Mainframe Software Engineering Manager

General Motors; United States; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

General Motors is seeking a seasoned Mainframe Software Engineering Manager to lead a team delivering and modernizing GM’s core mainframe applications that power our global operations.

You will mentor engineers, set roadmaps, and drive engineering excellence across Design to Launch, Source to Deliver, Make to Ship, and other value streams, balancing delivery with modernization in a hybrid environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years delivering and supporting mainframe solutions in a large enterprise environment.
• Strong technical background with mainframe technologies such as PL/I and/or COBOL, JCL, IMS (TM/DB), Db2, and scheduling solutions such as IWS and CA7.
• Demonstrated people leadership experience as a software engineering manager (2+ years) and/or technical lead (7+ years), including coaching, performance management, and team building.
• Proven track record leading cross-functional delivery efforts with multiple stakeholders (business, architecture, operations, vendors).
• Hands-on experience with modern software engineering practices: Agile delivery (Scrum or Kanban), incremental releases, code review, and automated testing.
• Practical experience with Git-based source control (preferably GitHub) and CI/CD tooling (e.g., GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or similar).
• Ability to operate in a hybrid environment where mainframe, distributed, and cloud applications must work together.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field, or equivalent work experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of mainframe software engineers, creating a culture of inclusion, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Own end-to-end delivery for a portfolio of mainframe applications across the Design to Launch, Source to Deliver, Make to Ship, Vehicle Order to Deliver, Use to Service, and Record to Report value streams.
• Translate business priorities into a clear engineering roadmap and a well-maintained backlog, balancing new features, technical debt, and modernization work.
• Provide technical direction on mainframe design patterns, data models, performance tuning, and integration with surrounding systems.
• Drive consistent adoption of modern engineering practices on the mainframe, including: Git-based workflows (GitHub), branching and code review standards CI/CD automation for build, test, and deploy.
• Champion the thoughtful use of AI in the engineering lifecycle (e.g., code assist, test generation, defect analysis) to automate workflows and improve quality and speed.
• Partner with platform, SRE, and security teams to ensure availability, observability, compliance, and operational excellence for production systems.
• Use metrics (lead time, deployment frequency, change-failure rate, escaped defects, availability) to guide decisions and continuously improve how the team works.
• Represent the team in forums with product, business, and leadership stakeholders, clearly communicating status, risks, and trade-offs.

Skills

Mainframe

PL/I

COBOL

JCL

IMS/TM-DB

Db2

GitHub Actions

CI/CD

Agile/Scrum

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field

Tools

GitHub

Azure DevOps

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Work Arrangement

This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to Warren, MI or Austin, TX three times per week at minimum or other frequency dictated by the business.

The Role

The Mainframe Factory supports a broad portfolio of GM business functions such as Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Dealer and Channel Operations, and Global Finance. It directly provides and develops innovative solutions for business value streams including Design to Launch, Source to Deliver, Make to Ship, Vehicle Order to Deliver, Use to Service, Record to Report, and Brazil business operations. The Mainframe Software Engineering Manager will lead a team of engineers responsible for the design, build, and ongoing evolution of GM’s core mainframe applications that power GM’s global business operations. It will help establish consistent engineering practices across these value streams while enabling each product team to deliver secure, reliable, and modernized mainframe solutions aligned to its business needs. Additionally, this role combines day-to-day people leadership with hands-on technical guidance: you will be accountable for driving engineering excellence, delivering high quality solutions, and for moving our mainframe ecosystem toward a modern, automated, and AI-enabled software factory. You will work closely with business partners, architects, and platform teams to ensure that our mainframe applications are stable today and ready for the future, supporting GM’s vision of Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, and Zero Congestion.

What You’ll Do

Lead, mentor, and grow a team of mainframe software engineers, creating a culture of inclusion, accountability, and continuous improvement. Own end-to-end delivery for a portfolio of mainframe applications across the Design to Launch, Source to Deliver, Make to Ship, Vehicle Order to Deliver, Use to Service, and Record to Report value streams. Translate business priorities into a clear engineering roadmap and a well-maintained backlog, balancing new features, technical debt, and modernization work. Provide technical direction on mainframe design patterns, data models, performance tuning, and integration with surrounding systems. Drive consistent adoption of modern engineering practices on the mainframe, including: Git-based workflows (GitHub), branching and code review standards CI/CD automation (e.g., GitHub Actions) for build, test, and deploy Test automation and repeatable validation of changes Champion the thoughtful use of AI in the engineering lifecycle (e.g., code assist, test generation, defect analysis) to automate workflows and improve quality and speed. Partner with platform, SRE, and security teams to ensure availability, observability, compliance, and operational excellence for production systems. Use metrics (lead time, deployment frequency, change-failure rate, escaped defects, availability) to guide decisions and continuously improve how the team works. Represent the team in forums with product, business, and leadership stakeholders, clearly communicating status, risks, and trade-offs.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• 10+ years of experience delivering and supporting mainframe solutions in a large enterprise environment.
• Strong technical background with mainframe technologies such as PL/I and/or COBOL, JCL, IMS (TM/DB), Db2 (or similar), and Scheduling solutions such as IWS and CA7.
• Demonstrated people leadership experience as a software engineering manager (2+ years) and/or technical lead (7+ years), including coaching, performance management, and team building.
• Proven track record leading cross-functional delivery efforts with multiple stakeholders (business, architecture, operations, vendors).
• Hands-on experience with modern software engineering practices: Agile delivery (Scrum or Kanban), incremental releases, code review, and automated testing.
• Practical experience with Git-based source control (preferably GitHub) and CI/CD tooling (e.g., GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or similar).
• Ability to operate in a hybrid environment where mainframe, distributed, and cloud applications must work together.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field, or equivalent work experience.

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• Ability to develop, inspire, and motivate team.
• Fosters collaboration and teamwork.
• Direct experience leading mainframe modernization programs (API enablement, refactoring, re-platforming, or decomposing legacy systems) in hybrid environment.
• Experience with test automation frameworks and practices in mainframe and/or distributed environments.
• Experience applying AI/ML or GenAI tools within software engineering workflows in a secure, compliant way.
• Background in automotive industry including supply chain, manufacturing, logistics, finance, or aftersales systems.
• Experience working in a globally distributed engineering organization and leading teams across time zones.

Company Vehicle

Upon successful completion of a motor vehicle report review, you will be eligible to participate in a company vehicle evaluation program, through which you will be assigned a General Motors vehicle to drive and evaluate.

Note: program participants are required to purchase/lease a qualifying GM vehicle every four years unless one of a limited number of exceptions applies.

This Job may be eligible for relocation benefits.

Immigration

GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This includes direct company sponsorship, entry of GM as the immigration employer of record on a government form, and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g., H1-B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc).

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us

We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Benefits Overview

From day one, we’re looking out for your well-being–at work and at home–so you can focus on realizing your ambitions. Learn how GM supports a rewarding career that rewards you personally by visiting Total Rewards resources.

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers. All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws.

Accommodations

General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us or call us at 1-800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

Explore our global locations

We are determined to lead change for the world through technology, ingenuity and harnessing the creativity of our diverse team. Join us to help lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all by becoming a member of GM’s Talent Community (beamery.com). As a part of our Talent Community, you will receive updates about GM, open roles, career insights and more.