Staff Software Engineer, Mapping

General Motors; Columbus (OH); Hybrid; USD 185,100 - 335,300; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

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

Job summary

General Motors is seeking a Staff Software Engineer for the Mapping Engineering team. You will lead the design and build of scalable distributed backend systems powering national-scale maps, collaborating with cross-functional groups to ensure data contracts and system interoperability.

The role is remote-based with hybrid expectations near GM hubs; you’ll mentor engineers, drive architectural decisions, and own end-to-end delivery while shaping roadmaps for scalable mapping pipelines.

Qualifications

• 5+ years designing, implementing, and operating scalable distributed systems in production.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• Strong Python experience; knowledge of C++/TypeScript is a plus.
• Deep knowledge of databases, caching, data modeling, and SOA.
• Experience with major cloud platforms (GCP/AWS/Azure).
• Experience with data orchestration pipelines and ETL tools (Airflow).
• BS/MS/PhD in CS/EE or related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• Proven cross-functional leadership and mentoring across teams.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement scalable, distributed backend systems for national-scale mapping.
• Design data pipelines and microservices for map ingestion, storage, and release.
• Own end-to-end delivery of high-impact projects with milestones and stakeholder alignment.
• Collaborate with Localization, Perception, Simulation, and Offboard teams to define data contracts.
• Drive engineering excellence with design reviews, testing, and documentation standards.
• Diagnose and resolve large-scale system issues across services and pipelines.
• Act as SME in distributed system design and backend architecture.
• Help shape tech roadmaps and hiring plans for distributed systems expertise.

Skills

Distributed backend systems

Python (plus C++, TS)

Cloud platforms

ETL/data pipelines

Leadership & mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE or related

MS/PhD in related field or equivalent experience

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Airflow

Job description

This role is based remotely but if you live within a 50-mile radius of [Austin, Detroit, Warren, Milford, Mountain View, Sunnyvale], you are expected to report to that location three times a week, at minimum.

About Us

We’re on a mission to build the world’s most advanced self-driving vehicles to safely connect people to the places, things, and experiences they care about. At GM's Autonomous Vehicle (AV) organization, we’re combining cutting‑edge research, robust engineering, and large‑scale systems to make this future a reality. Our team is developing national‑scale, next‑generation mapping systems from the ground up—combining robust backend infrastructure with intuitive, performant user interfaces.

The Role

We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer with deep expertise in distributed backend systems to join our Mapping Engineering team. You’ll serve as a technical leader responsible for designing and building the scalable systems that power ingestion, storage, access, and delivery of autonomous vehicle maps. You’ll partner closely with EMs, Staff/Principal ICs, and cross‑functional teams to define the architecture and deliver next gen mapping capabilities that scale to national deployments. This is a hands‑on leadership role requiring strong systems thinking, architecture design, and the ability to guide and mentor engineers across teams. You’ll operate autonomously, lead cross‑functional technical initiatives, and ensure the health, scalability, and performance of our critical mapping pipelines and services.

What You’ll Do (Responsibilities)

• Architect and implement scalable, reliable, distributed backend systems to support national-scale mapping.
• Design and evolve data pipelines and microservices for map ingestion, transformation, storage, and release.
• Own end‑to‑end delivery of high‑impact projects, including defining milestones, aligning stakeholders, and mentoring ICs across functions.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with Localization, Perception, Simulation, and Offboard teams to define data contracts and ensure system interoperability.
• Drive technical excellence by conducting system‑level design reviews, mentoring engineers, and setting the standard for code quality, testing, and documentation.
• Diagnose and resolve large‑scale system issues across services, data pipelines, and production environments.
• Serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) in distributed system design, performance optimization, and backend architecture within Mapping and potentially across GM AV.
• Help shape technical roadmaps and hiring plans for growing distributed systems expertise across the org.

Minimum Qualifications (Must-Have)

• 5+ years of experience designing, implementing, and operating scalable distributed systems in production.
• Bachelors degree in related field or relevant work experience.
• Strong proficiency in Python (optional C++, TypeScript), and system‑level programming fundamentals.
• Deep understanding of databases, caching, data modeling, and service‑oriented architecture (SOA).
• Proven experience building and deploying distributed systems on major cloud platforms such as Google Cloud, AWS, or Azure.
• Experience with data orchestration pipelines and ETL mechanisms (eg. airflow).
• BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent industry experience.
• Demonstrated success in leading cross‑functional technical initiatives, influencing architectural decisions across teams, and mentoring senior engineers.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice-to-Have)

• Experience with mapping, geospatial data, or robotics systems (e.g., Localization, Perception).
• Familiarity with autonomous vehicle software stack, including the map‑data lifecycle and software safety standards.
• Experience in CI/CD pipeline design, large‑scale deployment strategies, or cloud‑native architecture.
• Proficiency with Linux systems, container orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes), and distributed logging/metrics systems.
• Knowledge of machine learning data pipelines or HD map labeling infrastructure.

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 New York, Colorado, California, or Washington.

The salary range for this role is $185,100 to $335,300.

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.

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 plan
• sickness and accident benefits
• life insurance
• paid vacation & holidays
• tuition assistance programs
• employee assistance program
• GM vehicle discounts

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 role is based remotely, but if the selected candidate lives within a specific mile radius of a GM hub, they will be expected to report to the location three times a week {or other frequency dictated by your manager}. The selected candidate will be required to travel <25% for this role. This job is not eligible for relocation benefits. Any relocation costs would be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

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.

Accommodations

General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us or call us at 1-800‑865‑7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

Our Company

We are leading the change to make our world better, safer and more equitable for all through our actions and how we behave.

Our Culture

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.

How we hire

Explore our global locations. We are determined to lead change for the world through technology, ingenuity and harnessing the creativity of our diverse team.