General Motors

Staff Systems Engineer (Core Platform)

General Motors$160K — $263K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in relevant field or equivalent experience.
  • 8+ years of software engineering with systems-level programming knowledge.
  • Strong proficiency in Go for backend services and tooling.
  • Solid understanding of Linux systems and interfaces.
  • Experience with hardware-software integration tools and automation frameworks.
  • Familiarity with embedded systems and hardware communication protocols.
  • Experience in CI/CD pipelines for hardware-in-the-loop systems.
  • Strong troubleshooting skills across hardware and software layers.

Responsibilities

  • Design and develop integration tooling in Go for connecting automotive test hardware to the control plane.
  • Create provisioning workflows for hardware management including firmware flashing and validation processes.
  • Engage with teams to understand hardware workflows and translate into platform features.
  • Build hardware abstraction layers for diverse automotive hardware configurations.
  • Contribute to platform services including API and scheduling with a hardware-aware perspective.
  • Maintain CI/CD pipelines for firmware and deployment workflows incorporating hardware components.
  • Document integration patterns and operational knowledge to enhance team understanding.

Benefits

  • Health and wellbeing programs including medical, dental, and vision.
  • Flexible spending accounts and Health Savings Accounts.
  • Retirement savings plan and life insurance benefits.
  • Paid vacation and holidays along with tuition assistance programs.
  • Employee assistance program and vehicle discounts.
Full Job Description

Job Description

Work Arrangement

Hybrid:This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to Mountain View, CA, Warren, MI, or Austin, TX three times per week.




The Role

The Physical and Virtual Tests Platform organisation at GM is building a cloud-native platform that transforms physical automotive test hardware into cloud-native compute resources. This platform enables developers to discover, provision, and execute workloads on automotive benches with the same ease as cloud computing. As a Staff Systems Engineer, you will be the bridge between the platform and the hardware it manages -- building integration tooling, hardware discovery services, provisioning workflows, and agent software in Go that connects diverse automotive test equipment to the platform's control plane. This is not a pure embedded development role. You will use your understanding of embedded systems, hardware interfaces, and low-level protocols to inform the design of platform services and tooling that abstract hardware complexity for hundreds of developers. You will work closely with both embedded engineering teams and platform engineers, translating between their worlds and shaping the features that make the platform genuinely useful for teams working with physical hardware. This is a hands-on technical leadership role on a small, greenfield team where your decisions will directly shape how the platform interacts with automotive hardware at scale. If you are excited about turning deep systems knowledge into platform services and developer tooling that transforms how engineers access and use test infrastructure, this role offers the opportunity to define that layer from scratch.


What You'll Do
  • Design and build integration tooling and agent services in Go that connect automotive test hardware to the platform's cloud-native control plane, enabling automated hardware discovery, state reporting, and lifecycle management.

  • Develop provisioning workflows that coordinate firmware flashing, health checks, power cycling, and resource validation across diverse bench configurations, working with existing vendor tools and automotive protocols.

  • Engage with embedded engineering teams and bench users to understand their hardware workflows, identify pain points, and translate those findings into platform features and automation tooling.

  • Build hardware abstraction layers that present heterogeneous bench hardware (varying ECU configurations, communication interfaces, firmware versions) as clean, allocatable resources to the platform's scheduler and API.

  • Contribute to core platform services in Go including the API, scheduler, and CLI tooling, bringing a hardware-aware perspective to architecture and design decisions.

  • Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines for firmware build automation, integration testing, and deployment workflows that span both platform services and hardware-facing components.

  • Document hardware integration patterns, protocol quirks, and operational knowledge to build institutional understanding across the team.

  • Collaborate with stakeholders across Infrastructure Engineering, Quality Engineering, and Hardware Infrastructure to define integration requirements, validate platform capabilities against real-world bench workflows, and drive adoption.

  • Work with tools and technologies including Go, PostgreSQL, Nomad, Consul, Linux system interfaces, automotive communication protocols (CAN, Ethernet, serial), CI/CD pipelines, observability frameworks (Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog), and Git/GitHub.


Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field, or equivalent work experience.

  • 8+ years of software engineering experience with a strong foundation in systems-level programming and infrastructure development.

  • Strong proficiency in Go, with the ability to write clean, maintainable production code for backend services and systems tooling.

  • Solid understanding of Linux systems including system interfaces, process management, networking, and service management (systemd).

  • Experience building integration tooling, agent services, or automation frameworks that bridge hardware and software systems.

  • Familiarity with embedded systems concepts including firmware management, boot processes, hardware interfaces (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet), and device lifecycle management.

  • Experience with CI/CD pipelines, build automation, and deployment workflows for systems that include hardware-in-the-loop or physical device dependencies.

  • Strong troubleshooting skills across hardware, software, and integration layers with a systematic debugging methodology.

  • Ability to work across team boundaries, engage with stakeholders who have different technical vocabularies, and translate hardware requirements into platform features.

  • Strong communication and documentation skills with the ability to capture and share integration knowledge across teams.

  • Ownership mentality and comfort working on a small, greenfield team where everyone contributes across the stack.


What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)
  • Experience building platforms, tooling, or services that manage physical hardware as allocatable resources (IaaS, lab automation, test infrastructure, fleet management).

  • Background in automotive software development, ECU integration, or hardware-in-the-loop testing environments.

  • Hands-on experience with automotive communication protocols such as CAN, LIN, DoIP, or UDS in a development or integration context.

  • Experience with embedded Linux distributions (Yocto, Buildroot), device trees, or kernel-level configuration for hardware bring-up.

  • Familiarity with HashiCorp stack (Nomad, Consul, Vault) for orchestration, service discovery, and secrets management.

  • Experience developing Nomad device plugins or similar resource abstraction mechanisms for orchestration platforms.

  • Understanding of firmware update mechanisms (OTA, flashing tools) and hardware provisioning workflows.

  • Experience with observability stacks including Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog, distributed tracing, and structured logging.

  • Background in lab automation, hardware validation, or test infrastructure engineering.

  • Experience migrating from legacy infrastructure to modern platforms whilst maintaining service reliability and business continuity.

  • Track record of mentoring engineers and influencing technical direction across teams.

Additional Data:

This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.

GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This includes direct company sponsorship, entry of GM as the immigration employer of record on a government form, and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g., H1-B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.)

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.

  • The salary range for this role is 160,200 to 263,700. 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.

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.

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

Join Our Team Search open positions that match your skills and interests. At General Motors, we look for innovative, driven, and solution-oriented team players. Explore the possibilities that await you in a career at General Motors.

Keep Up to Date

Stay ahead with career tips, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today—all from the people who drive success at General Motors.

Job Alert Emails

Customize your subscription to receive job alerts, latest news, and insider tips tailored to your preferences. Discover the exciting and rewarding career opportunities available at General Motors. Embark on a journey of growth, innovation, and leadership at General Motors. Shape your future in an environment that fosters diversity, learning, and the pursuit of excellence. Join us and redefine the roads of tomorrow.
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

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at General Motors

More Manufacturing & Automotive Jobs

  • Controller
    $120K — $130K *
    Belleville Boot Company
    Belleville, IL 62220 (Saint Clair County)
  • Director of Engineering
    $150K — $250K *
    Buyers Products
    Mentor, OH 44060 (Lake County)
  • Plant Manager
    Top Industrial Manufacturing Company
    Chicago, IL 60601 (Cook County)
  • Vice President – Vitamin Team
    Feldkamp Marketing
    Cincinnati, OH 45202 (Hamilton County)
  • United Rentals
    Shop Foreman
    $73K — $105K *
    United Rentals
    Kitchener, ON N2A 1A5

Find similar Staff Systems Engineer (Core Platform) jobs: