Staff Software Engineer – Secondary Driving System

<p><b>Job Description</b></p><div><div><p><span><span>Description</span></span><span> </span></p></div><div><p><span><span>At General Motors, our Embodied AI teams are redefining<span> </span></span><span>what’s</span><span><span> </span>possible in driver<span> </span></span><span>assistance</span><span><span> </span>and automated driving, combining human‑centered design with cutting‑edge robotics, optimization, and machine learning to build systems that are both intelligent and trustworthy.</span></span><span> </span></p></div><div><p><span><span>The Secondary Driving System (SDS) is an independent<span> </span></span><span>perception</span><span>, planning, and<span> </span></span><span>controls</span><span><span> </span>stack that keeps the vehicle<span> </span></span><span>operating</span><span><span> </span>safely for a limited time if the primary driving system becomes unavailable. SDS requests driver takeover and, when needed, executes a Minimal Risk Maneuver (MRM) to bring the vehicle to a safe stop.</span></span><span> </span></p></div><div><p><span><span>We are looking for a</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>Staff Software Engineer</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>to provide technical leadership for the</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>Secondary Driving System</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>as a whole.</span><span><span> </span>This is a</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>generalist software engineering role</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>focused on building robust, production‑quality C++ software across the SDS stack (</span><span>perception</span><span>, tracking, prediction, planning, controls, and system integration). Depth in<span> </span></span><span>perception</span><span>, tracking, prediction, or planning is</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>highly preferred</span></b><span><span>, but we are primarily looking for strong engineering and systems skills, with the flexibility to work where the team and product need you most.</span><span><span> </span></span></span><span> </span><br> </p></div><div><p><span><span>Role</span></span><span> </span></p></div><div><p><span><span>As a Staff Software Engineer on the Secondary Driving System team within Embodied AI, you will:</span></span><span> </span></p></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Serve as a</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>technical lead for SDS software</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>across multiple components of the stack, setting direction for algorithms, architectures, and system interfaces across features and releases.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Own the</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>end‑to‑end technical strategy</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>for key SDS behaviors and features, spanning <span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; text-decoration: inherit; hyphens: auto;">perception/prediction</span> integration, planning, controls, and system‑level interactions.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Balance hands‑on technical work with cross‑team leadership: you will still design and implement critical components in modern C++, while also guiding other senior and mid‑level engineers to deliver at scale.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Collaborate closely with experts in<span> </span></span><span>perception</span><span>, tracking, prediction, state estimation, localization, mapping, planning, controls, systems engineering, and safety to deliver robust, fail‑operational behaviors for Super Cruise and future products.</span><span><span> </span></span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><p><span><span>What<span> </span></span><span>you’ll</span><span><span> </span>be doing</span></span><span> </span></p></div><div><ul><li><p><b><span>Define technical vision & architecture</span></b><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Set the technical direction for SDS software components with a focus on correctness, robustness, and predictable runtime behavior under tight latency and compute budgets.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Architect scalable, modular</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>multi‑sensor<span> </span></span><span>perception</span><span><span> </span>pipelines</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>for camera, radar, and lidar, including detection, classification, lane/road feature extraction,<span> </span></span><span>freespace</span><span>/occupancy, and environmental context.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Establish and evolve</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>interfaces and contracts</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>between <span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; text-decoration: inherit; hyphens: auto;">perception/prediction</span> and upstream/downstream components (state estimation, localization, mapping, planning, controls, autonomy management).</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><b><span>Lead high‑impact projects</span></b><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Lead design and delivery of</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>multi‑object tracking</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>systems (e.g., <span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; text-decoration: inherit; hyphens: auto;">Kalman/extended/unscented</span> filters, IMM, probabilistic data association, track lifecycle management) that provide stable, high‑quality tracks under real‑world noise and edge cases.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Drive development and integration of</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>short‑horizon motion prediction</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>for vehicles, VRUs, and other actors using a mix of analytical models and ML‑based forecasting, including uncertainty modeling that enables conservative, fail‑operational decisions.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Evaluate trade‑offs between</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>traditional computer vision/robotics</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>and</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>ML‑based</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>approaches, choosing the right tool for the problem and ensuring solutions are production‑ready under latency and compute constraints.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><b><span>Hands‑on technical excellence</span></b><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Design and implement critical components in<span> </span></span></span><b><span>modern C++</span></b><span><span><span> </span>(C++17 or later), with careful attention to memory management, concurrency, and real‑time behavior; use Python for tooling, data analysis, and ML experimentation.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div></div><div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Set and uphold<span> </span></span><span>high standards</span><span><span> </span>for software quality: clean, well‑documented APIs; rigorous code reviews; automated and regression testing; continuous integration; and rich logging and observability for on‑road incidents.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Profile and<span> </span></span><span>optimize</span><span><span> </span>SDS components to meet strict<span> </span></span></span><b><span>runtime performance, determinism, and resource‑usage</span></b><span><span><span> </span>requirements, using offline and online<span> </span></span></span><b><span>evaluation frameworks and metrics</span></b><span><span><span> </span>to guide iteration, regression detection, and performance tuning.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><b><span>Cross‑functional and safety alignment</span></b><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Work with state estimation, localization, mapping, and autonomy management partners to ensure SDS<span> </span></span><span>perception</span><span><span> </span>and prediction behavior supports reliable engagement and MRM in response to primary stack failures.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Partner with Safety and Systems Engineering to ensure designs and implementations align with</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>functional safety</span></b><span><span>, redundancy, and MRM requirements for fail‑operational, eyes‑off features.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Represent SDS<span> </span></span><span>perception</span><span><span> </span>and prediction in</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>cross‑org technical forums</span></b><span><span>, ensuring alignment with broader autonomy, platform, and hardware roadmaps.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><b><span>Leadership & mentorship</span></b><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Provide</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>technical mentorship</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>to other engineers, from onboarding to growing senior and staff‑level talent in <span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; text-decoration: inherit; hyphens: auto;">perception/tracking/prediction</span> and modern C++.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Lead and<span> </span></span><span>facilitate</span><span><span> </span>design reviews, incident post‑mortems, and cross‑team technical deep dives, raising the bar for clarity, robustness, and execution speed.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Help build a healthy engineering culture: pragmatic, data‑driven decision‑making; strong ownership; and a focus on safety, reliability, and customer experience.</span><span><span> </span></span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><p><span> </span></p></div><div><p><span><span>Qualifications</span></span><span> </span></p></div><div><p><span> </span></p></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>BS, MS, or PhD in</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>Computer Science, Robotics, <span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; text-decoration: inherit; hyphens: auto;">Electrical/Mechanical</span> Engineering</span></b><span><span>, or a related field; or equivalent practical experience.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><b><span>8+ years</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>of professional software engineering experience building production systems in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other complex real‑time/control systems, including<span> </span></span><span>significant experience</span><span><span> </span>in<span> </span></span><span>perception</span><span><span> </span>and/or prediction.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Strong<span> </span></span><span>proficiency</span><span><span> </span>in</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>modern C++</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>(e.g., C++14/17 or later) in large, multi‑contributor codebases; experience using</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>Python</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>for tooling, data analysis, and ML experimentation.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Demonstrated experience</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>leading technical design and delivery</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>of<span> </span></span><span>perception</span><span>, tracking, or prediction systems in real‑time environments, including:</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Multi‑sensor fusion across camera, radar, and/or lidar (e.g., object‑level fusion, occupancy/</span><span>freespace</span><span><span> </span>fusion, early/late fusion architectures)</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Classical computer vision and geometric algorithms (feature extraction, multi‑view geometry, stereo,<span> </span></span><span>SfM</span><span>, SLAM/visual odometry)</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Multi‑object tracking <span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; text-decoration: inherit; hyphens: auto;">(Kalman/extended/unscented</span> filters, track‑to‑track fusion, track lifecycle management)</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Motion prediction for road users (analytical kinematic models, maneuver‑based prediction, or learned trajectory forecasting models)</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Proven<span> </span></span><span>track record</span><span><span> </span>of delivering</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>reliable, high‑quality</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>robotics or autonomous driving software to production, including:</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Testing strategies (simulation, HIL, scenario‑based testing, regression suites)</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div></div><div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Robust metrics and dashboards for monitoring <span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; text-decoration: inherit; hyphens: auto;">perception/prediction</span> performance</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Performance tuning under strict latency and compute budgets</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Strong communication</span><span><span> </span>and collaboration skills, with the ability to:</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Drive clarity in ambiguous technical spaces</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Influence engineers and leaders across ML, systems, platform, hardware, and safety</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Document and communicate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Passion for automated driving and robotics, and for building systems that measurably improve safety and driver experience.</span><span><span> </span></span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><p><span><span>Bonus points</span></span><span> </span></p></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Experience building or leading</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>camera/radar/lidar<span> </span></span><span>perception</span><span><span> </span>and fusion</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>for autonomous driving or advanced driver<span> </span></span><span>assistance</span><span><span> </span>systems in production.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Deep<span> </span></span><span>expertise</span><span><span> </span>in</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>tracking and prediction</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>for autonomous vehicles or robotics (e.g., interaction‑aware prediction, occupancy forecasting, scene‑level prediction).</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Hands‑on experience with</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span><span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; text-decoration: inherit; hyphens: auto;">GPU/accelerator‑based</span> ML inference</span></b><span><span>, model deployment, and performance optimization (e.g.,<span> </span></span><span>TensorRT</span><span>, ONNX Runtime, custom accelerators).</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Experience with</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>safety‑critical software</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>or working closely with functional safety teams on requirements, architectures, safety cases, and validation for fail‑operational features.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><p><span><span>Background in</span><span><span> </span></span></span><b><span>ROS</span></b><span><span><span> </span></span><span>or similar robotics middleware, and familiarity with real‑time or embedded platforms and constraints.</span></span><span> </span></p></li></ul><p></p><p><b>Compensation:</b> 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 <span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; text-decoration: inherit; hyphens: auto;">positions located outside</span> of New York, Colorado, California, or <span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; text-decoration: inherit; hyphens: auto;">Washington.  </span></p><ul><li><p>The salary range for this role is $218,800-$335,300. The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position. </p></li><li><p>Bonus Potential: An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.</p></li><li><p>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. </p></li></ul><p></p><p><b>Benefits: </b></p><ul><li><p>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. </p></li></ul><p><br>#GM-AV-1</p></div></div><span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; text-decoration: inherit; hyphens: auto;"> </span><p><b>About GM</b></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p><b>Why Join Us</b> </p><p>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.</p><p></p><p><b>Benefits Overview</b></p><p>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 <a href="https://search-careers.gm.com/en/working-at-gm/total-rewards" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="emphasis-3"><b>Total Rewards resources</b></span></a>.</p><p></p><p><b>Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)</b></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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. </p><p></p><p>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 <a href="https://search-careers.gm.com/en/how-we-hire" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="emphasis-3"><b>How we Hire</b></span></a>.</p><p></p><p><b>Accommodations</b></p><p>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, <a href="mailto:Careers.Accommodations@GM.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="emphasis-3"><b>email</b></span></a><b> </b>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.</p><p></p>

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