Staff Software Engineer - Vehicle AI

General Motors; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 189,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

General Motors is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead the platform engineering for the next-generation Vehicle AI Assistant. You will design and develop the core application platform on Android Automotive OS, bridging edge and cloud AI to power conversational experiences for millions of drivers.

As a hands-on Technical Lead based in Mountain View, CA or Seattle, WA or Austin, TX, you will drive technical execution, set architectural standards, build robust CI/validation infrastructure, and

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software development experience with Android app architecture.
• Experience leading architecture decisions and guiding multiple engineering teams.
• Proficiency in Kotlin and Java, with modern Android frameworks (Jetpack, Coroutines, Flow).

Responsibilities

• Lead architectural design and execution of GM’s in-vehicle AI assistant platform on AAOS.
• Drive engineering execution for a team of software engineers, establishing roadmaps and code standards.
• Architect scalable APIs and SDKs for downstream teams to plug in AI tools and vehicle capabilities.
• Implement a hybrid edge-and-cloud architecture balancing on-device processing with cloud AI/ML services.
• Establish and scale automated testing, CI, and validation infrastructure for stability across builds.
• Collaborate with cross-functional AI teams to integrate model training and evaluation pipelines.
• Optimize latency, memory usage, and responsiveness within the vehicle environment.
• Design robust contracts using AIDL/IPC and collaborate with product/UX to translate requirements into platform capabilities.

Skills

Android development

Kotlin

Java

CI/CD

API design

SDK development

AAOS

Leadership

Edge/Cloud

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Master's degree

Tools

gRPC

REST

AIDL

Android Studio

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Work Arrangement

This role is categorized as Remote/

Job Description

Work Arrangement

This role is categorized as Remote/hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to Austin, TX, Mountain View, CA or Remote (Washington State) three times per week at minimum or other frequency dictated by the business.

The Role

General Motors is pioneering the future of in-vehicle intelligence, and we are looking for a Staff Software Engineer to lead the platform engineering for our next-generation Vehicle AI Assistant. In this role, you will lead the design and development of the core application platform running on Android Automotive OS (AAOS), bridging edge and cloud AI technologies to power seamless, conversational, and agentic experiences for millions of drivers.

As a hands-on Technical Lead based in our Mountain View, CA or Seattle, WA or Austin, TX offices, you will drive technical execution, set architectural standards, build robust CI and validation infrastructure, and deliver developer-facing frameworks that enable feature teams across GM to ship AI-driven capabilities. If you thrive at the intersection of modern Android development, AI integration, and technical leadership, this role offers the opportunity to shape the future of mobility.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the architectural design and execution of GM’s in-vehicle AI assistant application platform on top of Android Automotive OS (AAOS).
• Drive engineering execution for a team of software engineers, establishing technical roadmaps, code quality standards, and system design best practices.
• Architect scalable application interfaces and Software Development Kits (SDKs) that enable downstream teams to plug in specialized AI tools and vehicle capabilities.
• Implement a hybrid edge-and-cloud architecture, balancing low-latency on-device processing with advanced cloud-based Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI/ML) services.
• Establish and scale automated testing, Continuous Integration (CI), and validation infrastructure to guarantee stability and performance across vehicle builds.
• Partner with cross-functional AI teams to integrate model training and evaluation pipelines, system benchmarking, and quality feedback loops into the platform deployment lifecycle.
• Optimize voice and text response latency, memory footprint, and system responsiveness within the vehicle environment.
• Design robust application contracts using Android Interface Definition Language (AIDL) and Inter-Process Communication (IPC) mechanisms.
• Collaborate closely with product management and user experience teams to translate customer interactions into resilient platform capabilities.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of professional software development experience, with a primary focus on production Android application architecture.
• Proven track record as a technical lead, driving architecture decisions and guiding software execution across engineering teams.
• Expert proficiency in Kotlin and Java, along with modern Android frameworks (Android Jetpack, Coroutines, Flow, and Dependency Injection frameworks such as Hilt or Dagger).
• Hands-on experience designing developer-facing APIs, platform SDKs, or shared application libraries.
• Demonstrated experience setting up robust automated testing strategies and Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines for mobile software platforms.
• Experience working with client-server architectures using streaming, gRPC, or REST protocols.
• Strong knowledge of Android application components, lifecycle management, and Inter-Process Communication (IPC/AIDL).

What Can Give You a Competitive Advantage (Preferred Qualifications)

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Prior experience building voice assistants, conversational frameworks, or agentic applications on mobile or automotive platforms.
• Familiarity with Android Automotive OS (AAOS) applications.
• Experience with client-side machine learning integration or on-device runtime optimization.
• Hands-on experience with AI/ML evaluation pipelines, model benchmarking, and automated validation frameworks for conversational systems.
• Ability to foster a collaborative engineering culture, inspire peer developers, and communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical partners.
• History of driving technical clarity in rapidly evolving product domains.

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 ($189,300 - $290,000). 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.

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.

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.

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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