Staff Software Engineer, Chassis Controls

Description

Work Arrangement:

Hybrid: 

This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to Milford, Michigan or Warren, MI three times per week, at minimum.  

Mission Statement

To elevate the quality, efficiency, and excellence of embedded controls software development across the VMEC Chassis Controls organization by serving as a technical multiplier: identifying and eliminating systemic friction, building durable tools and processes, mentoring engineers at all levels, and influencing software design up front.

The Role

VMEC Chassis Controls is seeking a Staff Software Engineer who will serve as a hands-on technical leader and force multiplier across the organization. This is not a role that waits for work to be assigned. This person identifies the highest-value problems in how we develop software and delivers practical, lasting solutions that raise the bar for the entire team.

The ideal candidate is an expert in their craft within the embedded controls space: deeply technical, highly autonomous, and motivated by making every engineer around them more effective. They provide technical leadership across multiple teams, engaging early in new software implementations alongside key technical stakeholders to shape design decisions before code is written. They build tools, refine processes, create automation, drive engineering standards and best practices, and mentor engineers so that improvements are durable and self-sustaining.

What You'll Do:

Identify high-value opportunities to improve engineering effectiveness across tools, workflows, build processes, and the overall developer experience within VMEC Chassis Controls.

Design, develop, and deliver embedded controls software in C, including requirements analysis, functional decomposition, implementation, and testing.

Drive first-time quality at every step of the software development process, from design and code reviews through test strategy and release readiness.

Build practical software solutions, tools, automation, and dashboards that simplify, unify, and optimize software development workflows for engineers at every level.

Partner closely with teams to understand pain points and root causes, then implement durable structural improvements rather than surface-level fixes.

Improve the usability, correctness, and discoverability of engineering systems, dashboards, and self-service tools.

Contribute to and improve CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and validation strategies for platform software.

Use Git/GitHub and code review best practices to maintain code quality, test coverage and traceability across a multi-team environment.

Influence software design decisions across projects and products by engaging early with the SW architecture team and other key technical stakeholders to ensure architectural soundness.

Work with SQAs to understand and anticipate architectural blocking rules, helping SW development teams minimize disruption and maintain delivery momentum.

Serve as a domain expert and go-to resource for chassis controls software, helping engineers across the organization navigate complex technical questions.

Contribute to the technology roadmap for tools, processes, and software practices, advising leadership on forward-looking strategy and innovation opportunities.

Mentor engineers at all levels through code reviews, design guidance, one-on-one coaching, and leading by example.

Lead technical forums across the organization to streamline tools, align practices, eliminate redundancy, and identify efficiency opportunities.

Champion and lead software process development updates within GM's process tool "Stages".

Teach and enable partner teams so that improvements remain sustainable after the initial work is complete.

Drive initiatives from concept through implementation and adoption, ensuring solutions take hold and deliver lasting value.

Support the team in delivering quality software on time for program milestones, maintaining awareness of delivery timelines and priorities.

Work with a high degree of independence, owning technical execution end to end with limited oversight.

What Success Looks Like

You personally deliver complete, production-quality software solutions while simultaneously raising the capability of the broader team.

Engineering teams across the organization are measurably more productive and produce higher-quality software as a direct result of tools, automation, and process improvements you delivered.

Software quality issues are identified earlier through stronger design reviews, code reviews, and test strategy, reducing rework and late-cycle defects.

Recurring defects and integration issues are reduced through systemic fixes rather than one-off containment.

CI/CD, static analysis, automated test coverage, and release readiness practices become more consistent and effective across teams.

Engineers across the organization adopt stronger practices through your coaching, reusable tools, and clearer standards.

Improvements you introduce are adopted and sustained by teams independently, not dependent on your ongoing involvement.

Leadership has clear visibility into software quality health, technology direction, and engineering effectiveness through your roadmap contributions and data-driven recommendations.

Your Skills and Abilities (Required Qualifications)

Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field.

8+ years of relevant full-time experience, including delivering production software in the automotive industry or similarly complex embedded domains.

Demonstrated ability to independently identify important technical problems and deliver effective solutions with limited oversight.

Strong proficiency in embedded software development using C/C++ for real-time control systems.

Experience with physics-based control algorithms, diagnostics strategies, and mechatronic systems.

Proven track record of building tools, automation, or internal platforms that improve developer productivity or engineering workflows.

Excellent systems thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to distinguish root causes from surface-level symptoms.

Experience working across team boundaries and influencing outcomes without relying on organizational authority.

Experience with software architecture and design for embedded controllers.

Strong knowledge of automotive vehicle electrical architectures and serial data communications (CAN, LIN, Ethernet).

Proficiency with GM software development tools and practices (Git/Github, Jira, DOORS, PRTS).

Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to present complex technical content clearly to both engineers and leadership.

What Can Give You a Competitive Advantage (Preferred Qualifications)

Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or closely related field.

10+ years of relevant full-time experience, including delivering production software in the automotive industry or similarly complex embedded domains.

Direct experience in Chassis Controls, Vehicle Dynamics, Steering, Suspension, Brakes, Driveline, or related mechatronic domains.

Experience with MATLAB/Simulink and model-based software development workflows.

Experience improving CI/CD pipelines, build systems, testing workflows, or release processes in an embedded environment.

Experience designing or building dashboards, developer portals, workflow tooling, or self-service internal platforms.

Experience with agile software development in an automotive context.

Knowledge of functional safety standards (ISO 26262), ASIL, DVUL, and ASPICE.

Experience with HIL, SIL, and vehicle-level test environments and associated tools (Vehicle Spy, CANalyzer, dSPACE/ControlDesk).

DFSS Black Belt Certification.

Strong coaching and mentoring instincts, especially in helping teams build the skills needed to sustain progress independently.

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.    

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.     

Relocation:     

This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.  

The selected candidate will be required to travel <25% for this role. 

This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week {or other frequency dictated by their manager}.

The selected candidate will be required to travel <25% for this role.

This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.

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