Senior Thermal Hardware Engineer – ECU at General Motors in Warren, MI

Job Description

The Role:

General Motors is at the forefront of the transformation of automotive with the electrification of our portfolio and the development of leading-edge central compute and autonomous capabilities. Our ECU Mechanical & Thermal Design team is a dynamic, high-energy, and innovative group focused on developing mechanical and thermal design of next generation ECUs (Electronic Control Units). The team is responsible for developing Mechanical and Thermal design of new next gen ECU designs, with math, CAD and analysis. The team also reviews and approves production ECU design changes.

We are seeking a high-performing Thermal Design Engineer interested in leading the in-house development of electronics design. You will be responsible for the thermal design, development and review of Electrical Controllers and cooling solutions, for our next generation SDV (Software Defined Vehicle) architecture. You will be dependent upon building strong partnerships with internal and external customers.

What You’ll do:

• Translate CTRS / vehicle requirements into thermal requirements and design constraints (ambient temp, under‑hood vs in‑cabin environment, duty cycles, altitude etc.)

• Define thermal budgets (Tj/Tc limits, margins) for SoCs, power devices, memories, and other critical components.

• Perform steady‑state and transient simulations to optimally size heatsinks, cold plates, fins, airflow paths, and liquid loop elements.

• Evaluate options such as passive cooling, forced air, liquid cooling, heat pipes, and vapor chambers and recommend the best architecture.

• Work with cross-functional teams to implement your thermal design strategy.

• Develop thermal test plans and run thermal characterization tests.

• Provide thermal inputs to DFMEA, DRBFM, and design reviews; clearly quantify risks, margins, and mitigations

• Present thermal status, trade studies, and recommendations at PDTs, design reviews, and leadership updates

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• BS in Mechanical Engineering (or related discipline) with strong focus on heat transfer and thermodynamics.
• 5+ years of experience in thermal design and analysis of electronics (ECUs, servers, power electronics, or similar).
• Hands‑on experience with thermal simulation tools (e.g., Ansys Icepak, FloEFD, Flotherm, or equivalent) and data analysis (e.g., MATLAB, Python, or similar).
• Strong understanding of:
  • Conduction, convection (forced and natural), radiation
  • Thermal interface materials (TIMs, gap pads, PCMs)
  • Heatsink and cold‑plate design, flow/pressure trade‑offs
• Practical experience defining or executing thermal test plans in environmental chambers and correlating models to lab results.
• Ability to interpret electrical power maps/BOMs, derive thermal loads, and work closely with EE/PCB teams.
• Strong communication skills; able to present complex thermal trade studies clearly to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to work across cross‑functional and global teams and manage multiple programs in parallel.

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred)

• MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering (Thermal/Fluids) or related field.
• Automotive experience with automotive environmental/thermal standards.
• Experience with high‑power SoCs, GPUs, power modules, or in‑vehicle central compute ECUs.
• Familiarity with mechanical design of housings and ECU packaging (castings, injection molded parts, sealing, IP ratings).
• Experience integrating thermal design into DFMEA/DRBFM/DFx processes.
• Prior work with ECU Designs

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