Objective of job 

We are looking for an experienced Zone Controller (ZCU) System Architect to own the system-level design, technical definition, and mass-production delivery of our next-generation zone controller platform. You will be responsible for the full system architecture of distributed zone units under the Central Computing + Zone EEA framework. 

Key Responsibilities

 • Own the full system architecture definition of vehicle zone controllers, including functional partitioning, I/O resource allocation, hardware capability planning, and system specification formulation; 

• Define unified ZCU platform specifications to support scalable and flexible deployment across different vehicle grades and configurations; 

• Responsible for zone domain boundary division, local closed-loop function definition, and service interaction logic between ZCU and central computing unit (CCU); 

• Design ZCU Ethernet/TSN networking strategy, VLAN partition, SOME/IP & DDS communication rules, and network load scheduling; 

• Define signal/service interaction mechanism between zone controllers, central domain, and traditional ECU systems; 

• Optimize communication latency, network jitter, and bandwidth utilization to ensure real-time and reliable system operation; 

• Design zone-level power distribution logic, partial power-off strategy, and full vehicle wake-up/sleep management;

• Responsible for ZCU fault detection, fault degradation strategy, and local fault self-recovery mechanism; 

• Define ZCU layered OTA upgrade strategy, including firmware upgrade, service update, silent upgrade and rollback mechanism; 

• Design zone-side data collection, pre-processing, and data reporting policies to support vehicle big data and closed-loop iteration; 

• Close technical alignment with ADAS, cockpit, chassis, and platform teams to unify interface and system specifications; 

• Independently analyze and solve system-level problems such as network abnormality, logic conflict, power sequence failure, and service call exception; 

• Continuously optimize ZCU platform generality, scalability and cost performance.

Qualification

Education

 • Bachelor’s or master’s degree in electrical engineering, Computer Engineering, Telecommunications, or related field. 

Experience

 • 5+ years of system architecture experience in central + zone EEA architecture; candidates with complete ZCU mass production project experience are preferred; • Familiar with new energy vehicle electronic architecture and L2-L4 intelligent driving system features; • Proven experience in designing zone controller 

Technical Skills

 • In-depth understanding of zone controller system working principles, hardware architecture, embedded software logic, and SOA service mechanism; • Proficient in automotive Ethernet, TSN, DDS/SOME/IP, network management, and vehicle communication scheduling; 

• Familiar with AutoSAR (CP/AP), vehicle power management, sleep/wake-up mechanism, and OTA upgrade architecture; 

• Able to independently complete system requirement analysis, architecture design, technical document output, and supplier technical management; 

• Possess clear domain decoupling, layered design, and platform-based reusable thinking; 

• Able to balance technical advancement, system stability, cost and mass production feasibility; 

• Strong hands-on capability, able to locate and resolve complex vehicle system and network problems. 

Soft Skills 

• Excellent cross-team communication, technical negotiation and project delivery capability; • Rigorous logic, strong execution, result-oriented, capable of pushing technical closure efficiently. • Problem-solving mindset with attention to detail

• Fluent in English (German is a plus) 

Nice to Have 

• Experience with zonal architecture and centralized compute platforms 

• Hands-on experience with MB.OS-like platforms or similar SDV architecture 

• Knowledge of cloud connectivity and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication 

• Experience in Agile/SAFe development environments