GPSSC Driver Performance Project Engineer – Virtual Controls

General Motors•Warren, MI

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

At General Motors, our product teams are redefining mobility. Through a human-centered design process, we create vehicles and experiences that are designed not just to be seen, but to be felt. We’re turning today’s impossible into tomorrow’s standard —from breakthrough hardware and battery systems to intuitive design, intelligent software, and next-generation safety and entertainment features. Every day, our products move millions of people as we aim to make driving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale. The Role General Motors is dedicated to enhancing product safety through driver performance safety research relative to advanced crash avoidance technologies and crash protection strategies. The Global Product Safety, Systems, and Certification organization is looking for a proactive "Driver Performance Project Engineer" to lead safety strategy studies and develop requirements for virtual controls, requiring a high degree of creativity, initiative, collaboration, and independent judgment. As GM accelerates the move to virtualize more physical controls into screen-based Human–Machine Interfaces (HMI), this role: Is accountable for the safety performance, risk assessment, and validation of virtual controls (for regulation compliance). Is responsible for the safety and regulatory evaluation of virtual control executions. Interfaces with multiple internal and external entities (Safety, OnStar, Marketing, Planning, Alliance, Government, Universities, User Experience, Driver Workload Lab etc.). Establishes the vision and roadmap of driver performance specifications for virtual controls. Harmonize virtual button strategy with driver distraction subject matter expert (Vehicle Performance Owner: Driver Distraction) Provides a clear Safety perspective to inform which controls can safely be virtualized, under what conditions, and with what safeguards. Ensures that decisions about virtualizing controls do not introduce unintended safety, driver workload, or regulatory risk. Design and request safety studies to evaluate virtual button placement Consistent contact with User Experience and Studio to ensure that the virtual button execution is safety strategy Presenting updates to Safety leadership and driver distraction forums Assist VPO : Driver Distraction with emerging features that may need input from a driver distraction standpoint The core scope of this role is the safety and regulatory robustness of virtualized controls, informed by strong understanding of driver interaction, workload, and in vehicle user experience, and embedded early in vehicle development so that safety and regulatory constraints drive architecture, not late fixes.

Requirements

Bachelor degree in Human Factors / Experimental Psychology / Cognitive Science / Cognitive Psychology / Human-Computer Interaction.
4+ years of related experience.
Thorough knowledge of: Human Factors approaches to conduct driver performance studies, procedures, and requirements development.
In vehicle HMI / UX or Human Factors work tied to safety, distraction, or regulatory outcomes Global regulations and consumer metrics for controls, tell tales, distraction, and driver assistance HMIs.
How virtual and hybrid controls affect driver workload, usability, and safety.
Basic principles of driver workload, attention, and human error management as applied to in vehicle interfaces.
Strong, highly developed oral and written communications skills.
High level of interpersonal skills to work effectively with others, and elicit work output.
High level of analytical problem-solving skills where problems are very unusual and extremely difficult.
This position requires the ability to legally operate a motor vehicle on a regular basis and successfully complete a Motor Vehicle Report review.

Nice To Haves

Masters or Ph.D. in Human Factors / Experimental Psychology / Cognitive Science / Cognitive Psychology.
Two or more graduate level statistics courses.
Exposure to type approval, NCAP (e.g., Euro NCAP), or regulatory engagement on HMI, control layout, or virtual controls.
Experience collaborating with UX strategy, design system, and information architecture teams, especially for in vehicle or other safety critical systems Programming proficiency with the ability to use AI-assisted tools to write and refine code.
DFSS Black Belt Certified.