Senior Digital Key Engineer

Job Title: Senior Digital Key Engineer Location: Palo Alto, California Work Arrangement: 100% Onsite Position Overview Seeking a Senior Digital Key Engineer with expertise in CCC Digital Key standards, wireless communication technologies, and secure automotive vehicle access systems.

The engineer will lead implementation, integration, troubleshooting, and validation of smartphone-based vehicle access functions.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Implementation: Oversee the integration of CCC Digital Key specifications within the vehicle architecture, ensuring strict compliance with security and privacy requirements.
• Defect Triage & Root Cause Analysis: Act as the primary technical point for identifying, isolating, and tracking system defects across hardware, embedded software, and mobile application layers.
• Protocol & Timing Analysis: Analyze time-critical messaging sequences (ranging from BLE discovery to UWB distance bounding) using logic analyzers, protocol sniffers, and oscilloscope captures.
• Interoperability Validation: Test and debug communication performance variations across diverse mobile hardware platforms, operating systems (iOS/Android), and environmental conditions.
• Performance Tuning: Optimize physical-layer connection workflows to meet strict latency thresholds for vehicle wake-up, welcome lighting, and hands-free passive entry.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Tier-1 suppliers, internal software teams, and cybersecurity experts to address vulnerabilities and architectural bottlenecks.

Technical Requirements & Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor s or Master s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Embedded Systems, or a related technical discipline.
• Connectivity Standards: Deep technical knowledge of the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) Digital Key Architecture, including global standards for NFC, BLE, and UWB wireless technologies.
• Analysis Tools: Proven proficiency with network and hardware analysis tools such as Vector CANoe/CANalyzer, Wireshark, BLE sniffers, and UWB/NFC protocol analyzers.
• Timing & Debugging: Demonstrated experience troubleshooting RF communication timing constraints, signal propagation bottlenecks, and cryptographic handshake latencies.
• Automotive Networks: Solid understanding of vehicle networking protocols including CAN, CAN-FD, LIN, and Automotive Ethernet.
• Security Fundamentals: Familiarity with Secure Elements (SE), GlobalPlatform standards, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and asymmetric cryptography.

Preferred Skills

• Experience developing or testing mobile wallet integrations (Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet).
• Hands-on background with automated hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing rigs and script development (Python, CAPL).
• Active participation in CCC plugfests, working groups, or compliance certification programs.