Senior AV Behavior Safety Architect & Strategy Lead

General Motors; Salt Lake City (UT); Hybrid; USD 251,000 - 385,000; Full time

Job summary

General Motors is seeking a Principal AV Behavior Safety Engineering Lead to shape safety strategy for SAE Level 3–4 ADS powered by ML models. You will define, measure, and validate safety across development stages and influence launch decisions for GM's next-gen autonomous driving products.

You will lead end-to-end AV behavior safety efforts, collaborate with Software Validation, AI/ML, Simulation, and Safety Metrics teams, and drive evidence-based safety case contributions for deployment

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

• Define safety strategy for ADS architectures.
• Own the behavior‑focused portion of the ADS Safety Case, including key claims, sufficiency 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 breaking down ODDs and how performance is validated per behavior and in aggregate.
• Develop evaluation metrics, human benchmarks, and safety launch targets for AV behaviors and overall system performance.
• Assess AV performance across safety and reliability dimensions using simulation, closed‑course, and public‑road data and provide prioritized feedback to engineering teams.
• Define and run an assurance process to verify sufficiency criteria and safety targets for launch readiness.

Skills

Safety leadership

AV development

ODD definition

Validation methodologies

ISO 21448

Cross-functional influence

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Master's degree in related field

Tools

Python

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Jira

Docker

Kubernetes

SQL

Job description

General Motors is seeking a Principal AV Behavior Safety Engineering Lead to shape safety strategy for SAE Level 3–4 ADS powered by ML models. You will define, measure, and validate safety across development stages and influence launch decisions for GM's next-gen autonomous driving products.

You will lead end-to-end AV behavior safety efforts, collaborate with Software Validation, AI/ML, Simulation, and Safety Metrics teams, and drive evidence-based safety case contributions for deployment