Staff Data Engineer

General Motors; United States; Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 212,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company vehicle program

Relocation support

Job summary

General Motors seeks a principal-level Data Engineer lead to drive complex data initiatives across GM’s global teams. You will architect scalable data pipelines, champion modern data patterns, and collaborate with data scientists and engineers to enable AI-ready data products and responsible analytics.

You will shape strategy, set standards, and guide cross-functional delivery while mentoring engineers and ensuring governance, quality, and performance across enterprise data systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in CS, SE, Data Eng, or related field.
• 8+ years of data engineering experience or equivalent.
• Hands-on end-to-end data pipeline development (ingestion, transformation, orchestration, monitoring).
• Data modeling for batch and streaming, data integration, production support for enterprise platforms.
• Experience building reliable, scalable data products in production.
• Deep experience with Databricks, Spark, Delta Lake, and modern cloud data patterns.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and productionize data pipelines and data products in Azure Databricks for AI, analytics, and operational use cases.
• End-to-end data transformation from diverse sources into trusted datasets for analytics and AI enablement.
• Define architecture and best practices (Medallion Architecture, Delta Lake) adopted across teams.
• Improve internal processes, delivery patterns, and technical solutions for faster, reliable delivery.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with data scientists, analysts, software engineers, and business leaders to ensure accessible, trustworthy data for AI initiatives.
• Provide technical leadership for large multi-sprint initiatives and influence roadmaps across teams.

Skills

Python

SQL

Databricks

Apache Spark

Delta Lake

Azure

AI/ML data prep

Data modeling

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/SE/Data Engineering

Advanced degree (Master’s/PhD)

Tools

Databricks

Apache Spark

Delta Lake

Kafka

Event Hubs

Job description

This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to GM Warren Global Technical Center or Austin Technical Center three times per week, at minimum or other frequency dictated by the business if more than 3 days.

The Role

This role is for a principal-level individual contributor in Data Engineering (Level 8) who leads complex, cross-team technical initiatives, sets direction for key data domains, and drives material improvements in processes, services, and delivery patterns across the organization. At this level, the individual is expected to operate with broad autonomy, define and execute on strategy within their scope, resolve highly complex and non-standard problems using advanced analytical thinking, and serve as a primary technical authority and multiplier for the broader team. The role is anchored in data engineering and includes an additional data science profile to strengthen AI data enablement, experimentation support, and close collaboration with data scientists and business partners, with an expanded AI-engineering focus to strengthen AI-ready data products, experimentation, natural-language analytics, and production AI capabilities. Data engineers at GM are expected to build and maintain reliable, scalable data infrastructure, transform raw data into high-quality datasets for analytics and advanced data science use cases, and partner closely with data scientists, analysts, software engineers, and business teams. Data scientists are expected to apply analytical and machine learning techniques, explore and prepare data, validate models, design experiments, and translate findings into actionable recommendations. The engineer is expected to shape technical direction, establish standards and reusable patterns, and influence roadmaps across multiple teams or products.

What You’ll Do

• Design, build, and productionize reliable, scalable, and secure data pipelines and data products in Azure Databricks that support AI, analytics, and operational use cases across multiple business domains.
• Lead the end-to-end transformation of raw data from numerous, heterogeneous source systems into trusted, well-structured, and governed datasets suitable for downstream analytics, model development, and AI enablement.
• Define and champion architecture, design patterns, and best practices (e.g., Medallion Architecture, Delta Lake standards, data quality and observability) that can be adopted across teams.
• Drive strategic improvements in internal processes, delivery patterns, and technical solutions that support broader functional and enterprise data strategy, increasing efficiency, reliability, and speed of delivery.
• Solve complex, ambiguous, and non-standard data engineering problems using advanced analytical and problem-solving techniques, demonstrating strong ownership, risk-aware decision making, and sound technical judgment.
• Partner closely with data scientists, analysts, software engineers, product stakeholders, and business leaders to ensure data is accessible, trustworthy, and aligned to high-impact business outcomes and AI initiatives.
• Lead AI and data science enablement by defining and delivering high-quality, feature-ready data, experimentation workflows, and scalable patterns for model development, deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement.
• Provide technical leadership for large, multi-sprint or multi-team initiatives, including defining scope, breaking down work, and ensuring cohesive, high-quality delivery across contributors.
• Influence key engineering decisions, technology choices, and long-term roadmaps for your area of responsibility, balancing innovation with operational excellence and sustainability.
• Mentor and coach engineers and data scientists through deep technical guidance, code and design reviews, knowledge sharing, and strong engineering practices consistent with and extending beyond Level 7 expectations.
• Help evolve team culture, practices, and tooling around DevOps, DataOps, and MLOps, including CI/CD for data pipelines, testing strategies, observability, governance, and reliability.
• Communicate complex technical concepts, trade-offs, and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, enabling informed decisions at multiple levels of the organization.
• Establish repeatable patterns for exposing governed, curated, contract-backed data products and semantic models to analytics and AI applications.
• Contribute to multi-agent systems, agent orchestration, supervisor-agent patterns, and reusable AI services that turn governed data and domain context into actionable intelligence.
• This role will help establish the data and AI foundation for trusted, scalable, and reusable intelligence across GM. By combining strong data engineering with production AI capabilities, you will help teams move from fragmented data and exploratory analysis to governed data products, reliable AI experiences, and faster, better-informed decisions.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of relevant full-time experience in data engineering or closely related roles; or equivalent depth of knowledge.
• Strong, hands-on experience in data engineering, including: End-to-end pipeline development (ingestion, transformation, orchestration, monitoring).
• Data modeling (batch and streaming), data integration, and production support for enterprise data platforms.
• Building and operating highly reliable, scalable data products in production environments.
• Extensive experience designing and optimizing batch and streaming data pipelines using Databricks, Apache Spark, Delta Lake, and modern cloud data patterns.
• Proven experience supporting AI or machine-learning use cases through high-quality data preparation, feature-ready datasets, experimentation workflows, and model-development enablement.
• Proficiency in: Python or Scala.
• SQL, including performance tuning and working with large-scale datasets.
• Relational and non-relational data storage technologies (e.g., data warehouses, NoSQL, key-value stores, document stores).
• Deep experience with cloud platforms – Azure strongly preferred; AWS or GCP also considered.
• Extensive experience designing, building, and optimizing scalable batch and streaming data pipelines using Databricks (Apache Spark, Delta Lake) to support Medallion Architecture and other modern data patterns.
• Demonstrated experience with modern cloud data platforms, distributed processing, and production-grade data pipelines, including: Data quality frameworks and observability.
• Orchestration tools and job scheduling.
• Performance optimization and cost management.
• Proven ability to work independently and lead through influence, managing broad, ambiguous technical challenges and delivering high-impact solutions with minimal guidance.
• Experience driving cross-functional collaboration across engineering, analytics, product, and business teams to deliver data solutions that enable measurable business outcomes, including AI and advanced analytics.
• Solid understanding of statistics, machine learning, experimentation, and data mining concepts used to drive informed decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to: Prepare and explore data at scale.
• Support model development workflows.
• Help validate analytical outputs and production model behavior in partnership with data scientists.
• Ability to translate complex analytical and AI needs into scalable, maintainable data solutions and help move data science work from exploration into repeatable, governed, and automated delivery patterns.
• Strong communication and storytelling skills to connect technical work with business value and to convert complex findings and trade-offs into clear, actionable recommendations for diverse audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Data Science, Statistics, or related field.
• Experience operating as a principal or staff-level engineer (or equivalent) in large-scale, cloud-based data environments.
• Experience leading or technically directing a small group of engineers or data scientists on complex initiatives, even without formal people-management responsibility.
• Background in manufacturing, automotive, industrial IoT, or similar domains where operational and analytical data converge.
• Hands-on experience with: MLOps practices and tools for model deployment, monitoring, and lifecycle management.
• Data governance, privacy, and security controls in regulated or enterprise environments.
• Event-driven and streaming architectures (e.g., Kafka, Event Hubs) integrated with data platforms.
• Track record of establishing or contributing to internal standards, frameworks, or reference implementations that are adopted across teams.
• Experience presenting architecture, strategy, and technical recommendations to senior leadership and influencing decisions across organizational boundaries.

Company Vehicle

Upon successful completion of a motor vehicle report review, you will be eligible to participate in a company vehicle evaluation program, through which you will be assigned a General Motors vehicle to drive and evaluate. Note: program participants are required to purchase/lease a qualifying GM vehicle every four years unless one of a limited number of exceptions applies.

This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.

Compensation

The expected base compensation for this role is: $160,200 - $211,950. Actual base compensation within the identified range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.

An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.

GM offers a variety of health and wellbeing benefit programs. Benefit options include medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plan, sickness and accident benefits, life insurance, paid vacation & holidays, tuition assistance programs, employee assistance program, GM vehicle discounts and more.

GM DOES NOT PROVIDE IMMIGRATION-RELATED SPONSORSHIP FOR THIS ROLE. DO NOT APPLY FOR THIS ROLE IF YOU WILL NEED GM IMMIGRATION SPONSORSHIP NOW OR IN THE FUTURE. THIS INCLUDES DIRECT COMPANY SPONSORSHIP, ENTRY OF GM AS THE IMMIGRATION EMPLOYER OF RECORD ON A GOVERNMENT FORM, AND ANY WORK AUTHORIZATION REQUIRING A WRITTEN SUBMISSION OR OTHER IMMIGRATION SUPPORT FROM THE COMPANY (e.g., H-1B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.)

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

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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 and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. 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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We are leading the change to make our world better, safer and more equitable for all through our actions and how we behave. Learn more about: Our Company Our Culture How we hire Our diverse team of employees bring their collective passion for engineering, technology and design to deliver on our vision of a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion.

Explore our global locations. We are determined to lead change for the world through technology, ingenuity and harnessing the creativity of our diverse team. Join us to help lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all by becoming a member of GM’s Talent Community (beamery.com).