Principal Software Engineer – Embedded Software Platform

Jobtailor

California (MO)

On-site

USD 180,000 - 240,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Job summary

GM is seeking a senior architect to set multi-year technical direction and target-state architecture for cross-domain engineering platforms, with emphasis on embedded and real-time software. You will influence leaders, mentor engineers, and balance safety-critical requirements with business needs.

The role involves defining roadmaps, governing standards, and leading cross-functional reviews with engineering, validation, cloud, cybersecurity, and suppliers. Travel up to 25% is expected.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a technical field.
15+ years of software architecture experience across organizations.
Deep understanding of embedded and real-time software architecture.
Proven track record delivering safety-critical or mission-critical products.
Ability to align leaders and teams without direct authority.
Excellent judgment in high-consequence technical decisions.
Ability to communicate tradeoffs to technical and executive audiences.
Experience with production engineering platforms, software delivery systems, or engineering productivity.
Experience with Python and at least one other language in software/tooling.
Specialization plus breadth across domains.
Experience with embedded software, Linux, Git, CI/CD, cloud, IaC, test automation, APIs, platform reliability.
Experience in virtualization and CI infrastructure, build-system/test-system modernization.
Preferred industries: automotive, aerospace, defense, industrial, safety-critical environments.
Knowledge of functional safety ISO 26262, ASPICE, MISRA, AUTOSAR.
Vehicle-level integration and validation (SIL, CoSIM, vECU, HIL)

Responsibilities

Set multi-year technical direction and target-state architecture for cross-domain engineering platform capabilities.
Identify systemic constraints and define strategy, investment priorities, and sequencing across the software lifecycle.
Resolve architectural tradeoffs spanning organizations, product lines, suppliers, technology stacks, and delivery cadences.
Establish enterprise principles, standards, governance, reliability expectations, and decision frameworks.
Create leverage through platforms, automation, reusable patterns, data, and operating models.
Influence senior and executive leaders with recommendations grounded in technical judgment, risk, cost, quality, and business impact.
Lead through other technical leaders by developing principal and staff engineers and strengthening communities of practice.
Remain selectively hands-on in high-value or high-risk technical problems.
Define future-state architecture and multi-year roadmap for the assigned domain.
Establish decision rights and alignment across independent teams and delivery organizations.
Lead resolution of cross-domain risks involving architecture, quality, security, reliability, cost, scalability, and delivery continuity.
Advise senior and executive leadership on investments, program risk, platform health, and enterprise tradeoffs.
Convene architecture reviews and technical communities across engineering, validation, cloud, cybersecurity, quality, program management, and suppliers.
Sponsor platform capabilities, automation, data models, and self-service experiences.
Define success measures and use evidence to prioritize improvements and verify impact.
Mentor staff- and principal-level engineers and strengthen the technical leadership pipeline.
Represent GM’s technical direction with internal and external partners.
Travel less than 25%

Skills

Embedded Software

Real-Time Architecture

Python Proficiency

Software Delivery Systems

CI/CD

Linux

Git

Cloud Platforms

Engineering Leadership

Technical Influence Across Teams

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Virtualization

CI Infrastructure

Build-System Modernization

Infrastructure as Code

Job description

Set multi-year technical direction and target-state architecture for broad, cross-domain engineering platform capabilities
Identify systemic constraints and define strategy, investment priorities, and sequencing across the software lifecycle
Resolve consequential architectural tradeoffs spanning organizations, product lines, suppliers, technology stacks, and delivery cadences
Establish enterprise principles, standards, governance, reliability expectations, and decision frameworks
Create leverage through platforms, automation, reusable patterns, data, and operating models
Influence senior and executive leaders with recommendations grounded in technical judgment, risk, cost, quality, and business impact
Lead through other technical leaders by developing principal and staff engineers and strengthening communities of practice
Remain selectively hands-on in high-value or high-risk technical problems
Define future-state architecture and multi-year roadmap for the assigned domain
Establish decision rights and alignment across independent teams and delivery organizations
Lead resolution of cross-domain risks involving architecture, quality, security, reliability, cost, scalability, and delivery continuity
Advise senior and executive leadership on investments, program risk, platform health, and enterprise tradeoffs
Convene architecture reviews and technical communities across engineering, validation, cloud, cybersecurity, quality, program management, and suppliers
Sponsor platform capabilities, automation, data models, and self-service experiences
Define success measures and use evidence to prioritize improvements and verify impact
Mentor staff- and principal-level engineers and strengthen the technical leadership pipeline
Represent GM’s technical direction with internal and external partners
Travel less than 25%

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering, systems engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
Typically 15 or more years of experience developing, integrating, deploying, or validating software systems, including substantial experience leading architecture across organizations
Deep understanding of embedded and real-time software architecture
Record of delivering high-quality safety-critical or mission-critical products
Enterprise or multi-organization technical influence and ability to align leaders and teams without direct authority
Exceptional judgment in ambiguous, high-consequence technical decisions
Ability to communicate complex tradeoffs to technical and executive audiences
Strong experience with production engineering platforms, software delivery systems, or engineering productivity capabilities
Proficiency in Python and at least one additional language used in software or engineering-tooling environments
Significant depth in at least one specialization area and breadth to connect it to the others
Experience designing or governing systems involving embedded software, Linux, Git, CI/CD, cloud platforms, infrastructure as code, test automation, artifact management, data, APIs, or platform reliability
Specialization-specific experience in virtualization and CI infrastructure, continuous integration and quality gating, test-system modernization, or build-system modernization
Preferred: experience in automotive, aerospace, defense, industrial, embedded, real-time, regulated, or safety-critical environments
Preferred: knowledge of functional safety, ISO 26262, cybersecurity engineering, ASPICE, MISRA, AUTOSAR, or related practices
Preferred: vehicle-level integration and validation experience, including SIL, CoSIM, vECU, HIL, benches, physical systems, or virtual and hardware-based environments
Preferred: record of creating enterprise standards, platform strategies, technical communities, developer self-service, reliability objectives, or measurable productivity improvements
Advanced degree in a related technical field is preferred

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in defining multi-year technical direction and architecture for cross-domain engineering platforms, with a strong focus on embedded and real-time software systems. Proven ability to influence technical decisions and lead teams in high-stakes environments while ensuring quality and reliability.

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