Staff Backend Software Engineer

General Motors of Canada; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 186,000 - 286,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Staff Backend Software Engineer to lead the development of high-performance backend services. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence the architecture and capabilities of innovative software solutions. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, mentor engineers, and drive initiatives in infrastructure automation and DevOps practices. Join a forward-thinking company that values inclusivity and innovation, and be part of a team that is redefining the future of technology in the automotive industry.

Benefits

Paid time off

Healthcare plans

401K matching contributions

Tuition assistance

Discount on GM vehicles

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in large-scale engineering projects.
• Expertise in JVM languages, particularly Java/Kotlin + Spring Boot.
• Strong knowledge of Infrastructure as Code tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of high-performance backend services.
• Shape the future of the software platform with innovative solutions.
• Mentor engineers and foster a culture of continuous learning.

Skills

Java

Kotlin

Spring Boot

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

DevOps practices

Distributed systems

NoSQL databases

Relational databases

Cloud-native applications

Software design patterns

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

Terraform

CI/CD pipelines

Monitoring tools

Observability tools

Job description

Job Description

Hybrid: This means the successful candidate is expected to report to their primary location (Austin, TX, Roswell, GA, or Mountain View, CA) three times per week, at minimum.

The Role:

In this Staff Backend Software Engineer role, you will lead the development of high-performance backend services and systems for GM Commercial Services’ innovative software solutions. This position offers a unique opportunity to work across all GM Commercial Services software products, influencing the future of our system architecture, APIs, and platform capabilities. As part of an innovation-first team, you will ensure that our solutions meet the highest standards of quality, scalability, and craftsmanship. Join us, and let’s redefine what’s possible together!

What You’ll do:

• Provide technical leadership in designing, building, and scaling the GM Commercial Services software platform, ensuring robust, modular, and maintainable architectures.
• Develop a deep understanding of GM Commercial Services’ business strategy and goals to identify and address the highest-impact technical challenges.
• Shape the future of GM Commercial Services’ platform by leading initiatives in infrastructure automation, backend development, DevOps practices, and exceptional developer experience.
• Raise the engineering bar by promoting best practices in platform development, delivering high-quality code, robust documentation, thorough testing, and effective monitoring.
• Build and launch platform capabilities and products that deliver significant value to internal and external customers.
• Apply expertise in distributed systems to design, evaluate, and enhance their efficiency, scalability, and stability.
• Collaborate across disciplines, including product, design, and other engineering teams, to deliver cohesive and customer-focused solutions.
• Mentor and guide engineers to enhance their technical and architectural skills, fostering a culture of continuous learning and craftsmanship.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science/Engineering or equivalent degree.
• 10+ years of experience designing and building large-scale engineering projects, including launching multiple successful enterprise applications or platforms.
• Expertise in JVM languages, particularly Java/Kotlin + Spring Boot.
• Proficiency with at least one public cloud provider (Azure, AWS, GCP) and experience building cloud-native applications.
• Strong knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform, with an understanding of how to automate and scale infrastructure effectively.
• Experience in DevOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, and observability tools.
• Strong understanding of modern software engineering practices, with a focus on high-quality, maintainable code and engineering excellence.
• Expertise in software design patterns, OO principles, data structures, and algorithms.
• Hands-on experience with both NoSQL and relational databases.
• Passion for staying at the forefront of industry trends and technologies.

What Will Give You A Competitive Edge (Preferred Skills)

• Strong product sensibility, with the ability to align engineering decisions with business and customer needs.
• Proven track record in platform engineering, enabling scalability and reusability for multiple product teams.
• Experience in leading technical architecture for complex systems, particularly in enterprise or platform contexts.
• Ability to mentor engineers and develop them into senior technical leaders.
• Exceptional communication and project management skills, ensuring timely, high-quality team deliverables.
• Demonstrated ability to foster collaboration across cross-functional teams.

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 the California Bay Area.

The salary range for this role is $186,200 - $285,300. 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 aspire to be the most inclusive company in the world. 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. Our Work Appropriately philosophy supports our foundation of inclusion and provides employees the flexibility to work where they can have the greatest impact on achieving our goals, dependent on role needs. Every day, we want every employee, no matter their background, ethnicity, preferences, or location, to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Benefits Overview

The goal of the General Motors total rewards program is to support the health and well-being of you and your family. Our comprehensive compensation plan includes the following benefits, in addition to many others:
• Paid time off including vacation days, holidays, and parental leave for mothers, fathers and adoptive parents;
• Healthcare (including a triple tax advantaged health savings account and wellness incentive), dental, vision and life insurance plans to cover you and your family;
• Company and matching contributions to 401K savings plan to help you save for retirement;
• Global recognition program for peers and leaders to recognize and be recognized for results and behaviors that reflect our company values;
• Tuition assistance and student loan refinancing;
• Discount on GM vehicles for you, your family and friends.

Diversity Information

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that workforce diversity creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers. We understand and embrace the variety through which people gain experiences whether through professional, personal, educational, or volunteer opportunities. GM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications and apply for any positions that match your skills and capabilities.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statements

GM is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. GM is committed to providing a work environment free from unlawful discrimination and advancing equal employment opportunities for all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, all practices and decisions relating to terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, and termination of employment are made without regard to an individual's protected characteristics.