Staff Software Engineer, Chassis Controls

General Motors•Milford, MI

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

VMEC Chassis Controls is seeking a Staff Software Engineer who will serve as a hands-on technical leader and force multiplier across the organization. This person identifies the highest-value problems in how we develop software and delivers practical, lasting solutions that raise the bar for the entire team. The ideal candidate is an expert in their craft within the embedded controls space: deeply technical, highly autonomous, and motivated by making every engineer around them more effective. They provide technical leadership across multiple teams, engaging early in new software implementations alongside key technical stakeholders to shape design decisions before code is written. They build tools, refine processes, create automation, drive engineering standards and best practices, and mentor engineers so that improvements are durable and self-sustaining.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field.
8+ years of relevant full-time experience, including delivering production software in the automotive industry or similarly complex embedded domains.
Demonstrated ability to independently identify important technical problems and deliver effective solutions with limited oversight.
Strong proficiency in embedded software development using C/C++ for real-time control systems.
Experience with physics-based control algorithms, diagnostics strategies, and mechatronic systems.
Proven track record of building tools, automation, or internal platforms that improve developer productivity or engineering workflows.
Excellent systems thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to distinguish root causes from surface-level symptoms.
Experience working across team boundaries and influencing outcomes without relying on organizational authority.
Experience with software architecture and design for embedded controllers.
Strong knowledge of automotive vehicle electrical architectures and serial data communications (CAN, LIN, Ethernet).
Proficiency with GM software development tools and practices (Git/Github, Jira, DOORS, PRTS).
Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to present complex technical content clearly to both engineers and leadership.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or closely related field.
10+ years of relevant full-time experience, including delivering production software in the automotive industry or similarly complex embedded domains.
Direct experience in Chassis Controls, Vehicle Dynamics, Steering, Suspension, Brakes, Driveline, or related mechatronic domains.
Experience with MATLAB/Simulink and model-based software development workflows.
Experience improving CI/CD pipelines, build systems, testing workflows, or release processes in an embedded environment.
Experience designing or building dashboards, developer portals, workflow tooling, or self-service internal platforms.
Experience with agile software development in an automotive context.
Knowledge of functional safety standards (ISO 26262), ASIL, DVUL, and ASPICE.
Experience with HIL, SIL, and vehicle-level test environments and associated tools (Vehicle Spy, CANalyzer, dSPACE/ControlDesk).
DFSS Black Belt Certification.
Strong coaching and mentoring instincts, especially in helping teams build the skills needed to sustain progress independently.

Responsibilities

Identify high-value opportunities to improve engineering effectiveness across tools, workflows, build processes, and the overall developer experience within VMEC Chassis Controls.
Design, develop, and deliver embedded controls software in C, including requirements analysis, functional decomposition, implementation, and testing.
Drive first-time quality at every step of the software development process, from design and code reviews through test strategy and release readiness.
Build practical software solutions, tools, automation, and dashboards that simplify, unify, and optimize software development workflows for engineers at every level.
Partner closely with teams to understand pain points and root causes, then implement durable structural improvements rather than surface-level fixes.
Improve the usability, correctness, and discoverability of engineering systems, dashboards, and self-service tools.
Contribute to and improve CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and validation strategies for platform software.
Use Git/GitHub and code review best practices to maintain code quality, test coverage and traceability across a multi-team environment.
Influence software design decisions across projects and products by engaging early with the SW architecture team and other key technical stakeholders to ensure architectural soundness.
Work with SQAs to understand and anticipate architectural blocking rules, helping SW development teams minimize disruption and maintain delivery momentum.
Serve as a domain expert and go-to resource for chassis controls software, helping engineers across the organization navigate complex technical questions.
Contribute to the technology roadmap for tools, processes, and software practices, advising leadership on forward-looking strategy and innovation opportunities.
Mentor engineers at all levels through code reviews, design guidance, one-on-one coaching, and leading by example.
Lead technical forums across the organization to streamline tools, align practices, eliminate redundancy, and identify efficiency opportunities.
Champion and lead software process development updates within GM's process tool "Stages".
Teach and enable partner teams so that improvements remain sustainable after the initial work is complete.
Drive initiatives from concept through implementation and adoption, ensuring solutions take hold and deliver lasting value.
Support the team in delivering quality software on time for program milestones, maintaining awareness of delivery timelines and priorities.
Work with a high degree of independence, owning technical execution end to end with limited oversight.