Principal AV Safety & Behavior Strategy Lead

General Motors; Juneau (AK); Hybrid; USD 251,000 - 385,000; Full time

Job summary

General Motors seeks a hands‑on Principal AV Behavior Safety Engineering Lead to shape safety strategy for SAE Level 3–4 ADS powered by machine‑learned models. You will drive end‑to‑end AV behavior safety, define evidence for the safety case, and influence launch decisions for GM’s next generation automated driving products.

Reporting into the AV Safety Strategy and Assurance organization, you will collaborate with Software Validation, AI/ML, Simulation, and Metrics teams to define validation

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in machine learning, engineering, data science, or a related field.
• 8+ years in autonomous vehicle or robotics development or related field.
• Demonstrated experience working on production‑intent AV programs.
• Track record providing technical safety leadership in AV development (e.g., defining safety strategies, risk assessments, validation methodologies, safety case contributions).
• Deep understanding of AV behavior development: defining ODDs, behaviors, and evaluation criteria; analyzing simulation, closed‑course, and public‑road test data; and generating prioritized, actionable recommendations for developers.
• Experience applying AV safety standards and best practices, such as ISO 5083, ISO 21448 (SOTIF), and AVSC practices.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills, including the ability to explain complex technical tradeoffs to executives and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Proven ability to influence cross‑functional teams (Software, AI/ML, Systems Engineering, Product, Program Management, Operations) without direct authority.
• Strong problem‑solving mindset, comfort with ambiguity, and a proactive attitude toward learning and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead Technically: define GM’s strategy for safe autonomous system development, validation and deployment.
• Own safety strategy for next generation ADS architectures.
• Own the behavior‑focused portion of the ADS Safety Case, including claims, criteria, and evidence for AV behavior safety performance.
• Collaborate with Software Validation, Embodied AI, Simulation, and Safety Metrics teams to define end‑to‑end AV behavior validation methodology for AI‑driven systems.
• Set strategy for how we break down ODDs and how performance is validated per behavior and in aggregate.
• Collaborate on evaluation metrics, human benchmarks, and safety launch targets for AV behaviors and overall system performance.
• Assess AV performance across safety and reliability using simulation, closed‑course, and public‑road data, providing prioritized feedback to engineering teams.
• Define and run an assurance process to verify sufficiency criteria and safety targets to support launch readiness.

Skills

AI/ML leadership

AV behavior development

Communication skills

Cross-functional influence

Problem solving

Safety standards knowledge

ISO 21448 / SOTIF

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering/Math

Master's degree in CS/Engineering/Math

Tools

Python

R

Java

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Scikit-learn

LangChain

SQL

PySpark

PowerBI/Tableau

Job description

General Motors seeks a hands‑on Principal AV Behavior Safety Engineering Lead to shape safety strategy for SAE Level 3–4 ADS powered by machine‑learned models. You will drive end‑to‑end AV behavior safety, define evidence for the safety case, and influence launch decisions for GM’s next generation automated driving products.

Reporting into the AV Safety Strategy and Assurance organization, you will collaborate with Software Validation, AI/ML, Simulation, and Metrics teams to define validation