpice or similar SPICE based tools.
• Programming and data acquisition experience using National Instruments Labview ecosystem.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Nice-to-haves

• Previous use of MathCAD for Worst Case Analysis is desirable.
• Use of Vector CAN toolchain is highly desirable.