Technical Root Cause Analysis Engineer - Infotainment & Connectivity Systems
2 - 5 years
Auburn Hills, MI
Full-time
Onsite
1 month ago
About the role
Job Summary
The Technical Root Cause Analysis Engineer is responsible for end-to-end technical investigation, reproduction, and resolution of high-impact infotainment and connectivity issues affecting customers in the field.
This role operates at the center of Warranty Issue execution and reduction activities, serving as the technical driver for reactive problem solving. The engineer leads issue reproduction on vehicle and bench, performs returned parts analysis, drives log and data collection, and identifies validated root causes to enable robust corrective actions.
Key Responsibilities
1- Customer-Symptom–Driven Investigation
2- Issue Reproduction – Vehicle & Bench
3- Log & Data Collection / Correlation
4- Returned Parts Analysis
5- Structured Root Cause Identification
6- Reactive Problem Solving & Escalation Support
Critical Skills Required
Advanced System-Level Expertise
Data-Driven Investigation Capability
Hands-On Technical Competence
Structured Problem-Solving Discipline
Technical Leadership & Influence
Qualifications
Candidates applying for positions must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. This is a long-term contract position with our OEM customer. There is no H1B sponsorship for this position.
The Technical Root Cause Analysis Engineer is responsible for end-to-end technical investigation, reproduction, and resolution of high-impact infotainment and connectivity issues affecting customers in the field.
This role operates at the center of Warranty Issue execution and reduction activities, serving as the technical driver for reactive problem solving. The engineer leads issue reproduction on vehicle and bench, performs returned parts analysis, drives log and data collection, and identifies validated root causes to enable robust corrective actions.
Key Responsibilities
1- Customer-Symptom–Driven Investigation
- Deep dive customer verbatims to translate symptoms into reproducible technical failure modes
- Support High and Medium Priority Category Issue investigations with structured technical analysis
- Group issues by customer symptom to identify systemic root causes
- Correlate warranty claims with internal fleet data to prioritize high-impact investigations
- Provide technical clarity in escalation and war room forums
2- Issue Reproduction – Vehicle & Bench
- Reproduce customer issues on: Production vehicles, Captive/internal fleet vehicles, Bench/HIL/VHIL environments
- Validate:
- Software level and build
- Vehicle configuration and variant coding
- Instrument vehicles and capture required diagnostic data
3- Log & Data Collection / Correlation
- Capture and analyze:
- Correlate:
- CAN/LIN/Ethernet traces
- Radio and infotainment application logs
- Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular connectivity traces
- System crash logs and boot events
- Ensure traceability to SW versions, Release timing, Vehicle architecture
- Warranty claims
- IDS / internal fleet complaints
- Returned parts behavior
- Identify patterns across programs to enable read-across closures
4- Returned Parts Analysis
- Lead technical analysis of returned infotainment and connectivity ECUs
- Extract logs and validate software/configuration levels
- Perform hardware inspection and electrical validation
- Compare failed parts to known-good units
- Coordinate deeper supplier failure analysis when required
- Determine if issue is:
- Hardware defect or Software defect
- Integration/configuration issue
- Environmental/usage condition
5- Structured Root Cause Identification
- Apply structured methodologies (8D, 5-Why, Fault Tree, etc.)
- Develop hypothesis-driven investigation plans
- Validate root cause with reproducible evidence
- Define corrective action validation requirements
- Ensure closure criteria are met before issue conclusion
6- Reactive Problem Solving & Escalation Support
- Operate effectively in war room environments
- Prioritize based on customer impact and warranty exposure
- Provide structured technical summaries for leadership escalation
- Identify risks of recurrence prior to SOP and post-SOP
Critical Skills Required
Advanced System-Level Expertise
- Deep understanding of infotainment and connectivity architecture
- Strong knowledge of CAN, LIN, Automotive Ethernet, UDS diagnostics
- Understanding of OTA update systems and software flashing processes
- Ability to distinguish hardware vs. software vs. integration root causes
Data-Driven Investigation Capability
- Expert log interpretation across multiple domains
- Strong ability to correlate large data sets to customer impact
- Comfortable working with incomplete or ambiguous field data
- Strong analytical mindset under time pressure
Hands-On Technical Competence
- Vehicle instrumentation development and debugging experience
- Bench/HIL/VHIL setup and troubleshooting
- Returned ECU log extraction and validation
- Electrical fundamentals and diagnostic tools
Structured Problem-Solving Discipline
- Demonstrated use of 8D, 5-Why, Fault Tree
- Hypothesis-driven debugging approach
- Evidence-based validation of root cause
- Strong documentation and traceability discipline
Technical Leadership & Influence
- Drives cross-functional alignment without direct authority
- Challenges assumptions with data
- Escalates risks clearly and early
- Communicates complex technical issues concisely to leadership
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
- Minimum 3+ years of experience in automotive development, debugging, infotainment systems.
Candidates applying for positions must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. This is a long-term contract position with our OEM customer. There is no H1B sponsorship for this position.
Skills
Embedded Software Products