Embedded Wi-Fi Connectivity Engineer

Job Title: Staff Wi-Fi Connectivity Engineer (Developer)

Preferred Location: Palo Alto, CA

Employment Type: Full-Time

Job Summary

Ford Motor Company is seeking a highly skilled, innovative, and proactive Staff WiFi Engineer to join our dynamic team, focusing on cutting-edge automotive connectivity and virtualization technologies. In this critical role, you will be instrumental in bringing up and optimizing WiFi functionality on advanced embedded WiFi hardware within our next-generation in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems for Software Defined Vehicles. Your deep expertise will be vital in porting and integrating complex WiFi drivers, enabling robust and seamless wireless connectivity within a virtualized Android environment.

If you are a seasoned WiFi expert with a profound understanding of embedded systems, hypervisor-based driver development, and a passion for tackling intricate challenges to deliver high-performance, reliable connectivity in an automotive context, we invite you to take the initiative and revolutionize the in-car communication experience with us.

Job Responsibilities

• Drive the end-to-end bringup, integration, and validation of WiFi functionality on advanced embedded WiFi hardware, ensuring optimal performance and stability from the ground up.
• Architect, develop, and port complex WiFi drivers to operate efficiently and robustly, specifically tailored for a virtualized Android environment.
• Strategically optimize WiFi performance, throughput, latency, power efficiency, and reliability across the entire stack – from hardware interaction through the hypervisor to the application layer.
• Conduct in-depth, multi-layered system debugging and root cause analysis for complex issues spanning physical WiFi hardware, drivers (frontend and backend), the hypervisor, Linux kernel, and Android operating system.
• Ensure robust and seamless WiFi access and full functionality for Android applications within the virtualized environment, addressing virtualization-specific challenges and ensuring compliance with Android's networking stack and WiFi HAL.
• Contribute to the architectural design and evolution of the automotive WiFi software stack, identifying and implementing solutions for future connectivity needs.
• Engage with chipset suppliers to identify and integrate optimal solutions for specific platforms.
• Collaborate with hardware, software, networking, security, and test teams to ensure successful integration and validation of WiFi features.

Required Qualifications

• 5 years of progressive experience in WiFi driver development, embedded networking, or related wireless communication systems.
• Proficiency in C/C programming for embedded systems and kernel-level driver development.
• Strong understanding of WiFi standards (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax).
• Hands-on experience with embedded WiFi hardware bringup and low-level driver development, preferably in virtualized environments.
• Experience with the Linux kernel, device drivers, and network stack development.
• Experience with the Android WiFi networking stack, including HALs, services, and components like wpa_supplicant and hostapd.
• Understanding of hypervisor concepts.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a proactive approach.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience in automotive systems (IVI or telematics).
• Experience with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity.
• Knowledge of other wireless technologies (Bluetooth, Cellular, GPS) and coexistence challenges.
• Experience with RTOS concepts.
• Proficiency in scripting languages (Python, Shell).
• Familiarity with automotive communication protocols such as CAN, Ethernet, SOME/IP, or gPTP.
• Understanding of wireless security best practices.
• Experience in performance optimization for embedded and virtualized systems.