General Motors

Principal Software Engineering - Test System Modernization

General Motors • $125K — $150K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in a technical field or equivalent experience.
  • 10-15 years of experience in software validation and architecture leadership.
  • Deep understanding of real-time software architecture.
  • Experience with high-quality safety-critical product delivery.
  • Expertise in CI/CD, embedded test automation, and build-to-test pipelines.
  • Proficiency in data modeling, analytics, and API development.
  • Familiarity with embedded systems, Linux, Git, Python, and infrastructure as code.

Responsibilities

  • Lead software engineering productivity and effectiveness initiatives.
  • Identify and implement process improvements across teams.
  • Drive high-impact projects with hands-on leadership.
  • Communicate effectively while coaching and mentoring team members.
  • Analyze complex problems and develop effective solutions.
  • Connect multiple initiatives to enhance overall value delivery.
  • Visualize and execute required innovations and simplifications.

Benefits

  • Paid time off including vacation, holidays, and parental leave.
  • Comprehensive healthcare, dental, and vision benefits.
  • Life insurance plans for you and your family.
  • Defined Contribution Pension plan with company contributions.
  • GM Vehicle Purchase Plan for employees and their families.
Full Job Description

Job Description

Vacancy Status:

This posting is not for an existing vacancy within the organization and is open to new applications.


AI Disclosure:

As part of the application process, Artificial Intelligence will be used in the hiring process for this role


Work Arrangement:

Hybrid: This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to Markham or Oshawa office three times per week, at minimum.


The Role


General Motors is seeking a Principal/Staff Software Engineer to shape and scale the engineering platforms that build, test, integrate, validate, and deliver embedded software for software-defined vehicles. This role is for a hands-on technical leader who can turn ambiguous, cross-team problems into durable architecture, practical standards, and measurable improvements in engineering effectiveness, release confidence, and product quality.

The successful candidate will lead a major capability across multiple teams, influence technical direction beyond their immediate organization, and connect software, tooling, infrastructure, test, and release activities into a coherent engineering system.

What You'll Do (Responsibilities):


  • Be a critical leader of software engineering productivity and effectiveness.
  • Identify opportunities, strategies, process improvements, and lead the change.
  • Be hands-on by leading high impact efforts.
  • Be a strong communicator, coach, and mentor.
  • Analyze unusual and difficult problems effectively.
  • Ability to connect multiple initiatives together to deliver higher value.
  • Visualize required innovation, learning and simplification in this space and transition theteam to execute what is required to achieve.
  • Maintain command skills and empathy at the same time.
  • Lead the modernization of a large-scale embedded software test system.
  • Define and modernize a standardized, fully automated, headless framework across virtual and physical environments to enable full-suite testing multiple times per day.



Key Deliverables


  • Define the architecture and roadmap for standardized test execution, configuration and variation management, traceability, quality gates, regression selection, and results reporting.
  • Establish change-impact analysis and risk-based regression strategies using Gears, Pure Variants, or equivalent tools to determine test applicability and optimize re-testing.
  • Standardize test-result schemas, metadata, diagnostics, and artifacts; enable storage in Databricks for analytics, trend analysis, data mining, and reporting.
  • Develop APIs and integrations connecting test execution, test management, issue tracking, failure triage, and diagnostic tools
  • Improve test robustness, failure triage, execution speed, and deployment efficiency across CI/CD pipelines and physical and virtual test environments.



Measures of Success


  • Faster, more reliable test deployment and execution.
  • More efficient regression testing through accurate change-impact analysis.
  • Standardized, traceable test results accessible through Databricks and documented APIs.
  • Faster failure identification, triage, and resolution.
  • Clear test applicability across software, hardware, configuration, and platform variants.


Qualifications/Requirements


  • Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering, systems engineering or a related technical field; or equivalent practical experience.
  • Typically, 10+ and 15+ more years experience validating software systems, including substantial experience leading architecture across organizations.
  • Deep understanding of software architecture for real time systems.
  • Experience shipping high quality safety critical products.
  • Experience architecting large-scale CI/CD, embedded test automation, and build-to-test pipelines.
  • Expertise in variation management, configuration comparison, change-impact analysis, and risk-based regression testing.
  • Experience with test-result data modeling, Databricks, analytics, data mining, and API development.
  • Proficiency with embedded systems, Linux, Git, Python, Bash, Robot Framework, containers, and infrastructure as code.
  • Demonstrated ability to integrate automated diagnostics and issue-management workflows.



People Skills:


  • Exceptional problem-solving and analytical abilities, with a keen attention to detail.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-pacedenvironment.
  • Demonstrated ability to work in an action-oriented decision-making environment.


What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications):


  • Masters degree or PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Machine Learning, AI, or a related field.
  • Experience in embedded software development, automotive software, systems engineering, or safety-related toolchains.
  • Familiarity with GM engineering tools, engineering workflows, or internal platform environments.
  • Experience building AI assistants, coding agents, or domain-specific AI capabilities for engineers.
  • Experience with knowledge systems, vector search, ranking, workflow orchestration, or code intelligence platforms.
  • Experience supporting large engineering communities through reusable tools, templates, and automation.
  • Experience evaluating AI quality in production systems using measurable outcomes such as acceptance rate, time saved, precision and recall, hallucination reduction, or workflow completion rate.

GM DOES NOT PROVIDE IMMIGRATION-RELATED SPONSORSHIP FOR THIS ROLE. DO NOT APPLY FOR THIS ROLE IF YOU WILLNEED GM IMMIGRATION SPONSORSHIP NOW OR IN THE FUTURE.


Benefits Overview


The goal of the General Motors of Canada total rewards program is to support the health and well-being of you and your family. Our comprehensive compensation plan currently includes the following benefits, in addition to many others:

  • Paid time off including vacation days, holidays, and supplemental benefits for pregnancy, parental and adoption leave;
  • Healthcare, dental, and vision benefits;
  • Life insurance plans to cover you and your family;
  • Company and matching contributions to a Defined Contribution Pension plan to help you save for retirement;
  • GM Vehicle Purchase Plan for you and your family

About General Motors

General Motors Company engages in the manufacture and sale of cars and trucks in the United States, China, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy. It offers sedans, crossovers, sport utility vehicles, pick-up trucks, coupes, sports/convertibles and hybrid vehicles, hatchbacks/wagons, and vans, as well as mini cars in India. The company also provides parts and accessories, such as iPod and MP3 compatibility, mobility accessories, performance parts, AC parts and services, and merchandise. In addition, it offers vehicle safety, security, and information services. The company provides used vehicles. It offers its products through dealers and distributors. General Motors Company was formerly known as NGMCO, Inc. and changed its name to General Motors Company in July 2009. The company was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Detroit, Michigan. It operates manufacturing facilities in India, the United States, and Canada. General Motors Company operates as a subsidiary of the United States Department of The Treasury. General Motors led global vehicle sales for 77 consecutive years from 1931 through 2007, longer than any other automaker, and is currently among the world's largest automakers by vehicle unit sales. General Motors acts in most countries outside the USA via wholly-owned subsidiaries but operates in China through 10 joint ventures. GM's OnStar subsidiary provides vehicle safety, security, and information services. In 2009, General Motors shed several brands, closing Saturn, Pontiac, and Hummer, and emerged from a government-backed Chapter 11 reorganization. In 2010, GM made an initial public offering IPOs to date and returned to profitability later that year.

General Motors Careers

Join the dynamic team at General Motors, a global leader in automotive innovation and technology. At General Motors, we offer unparalleled job opportunities that propel your career forward while contributing to a legacy of engineering excellence.

Work You’ll Do

Embark on a career with General Motors to drive the future of mobility. Our team is dedicated to redefining the automotive landscape through innovation and leadership in electric vehicles and sustainable solutions. By joining us, you will be part of a culture that values diversity, teamwork, and continuous professional growth.

Transform Your Career

General Motors is not just a company; it's a community where you can grow your skills alongside the best in the industry. Our leadership is committed to providing every employee—from interns to senior professionals—with opportunities for career advancement, leadership development, and diversity training.

Innovate and Lead

At General Motors, innovation is at the core of everything we do. From research and development to manufacturing, our teams work collaboratively to lead the industry with cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices. We encourage our employees to think big and push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Join Our Global Team

As part of our global workforce, you will collaborate with talented individuals who are passionate about shaping the future of transportation. General Motors offers a variety of career paths in engineering, design, IT, marketing, and more. With over 155,000 employees worldwide, our network provides expansive opportunities for networking and professional development.

Internship Programs and Employment Benefits

Start your career journey with a General Motors internship, where you can apply your academic knowledge to real-world projects. Our internships provide a robust foundation in the automotive industry, with mentorship from experienced leaders. Full-time employees enjoy a wealth of benefits, including comprehensive health care, retirement plans, and performance bonuses, ensuring that your hard work is rewarded.

Explore Job Opportunities

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a recent graduate, General Motors offers positions that leverage your unique skills. Our hiring process is designed to identify and nurture talent, focusing on aligning your capabilities with the right opportunities for growth within the company.

Stay Connected

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Learn more about General Motors
Size
157,000 employees
Market Cap
$46.9 billion
Industry
Net Income
$6.4 billion
Founded
1908
5 Year Trend
-3.2%
Revenue
$122.4 billion
NASDAQ

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