Senior AI & AV Safety Researcher

General Motors • Wichita, KS

256d • $130,800 - $200,400

About The Position

The Safety Assurance for Effective Autonomous Driving Software team at General Motors is seeking a Senior Systems and Safety Engineer with strong data analysis and modeling expertise to support the development, validation, and compliance of autonomous vehicle (AV) software systems. The Safety Assurance for Effective Autonomous Driving Software (SAFE-ADS) department is part of the Global Product Safety, System, and Certification (GPSSC) organization at GM. The SAFE-ADS department serves as the central body for automated driving system (ADS) safety. GM's vision is zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion - AV safety is at the heart of driving forward this vision. This role plays a critical part in shaping GM's safety assurance strategies by leveraging statistical insights, collision dynamics modeling, safety and compliance metrics defining and development and counterfactual driver behavior analysis.

Requirements

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Statistics, Robotics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in safety systems, AV development, or traffic safety analysis.
• Demonstrated expertise in data analysis, statistical modeling, and machine learning applied to safety-critical systems.
• Deep understanding of AV safety principles, traffic law compliance, and behavioral modeling.
• Proficiency with Python and data analysis tools (e.g., NumPy, pandas, scikit-learn, SQL, Databricks).
• Experience with counterfactual reasoning or driver modeling frameworks.
• Familiarity with real-world driving datasets (e.g., SHRP2, crash databases).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to present complex data clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with AV simulation platforms (e.g., Carla, Apollo, NVIDIA DRIVE Sim).
• Familiarity with Functional Safety (ISO 26262), SOTIF (ISO 21448), UL 4600.
• Prior involvement in regulatory safety reporting (e.g., NHTSA's Standing General Order (SGO), state reporting, consent order, etc.).
• Knowledge of crash reconstruction, accident severity modeling, or surrogate safety metrics.

Responsibilities

• Define and refine safety and traffic compliance metrics for AV software based on data-driven insights.
• Lead the development of counterfactual driver behavior models to simulate alternative outcomes in near-miss or intervention scenarios.
• Analyze large-scale real-world and simulation datasets (e.g., SHRP2, GM fleet data) to identify leading indicators of risk, unsafe behaviors, or non-compliance events.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (system architects, ML engineers, safety operators) to ensure that AV behavior aligns with established safety goals and compliance thresholds.
• Model collision scenarios and dynamics to assess severity, avoidability, and control system response.
• Translate statistical findings into actionable safety recommendations for engineering and policy teams.
• Contribute to safety case development and internal documentation supporting AV software releases.
• Support alignment with internal and external standards (e.g., ISO 26262, UL 4600, NHTSA safety frameworks, GM Safety Process).

Benefits

• Paid time off including vacation days, holidays, and parental leave for mothers, fathers and adoptive parents.
• Healthcare (including a triple tax advantaged health savings account and wellness incentive), dental, vision and life insurance plans to cover you and your family.
• Company and matching contributions to 401K savings plan to help you save for retirement.
• Global recognition program for peers and leaders to recognize and be recognized for results and behaviors that reflect our company values.
• Tuition assistance and student loan refinancing.
• Discount on GM vehicles for you, your family and friends.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
• Education Level: Master's degree