Principal Software Engineer - Mainframe Modernization

General Motors • Austin, MI

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

General Motors is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership and architectural direction for enterprise-scale mainframe modernization initiatives, guiding the evolution of mission-critical systems toward modern, scalable, SaaS-focused architectures. This role requires deep understanding of legacy mainframe platforms combined with expertise in modern distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, and incremental, value-driven migration strategies. The successful candidate will define modernization roadmaps, evaluate migration approaches, ensure transactional integrity and operational resilience, and partner closely with IT, operations, and business stakeholders to deliver long term transformation. In addition, the successful candidate will be expected to provide architectural guidance, conduct hands-on design/code reviews, and mentor technical talent across multiple teams.

Requirements

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 5 years in a principal, staff, or architect-level role.
• Demonstrated expertise in mainframe ecosystem operational characteristics and operating models.
• Demonstrated experience in enterprise-level change management and platform migration.
• Proven success designing and scaling distributed, cloud-native systems.
• Strong understanding of security, observability, performance, and high-availability architectures.
• Comfortable operating in highly ambiguous and dynamic environments.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and mentoring abilities, with a passion for driving innovation in technology.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience with multiple modernization patterns (e.g., strangler, domain decomposition).
• Experience migrating to SaaS-driven platforms where the core business expectation is ‘no one notices’.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the over-arching technical vision and architecture across multiple modernization pillars.
• Drive consistent adoption of practices that ensure reliability, scalability, resilience, and security.
• Challenge legacy assumptions, constraints, and development patterns.
• Identify and drive investments in sustainable competitive advantages.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to IT leadership and executives for critical design decisions, technology adoption, and integration strategies.
• Mentor and grow senior technical talent, raising overall capability and maturity.
• Foster alignment and collaboration across globally distributed engineering organizations.
• Influence leadership beyond IT by advocating for innovation and technical investments.

Benefits

• From day one, we're looking out for your well-being–at work and at home–so you can focus on realizing your ambitions. Learn how GM supports a rewarding career that rewards you personally by visiting Total Rewards resources.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level