This role pays more than
62%
of similar roles. Most pay
$161,737–$222,000
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$205k
versus about
$192k
for comparable roles.
Based on 240 similar postings.
Employer
About General Motors (GM)
General Motors (GM) is a leading American multinational automotive corporation founded in 1908 and headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.
General Motors (GM) currently has
129 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$170,600–$261,300
across 52 roles with salary data.
Staff Hardware Engineer- NFC Digital Key joins the Short Range Wireless Technology team to architect, design, and validate wireless hardware for secure vehicle access systems. This role focuses on NFC subsystems, including readers, Secure Elements, and controllers, ensuring reliable performance in complex automotive environments. You will define technical requirements, lead schematic and PCB layout reviews, and perform hands-on lab work such as bring-up, measurement, and coexistence testing. The position requires expertise in RF design, antenna performance, and multi-radio environments involving BLE, UWB, Wi-Fi, and cellular systems. Key responsibilities include developing test plans for various vehicle use cases, ensuring compliance with CCC Digital Key standards, and mentoring junior engineers. Candidates must possess a strong understanding of electromagnetic fundamentals and experience with ISO/IEC 14443/15693 standards to solve critical challenges in secure, precise, and robust mobile-to-vehicle connectivity.
Act as the subject matter expert for NFC hardware and wireless systems within Digital Key programs.
Define technical requirements and link budgets for NFC readers to support features like passive entry and start.
Lead schematic and PCB layout reviews for NFC and Secure Element subsystems on vehicle controllers.
Perform hands-on lab work including bring-up, debugging, and performance optimization of reader front-end components.
Execute NFC-specific test plans to validate behavior under various environmental conditions and packaging constraints.
Lead coexistence analysis and mitigation strategies for NFC in the presence of other wireless technologies like UWB and Bluetooth.
Ensure hardware implementations comply with Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) Digital Key standards and requirements.
Create reusable reference test setups and technical documentation for internal use and supplier communication.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
10+ years of relevant RF or wireless hardware experience.
Experience delivering Digital Key or similar access systems using NFC in automotive or consumer products.
Hands-on experience with CCC Digital Key specifications and standards including IEEE 802.15.4z, 802.15.4ab, ISO/IEC 14443, 15693, and 18092.
Strong understanding of electromagnetic fundamentals and material properties to manage interference and coupling in dense automotive designs.
Experience with NFC reader antenna and coil design, including optimizing geometry and managing nearby metal impacts.
Demonstrated experience with short-range coexistence involving NFC, Qi, UWB, BLE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, and GNSS.
Strong communication skills and a track record of leading cross-functional technical initiatives across hardware, software, systems, and supplier teams.
Hands-on experience with UWB and BLE transceivers, including ranging, link budgets, and RF front end design (preferred).
Experience with RF/hardware design reviews, bring-up, and debug on complex multi-radio boards (preferred).
Awareness of cybersecurity and privacy considerations for UWB, BLE, and NFC systems (preferred).
Proficiency with RF test equipment and at least one scripting language like Python for automation (preferred).
Contributions to patents, standards, or technical publications in UWB, NFC, or short-range wireless hardware (preferred).