Staff Software Engineer - Simulation Tooling

generalmotors; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 189,000 - 291,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

GM vehicle discounts

Health and wellness benefits

Job summary

General Motors is seeking an experienced Staff Software Engineer to lead technical initiatives in our autonomous driving simulation team. You will influence the architectural roadmap for the Simulation Scenario Definition platform and its Python SDK, while guiding hundreds of engineers through advanced tooling, APIs, and best practices.

You will mentor mid-to-senior engineers, drive performance, and help shape the automation infrastructure that powers large-scale simulation workloads across

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional software development experience, with a focus on large-scale platforms, tooling, or SDK development.
• Proven ability to lead technical projects from concept to production.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python, including building robust APIs/SDKs for external consumers.
• Solid foundation in 3D graphics, computational geometry, and/or real-time simulation concepts.
• Track record of mentoring mid-level and senior engineers to raise technical standards.

Responsibilities

• Technical Vision: contribute to the architectural roadmap for the Simulation Scenario Definition platform and/or its Python SDK.
• Scalable Tooling: lead the design and implementation of next-generation graphical editing tools used by hundreds of engineers to define complex traffic, environment, and sensor scenarios.
• Performance & Infrastructure: drive evolution of Python infrastructure, focusing on core algorithms for serialization, validation, and cloud integration.
• Mentorship: act as a hands-on mentor, setting engineering excellence standards for API design, code quality, and testing practices.

Skills

Leadership of technical projects

Python proficiency

3D graphics / real-time simulation

Mentoring engineers

Job description

Job Description

About the role:

GM’s simulation team is looking for an experienced Staff Software Engineer to be a key technical leader in our mission to deliver autonomous driving technologies safely.This is a high-impact role where your work directly enables the validation of our most complex AI-driven systems.

Responsibilities

• Technical Vision: Contribute to thearchitectural roadmap for our Simulation Scenario Definition platform and/or its programmatic Python SDK.

• Scalable Tooling: Lead the design and implementation of our next-generation graphical editing tools used by hundreds of engineers to precisely define complex traffic, environment, and sensor scenarios.

• Performance & Infrastructure: Drive the evolution of our Python infrastructure, focusing on core algorithms for scenario serialization, validation, and integration with our large-scale cloudcomputecluster.

• Mentorship: Act as a hands-on mentor, setting the engineering excellence standard for API design, code quality, and testing practices across the team.

Requires Qualifications

• 7+ yearsof professional experience in software development, witha significant portionfocused onlarge-scale platforms, tooling, or SDK development.

• Proven ability tolead technical projects from concept to production.

• Expert-levelproficiencyinPython, including deep knowledge of best practices, performance optimization, and building robust APIs/SDKs for external consumers.

• Solid foundation in3D graphics, computational geometry, and/or real-time simulation concepts.

• A track recordofmentoring and coachingmid-level and senior engineers, raising the technical bar, and driving code quality standards within a team.

Desired Skills (Bonus Points)

• Experience withC++for performance-critical components or integration with simulation engines.

• Direct experience developing or extending aDomain-Specific Language (DSL)or high-level scripting language.

• Background ingame engines(e.g., Unity, Unreal) or other professional simulation software.

• Experience indata visualizationtechniques for large, complex datasets.

• Familiarity with the architecture ofAutonomous Vehicle (AV) technology(e.g.,perception, planning, controls) or other complex robotics/safety-critical systems.

Compensation:

• The expected base compensation for this role is: $189,300 - $290,700. Actual base compensation within the identified range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.
• You also need to include general information about potential commissions, if applicable.
• Bonus Potential: An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.

Benefits:

• 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 and more.

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.

About GM

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Why Join Us

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Benefits Overview

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Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

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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

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