Manager, Autonomy Systems Validation

Job Description

Hybrid: This role is categorized as remote.

Role: As a Manager, Autonomy Systems Engineering & Validation, you will serve as the technical owner for selected automated driving features and autonomy subsystems—translating product intent into integrated operating concepts (ConOps), functional and performance requirements, subsystem boundaries, and verification strategies. You will lead a team of senior systems engineers who define what must be proven, how it maps to the autonomy stack, and what evidence is required to support product launch and continuous over-the-air (OTA) release decisions for next-generation L3+ automated driving capabilities.

You will combine chief-engineer-level systems design with people leadership: owning feature and solution requirements from product definition through testable specifications, architecting end-to-end validation strategies across simulation, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)/bench, closed-track, and on-road environments, and delivering traceable validation evidence that cross-functional partners consume for development, safety case, and release decisions.

About the Organization : The Autonomous Vehicle (AV) organization is building the next generation of L3+ automated driving capabilities. Within Software Validation, this team is the systems-design and requirements authority for selected autonomy features and subsystems—turning product and architecture inputs into operating concepts, technical requirements, safety-informed specifications, and verification & validation (V&V) strategies. You will partner with simulation, ML/AI, safety, and platform teams on test execution and tooling; your core responsibility is to define system intent and the evidence needed to prove it at scale.

What You'll Do:

• Serve as technical Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) and people leader for systems engineering covering features such as collision detection and response, minimum risk maneuvers (MRM), operating modes and state management, navigation, cloud services, and related subsystems.

• Own the systems-design lifecycle from operating concept through tiered requirements, acceptance criteria, and validation roadmaps aligned to product milestones. Author and govern all levels of requirements with end-to-end traceability to product requirements, hazards, regulatory constraints, and test evidence.

• Architect V&V strategies and test frameworks across simulation, HIL/bench, closed-track, and on-road environments—including defining metrics, acceptance criteria, and confidence thresholds tied to requirements and safety goals. Strategies naturally feed release gates, monitoring, and the safety case.

• Lead cross-functional systems reviews with Safety, Embodied AI, Simulation, Platform, and Product—driving alignment on requirements, hazards, validation design, and launch readiness from ambiguous early inputs.

• Build and develop a team of senior and staff systems engineers—hiring for systems-design depth, not just test execution; coaching technical DRIs on complex autonomy subsystems.

• Represent the function in executive program reviews, design reviews, and launch readiness forums—communicating technical trade-offs, validation maturity, and evidence gaps to senior leadership.

• Champion systems engineering best practices across the organization: design documentation, hazard traceability, impact analysis, and scalable validation planning—from ad hoc testing to industrialized V&V.

• Drive 0→1 systems design for new autonomy capabilities—rapidly prototyping requirements and validation concepts, gaining cross-functional consensus, and maturing them into baselined specifications under change control.

Your Skills & Abilities

• Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Data Science, or related fields.

• 10+ years of experience in systems engineering, robotics, systems analysis, data analysis, statistical analysis, validation, or other related fields—with a track record of leading technical definition and V&V for multi-subsystem, safety-critical programs (autonomous vehicles, ADAS, robotics, aerospace, or defense).

• 2+ years of experience leading engineers in a people management or dotted-line technical leadership role.

• Strong foundations in systems engineering including requirements decomposition, interface definition, operating concepts (ConOps), hazard-informed design, and requirements–test–evidence traceability.

• Demonstrated ability to design and review multi-environment V&V strategies spanning simulation, bench/HIL, closed-track, and on-road testing, including sim-to-physical correlation.

• Comfortable working with validation data and metrics; ability to interpret outputs from simulation, test, and monitoring pipelines (Python/SQL familiarity a plus, not the core of the role).

• Excellent communication skills, able to explain complex technical topics in clear, simple language. Ability to tailor messages to engineers, cross-functional partners, and senior leaders.

• Proven ability to operate in ambiguity, create structure, and move from quick prototypes to robust, scalable solutions on tight timelines—including chief-engineer or technical pillar ownership on major programs.

What Will Give You A Competitive Edge

• Experience with autonomous vehicles, vehicle development, or ADAS development.

• Experience defining or validating operational design domains (ODD) and/or system behavior in critical scenarios such as minimum risk maneuvers, hazard avoidance, or fault handling.

• Hands-on experience with validating systems using robotics simulation and correlating results to physical testing.

• Experience with requirements and test management tools and integrating them into engineering and validation workflows.

• Familiarity with hazard and safety analysis methods (e.g. FMEA, STPA, fault trees) and how they connect to validation plans and evidence.

• Track record of building and scaling teams, including hiring, coaching, and developing systems and validation engineers.

• Proficient with SQL, Python, and C++ for analyzing large data sets.

• Comfortable using AI tools and agents to automate workflows and accelerate software development.

• Chief Engineer, Lead Systems Engineer, or Distinguished Engineer experience on a major autonomy or safety-critical program

• Published large, tiered requirement sets for vehicle or platform programs.

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 $189,300 to $290,700. 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: 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

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}.

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