Staff Sensor Systems Engineer

General Motors•Washington, DC

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

General Motors is developing hands-off and eyes-off autonomous driving systems intended for broad deployment across consumer vehicles. As part of this effort, GM is investing in sensor platforms and system architectures that can be integrated, validated, and operated reliably at scale across diverse vehicle programs and operating environments. We are seeking a staff systems engineer to join the Sensor Systems Engineering & Architecture team to provide technical leadership in defining how autonomous sensing systems are architected and integrated across GM’s autonomy programs. This role focuses on system‑level decisions at the intersection of sensors, embedded software, vehicle platforms, and autonomy software, ensuring that sensing solutions are technically sound, aligned with product intent, and executable in production. In this position, you will lead system‑level trade studies, define sensor systems spanning camera, radar, and lidar, and work closely with perception, platform software, and vehicle integration teams to address real engineering challenges. The role is intended for engineers who are comfortable operating in ambiguity, applying first‑principles analysis alongside practical constraints, and providing steady technical direction as systems mature from early development into deployed solutions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Systems, Electrical, Software, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent work experience.
10+ years of experience in systems engineering, system integration, or hardware‑intensive product development.
Experience working with sensing systems (camera, radar, lidar, or similar) and their usage and integration into vehicles.
Experience leading system architecture, integration, and cross‑domain technical initiatives.
Strong expertise in requirements development, interface definition, integration, and validation.
Technical depth in signal processing, link analysis, or ML across at least one relevant sensing modality.
Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous problem spaces and drive technical alignment across teams.
Experience with Matlab, Python, or other language to support data analysis and analysis tooling development.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
Experience working on L4 (or equivalent) autonomous vehicle programs or advanced remote sensing platforms.
Experience developing, debugging, or integrating embedded or systems‑level software.
Significant experience with automotive autonomy focused SPAD lidars and/or imaging radars.
Experience with requirements management tools such as JAMA or DNG.
Knowledge of safety-critical‑ system development or functional safety concepts.
Experience with system/component validation, including vehicle testing, HIL/SIL, simulation, and large‑scale data analysis

Responsibilities

Lead system level trades and requirement decomposition, definition, and integration requirements of autonomous sensor systems, including cameras, radar, and lidar
Provide detailed technical analysis from component level to system for autonomous vehicle sensing functions across performance, latency, data integrity, synchronization, and hardware/software interaction
Translate autonomy and product intent into system architectures, functional decompositions, and requirements.
Work closely with software platform teams, vehicle integration, hardware teams, perception, and validation teams to manage complex interdependencies and drive forward progress.
Ensure system designs meet safety, regulatory, quality, and performance requirements relevant to autonomous vehicle operation.
Drive continuous improvement in sensing system performance, robustness, diagnostics, integration, and cost.
Clearly document technical decisions, trade‑offs, and deliverables.