Senior VCU Hardware Design Engineer – Electric Vehicles

Location: Chennai

Experience: 10+ Years

Qualification: B.E./B.Tech in EEE / ECE / E&I / EV Technology or related discipline

Industry Preference: Automotive Tier-1 suppliers and OEMs with strong VCU exposure

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Senior VCU Hardware Design Engineer with 10+ years of experience in Electric Vehicle (EV) electronics, Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) design, and peripheral systems. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in automotive hardware architecture, mixed-signal circuit design, PCB development, board bring-up, validation, EMI/EMC, and vehicle-level integration.

Experience with two-wheeler EV platforms and exposure to safety-critical automotive electronics will be highly preferred.

Key Technical Skills

• 10+ years of hands-on experience in EV electronics and Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) design
• Strong understanding of VCU architecture and peripheral electronics
• Experience designing, analyzing, and testing automotive electronic systems involving:
• Buck/Boost Converters
• LDOs
• MOSFETs, BJTs, Transformers and Diodes
• Connectors and ORing ICs
• Microcontrollers and Processors
• Sensors and Audio Amplifiers
• Expertise in Analog, Digital and Mixed-Signal circuit design
• Experience in schematic design for complex automotive PCBs
• Strong understanding of PCB layout strategies, including up to 8-layer boards
• Experience with high-speed PCB design
• Hands-on experience in board bring-up and detailed verification/validation
• Strong understanding of end-to-end EV product testing
• Experience with Altium Designer or other EDA tools
• Knowledge of Signal Integrity (SI) and Power Integrity (PI)
• Experience with automotive EMI/EMC testing and compliance
• Understanding of Vehicle Integration, debugging, troubleshooting and mitigation strategies
• Knowledge of VCU safety design and Functional Safety (FuSa) concepts

Key Responsibilities

1. Hardware Architecture & Design

• Develop low-level and high-level electronics architecture for VCU and related vehicle subsystems
• Select appropriate components for automotive and high-speed electronic boards
• Design complex analog, digital and mixed-signal circuits
• Develop complete schematics, PCB design files and manufacturing data
• Create component symbols and footprints as required
• Work closely with PCB layout designers to implement robust and manufacturable designs

2. PCB & Circuit Design

• Design circuits involving power supplies, digital/analog inputs and outputs, communication interfaces, microcontrollers, processors, control logic, diagnostics and memory
• Work with components such as Buck/Boost converters, LDOs, MOSFETs, BJTs, transformers, diodes, sensors, connectors, ORing ICs and audio amplifiers
• Review and optimize PCB layouts for complex, high-speed and mixed-signal applications
• Perform design simulations using tools such as LTspice, HyperLynx, Ansys or equivalent

3. Communication & Vehicle Electronics

• Design and validate communication interfaces including:
• CAN
• LIN
• I²C
• UART
• SPI
• I²S
• Support vehicle-level integration, debugging and troubleshooting
• Work closely with Software, Mechanical, Battery Management System (BMS) and Charger teams to resolve system-level issues

4. Validation & Testing

• Lead board bring-up and develop detailed validation and verification plans
• Perform end-to-end product and subsystem testing
• Conduct EMI/EMC testing and support compliance activities
• Work with electrical test equipment such as:
• Oscilloscopes
• Electronic Loads
• Signal Generators
• DMMs
• Data Loggers
• Logic Analyzers
• Support prototype development, production validation and manufacturing activities

5. Automotive & EV Systems

• Ensure designs comply with automotive standards related to EMI/EMC, endurance, reliability and DVP
• Participate in Functional Safety (FuSa) discussions and safety-oriented hardware design
• Support vehicle-level debugging, troubleshooting and mitigation strategies
• Collaborate with Charger, BMS and other vehicle electronics teams to understand complete system integration
• Contribute to the complete electronics product lifecycle from concept and architecture through development, validation and production

Preferred / Good-to-Have Skills

• Experience working with two-wheeler EVs
• Exposure to RF sections and antenna design
• Knowledge of wireless automotive/IoT technologies such as:
• LTE
• GNSS
• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi
• Experience with SerDes
• Exposure to Audio and Display Unit design
• Experience with wireless systems used in EV applications
• Knowledge of automotive functional safety and safety-critical hardware development

What We’re Looking For

• Strong hands-on experience in VCU hardware development
• Excellent understanding of automotive electronics and EV architecture
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills
• Ability to work independently with lab and test equipment
• Strong collaboration skills with Software, Mechanical, BMS, Charger and Manufacturing teams
• Good documentation, design calculation and technical reporting skills
• Ability to take ownership of electronics development from concept to production

Ideal Candidate: A senior automotive hardware engineer from an OEM or Tier-1 automotive organization with proven experience in VCU design, EV electronics, complex PCB development, validation and vehicle integration.