oftware Engineer, AV Launch – Early Career

generalmotors; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 119,000 - 154,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation benefits

Job summary

General Motors is seeking an early career Software Engineer for the AV Launch team to design, implement, test, and operate services that manage autonomous driving software on GM vehicles. You will work across the software lifecycle from requirements to production-ready services, integrating with vehicle hardware and validating behavior on benches and in vehicles.

This role targets recent graduates or engineers early in their career who want to deepen expertise in embedded systems, distributed

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD in a STEM field, recent graduate (within 9 months)
• Strong C++ and Python development background
• Experience in Linux environments
• Solid understanding of data structures, algorithms, OS, concurrency, and computer architecture
• Ability to debug complex software and communicate clearly in a team
• Interest in autonomous vehicles, robotics, embedded systems, or high-performance software

Responsibilities

• Build on-vehicle services that provision, launch, and monitor autonomous vehicle software in development and production workflows
• Develop frameworks to configure autonomy software for varied hardware platforms, simulations and use cases
• Develop systems to monitor vehicle status and reliability
• Collaborate with experienced engineers to ramp up on AV software, embedded systems and production practices
• Grow through increasingly complex assignments across design, implementation, integration and testing

Skills

C++

Python

Linux

Data structures

Concurrency

Team collaboration

Education

STEM degree (Bachelor/Master/PhD)

Tools

Robotics middleware

Job description

Job Description

About the Team

The AV Launch team builds the software foundation that brings GM’s autonomous driving capabilities to life on the vehicle. We configure, deploy, launch, and monitor the applications that make up the autonomy stack, developing onboard services that orchestrate vehicle activities from startup through shutdown.

We are part of GM’s Autonomous Vehicle Platform Core team, delivering the core software frameworks that enable other teams and major vehicle systems. We own critical platform capabilities that include software deployment, application configuration and lifecycle management, vehicle power and software modes, and observability systems.

Our systems span embedded vehicle platforms, manufacturing lines, developer infrastructure, cloud services, and simulation. We support internal data collection fleets and production vehicles, and partner closely with platform teams and autonomy developers to solve complex problems.

About the Role

As an early career Software Engineer on the AV Launch team, you will design, implement, test, and operate the services that reliably manage autonomous driving software on GM vehicles. You will work across the software lifecycle: from understanding requirements and defining platform behavior to building production-quality services, integrating with vehicle hardware, validating behavior on benches and vehicles, and diagnosing issues in real-world environments.

This role is designed for a recent graduate or engineer early in their career who wants to build depth in embedded systems, distributed software, vehicle platforms, and autonomous driving technology. You will learn from experienced engineers while contributing meaningful code to systems that must be dependable, observable, and maintainable.

You will develop a systems-level perspective as you learn how individual services, devices, and vehicle states interact. Over time, you will turn that understanding into clear abstractions and design guidance that inform how other developers build vehicle software.

WhatYou’llDo

• Build on-vehicle services that provision, launch, and monitor autonomous vehicle software in development and production workflows.

• Build frameworks to configure autonomy software for a wide variety of hardware platforms, simulation environments, and use cases.

• Develop systems and frameworks to monitor vehicle status and reliability.

• Work alongside experienced engineers to ramp up on AV software, embedded systems, and the production engineering practices required to support autonomous driving at scale.

• Grow through progressively more complex assignments spanning design, implementation, integration, and testing.

Required Qualifications

• Recently completed a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD degree in a STEM field. For completed degrees, graduation must have occurred within the past 9 months.

• Strong background in C++ and Python development, demonstrated through coursework, internships, research, or substantial projects.

• Experience developing in a Linux environment.

• Strong grasp of software fundamentals including data structures, algorithms, operating systems, concurrency, and computer architecture.

• Ability to debug complex software problems, reason about system behavior, and communicate clearly in a collaborative team environment.

• Interest in autonomous vehicles, robotics, embedded systems, or high-performance software.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with robotics middleware platforms and related concepts, such as inter-process communication or logging.

• Prior internship, research, or project experience in autonomous driving, robotics, embedded systems, AI/ML infrastructure, or platform software. Graduation between December 2025 and August 2026, with availability to begin employment in 2026.

Location:

• This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to our Sunnyvale, CA office location at least 3 times a week.
• This job may be eligible for relocation benefits

Compensation:

The compensation information is a good faith estimate only. It is based on what a successful applicant might be paid in accordance with applicable state laws. The compensation may not be representative for positions located outside of New York, Colorado, California, or Washington.

• The salary range for this role:is $119,250 to $153,900. The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.
• Bonus Potential: An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.

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.