Principal Software Engineer – Core OS, Vehicle Compute

General Motors; Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 216,000 - 450,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellbeing benefits

Hybrid work model

Job summary

General Motors seeks a Principal Software Engineer to lead the Core OS layer, defining architecture for hypervisors, virtualization, and platform services across GM's vehicle compute. You will shape safety, performance, and multi-OS integration while mentoring engineers and coordinating with silicon and functional-safety teams.

You will drive decisions on containerization, boot chains, and health monitoring, ensuring scalable, secure, and production-ready software for millions of vehicles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• Fifteen or more years of experience in embedded, kernel-level, or systems software development, including production-grade systems.
• Proven experience architecting operating-system or virtualization platforms for high-performance or safety-critical systems.
• Deep expertise in at least two of the following areas: Type 1 hypervisors and virtualization; Real-time operating systems; Embedded Linux internals; Secure boot and platform integrity; Arm SoC architecture.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the architecture and long-term roadmap for GM’s Core OS layer, including hypervisors, virtualization, virtual machine lifecycle, resource partitioning, inter-virtual-machine communication, and the boot and secure-boot chain.
• Architect the multi-operating-system foundation that enables embedded Linux, including Yocto-based distributions, Android, and QNX to run on shared vehicle compute with consistent platform services and interfaces.
• Establish the platform safety architecture, including freedom from interference between partitions, health monitoring, fault detection and recovery, in partnership with functional safety and cybersecurity organizations.
• Define the container and workload-management architecture for on-vehicle execution, including isolation, lifecycle management, resource governance, and updateability.
• Own the system-level performance strategy across compute efficiency, latency, boot time, memory footprint, and deterministic behavior, and lead optimization efforts across software and hardware boundaries.
• Drive build-versus-buy and technology-selection decisions for hypervisor, real-time operating system, and runtime components, and lead technical relationships with the corresponding suppliers.
• Provide technical mentorship and direction to Staff and Senior Software Engineers while establishing engineering standards and review practices for the new organization.
• Lead complex investigations and root-cause analyses across virtualization, operating-system, and silicon boundaries. Represent Core OS in technical councils, architecture reviews, and cross-functional design forums, and define ownership boundaries with adjacent platform teams.

Skills

Embedded systems

Kernel development

OS architecture

C/C++

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related

Master’s degree

Tools

Git

CI/CD

Yocto

QNX/Open OS

Job description

At General Motors, our product teams are redefining mobility. Through a human-centered design process, we create vehicles and experiences that are designed not just to be seen, but to be felt. We’re turning today’s impossible into tomorrow’s standard —from breakthrough hardware and battery systems to intuitive design, intelligent software, and next-generation safety and entertainment features.

Every day, our products move millions of people as we aim to make driving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale

The Role

The Core OS group is a newly formed team building the operating-system foundation GM's next generation of vehicle software runs on: hypervisors and virtualization, safety partitioning and health management, container runtime and workload orchestration, and the boot and secure-boot chain that let Linux, Android, and QNX share a single high-compute platform safely and efficiently. As Principal Software Engineer, you are the senior technical authority and system architect for that layer — you'll determine which platform problems matter most, then define the architecture and drive the solutions that solve them, setting long-term direction for virtualization, partitioning, and platform services across GM's vehicle compute. Your influence extends well past your own code: establishing the technical interfaces to the silicon, guest OS, and functional-safety organizations, driving decisions with hypervisor and silicon partners, and guiding engineers across multiple teams toward a foundation that must hold up to production performance, reliability, and safety requirements in millions of vehicles.

What You’ll Do

• Define and drive the architecture and long-term roadmap for GM’s Core OS layer, including hypervisors, virtualization, virtual machine lifecycle, resource partitioning, inter-virtual-machine communication, and the boot and secure-boot chain.

• Architect the multi-operating-system foundation that enables embedded Linux, including Yocto-based distributions, Android, and QNX to run on shared vehicle compute with consistent platform services and interfaces.

• Establish the platform safety architecture, including freedom from interference between partitions, health monitoring, fault detection and recovery, in partnership with functional safety and cybersecurity organizations.

• Define the container and workload-management architecture for on-vehicle execution, including isolation, lifecycle management, resource governance, and updateability.

• Own the system-level performance strategy across compute efficiency, latency, boot time, memory footprint, and deterministic behavior, and lead optimization efforts across software and hardware boundaries.

• Drive build-versus-buy and technology-selection decisions for hypervisor, real-time operating system, and runtime components, and lead technical relationships with the corresponding suppliers.

• Provide technical mentorship and direction to Staff and Senior Software Engineers while establishing engineering standards and review practices for the new organization.

• Lead complex investigations and root-cause analyses across virtualization, operating-system, and silicon boundaries. Represent Core OS in technical councils, architecture reviews, and cross-functional design forums, and define ownership boundaries with adjacent platform teams.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent experience.

• Fifteen or more years of experience in embedded, kernel-level, or systems software development, including production-grade systems.

• Proven experience architecting operating-system or virtualization platforms for high-performance or safety-critical systems.

• Deep expertise in at least two of the following areas:

• Type 1 hypervisors and virtualization

• Real-time operating systems

• Embedded Linux internals

• Secure boot and platform integrity

• Strong knowledge of Arm system-on-chip (SoC) architecture, including memory management, interrupt and input/output virtualization, and hardware-enforced isolation mechanisms.

• Experience leading multi-team or cross-functional technical programs from concept through production.

• Proficiency with modern development tools and practices, including Git, GitHub, continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), automated testing, and performance profiling.

• Strong communication and influence skills across technical, cross-functional, and executive audiences.

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

• Hands‑on architecture experience with hypervisor technologies such as Gunyah, QNX Hypervisor, Xen, or KVM/Arm, including virtio‑based device virtualization.

• Expertise in automotive functional safety, including Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) decomposition, safety‑island architecture, freedom‑from‑interference arguments, and safety‑framework integration.

• Experience with container runtimes and workload orchestration in resource‑constrained or embedded environments.

• Familiarity with Yocto‑based Linux distributions, Android Open Source Project (AOSP) or Android Automotive, and QNX Software Development Platform (SDP) as guest or host environments.

• Familiarity with health monitoring, fail‑operational and fail‑safe mechanisms, and platform‑resiliency design.

• Experience with Adaptive Automotive Open System Architecture (AUTOSAR), Software Defined Vehicle Open Architecture for Embedded Edge (SOAFEE), or comparable automotive platform standards.

• Experience with over‑the‑air (OTA) and continuous-update architectures.

• Contributions to open‑source virtualization or operating‑system projects.

• Proven ability to set technical vision, influence across organizations, and represent a company in cross‑industry engagements.

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 salary range for this role is $216,400 –$450,400. The actual base salary offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position, as well as the selected candidate’s geography.

Benefits: GM offers a variety of health and wellbeing benefit programs. Benefit options include medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plans, paid vacation and holidays, tuition assistance, employee assistance programs, life insurance, and GM vehicle discounts.

This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week {or other frequency dictated by their manager}. This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.

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.

We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre‑employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.

Accommodations

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