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)
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Architect and implement scalable, reliable, distributed backend systems to support national-scale mapping.
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Design and evolve data pipelines and microservices for map ingestion, transformation, storage, and release.
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Own end-to-end delivery of high-impact projects, including defining milestones, aligning stakeholders, and mentoring ICs across functions.
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Collaborate cross-functionally with Localization, Perception, Simulation, and Offboard teams to define data contracts and ensure system interoperability.
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Drive technical excellence by conducting system-level design reviews, mentoring engineers, and setting the standard for code quality, testing, and documentation.
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Diagnose and resolve large-scale system issues across services, data pipelines, and production environments.
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Serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) in distributed system design, performance optimization, and backend architecture within Mapping and potentially across GM AV.
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Help shape technical roadmaps and hiring plans for growing distributed systems expertise across the org.
Minimum Qualifications (Must-Have)
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5+ years of experience designing, implementing, and operating scalable distributed systems in production.
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Bachelors degree in related field or relevant work experience
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Strong proficiency in Python (optional C++, TypeScript), and system-level programming fundamentals.
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Deep understanding of databases, caching, data modeling, and service-oriented architecture (SOA).
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Proven experience building and deploying distributed systems on major cloud platforms such as Google Cloud, AWS, or Azure.
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Experience with data orchestration pipelines and ETL mechanisms (eg. airflow)
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BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent industry experience.
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Demonstrated success in leading cross-functional technical initiatives, influencing architectural decisions across teams, and mentoring senior engineers.
Preferred Qualifications (Nice-to-Have)
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Experience with mapping, geospatial data, or robotics systems (e.g., Localization, Perception).
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Familiarity with autonomous vehicle software stack, including the map-data lifecycle and software safety standards.
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Experience in CI/CD pipeline design, large-scale deployment strategies, or cloud-native architecture.
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Proficiency with Linux systems, container orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes), and distributed logging/metrics systems.
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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.
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Bonus Potential: An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.
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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.
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