Principal software engineer

General Motors
Trenton, NJ

Job Description

About:

A Principal Software Engineer at General Motors should be an experienced leader who cares deeply about software and software quality. As a Principal Software Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, documenting, and implementing complex, highly scalable, low-latency software for our Autonomy org. Your work will be the foundational software which the rest of AV builds upon.

At General Motors, we believe in engineering leaders who remain deeply technical and understand the challenges their teams are facing. The ideal candidate will be comfortable switching context from programming, designing elegant software architectures, defining how to test, benchmark, and debug complex systems, and providing mentorship for staff and senior software engineers.

What You'll Do (Responsibilities)

  • Define and lead software strategy for new technology and highly complex features in our Autonomy org

  • Define a technical vision and roadmap for mission-critical parts of development

  • Work across orgs to ensure that the joint architecture across the full stack is coherent and can solve relevant problems

  • Maintain alignment between senior leadership and engineering teams through effective executive communication

  • Maintain high-quality bar in projects from the start and champion quality improvements by implementing better technical practices

  • Work with other teams to define the system level architecture and strategies for implementation

  • Initiate large projects with complex architecture, breaking it down to the right logical components so others can be utilized effectively

  • Improve and deliver reliable software through requirements generation, continuous integration, automated testing, issue tracking, and code reviews

  • Provide technical leadership, guidance and mentorship to Senior and Staff engineers as they propose, prototype, evaluate, and iterate solutions, as well as through their career progression

  • Lead large initiatives involving many stakeholders by driving impact analysis, and ensuring alignment with the larger architectural roadmap

  • Drive architecture standards, patterns, and principles

Minimum Qualifications (Must-Have)

  • Minimum Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronics & Communication, Electrical Engineering, or related degree

  • 8+ years of experience in Software development and launching quality software into production

  • Demonstrated successful technical track record leading software development teams in complex system environments

  • Proficiency with one of these programming language; C++ 11 or later, Python, Golang, Java.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice-to-Have)

  • Experience developing on and for embedded Linux / POSIX systems

  • Experience applying and mentoring team members on software best practices

  • Experience with ROS or other robotics middleware platforms

  • Experience with other languages: C, Python, Bash, Go

  • Experience with embedded build systems, such as buildroot or yocto

Compensation: The compensation information is a good faith estimate only. It is based on what a successful applicant might be paid in accordance with applicable state laws. The compensation may not be representative for positions located outside of New York, Colorado, California, or Washington.??

  • The salary range for this role: is?$250,000 to $380,000. The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.?

  • Bonus Potential: An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.?

  • Benefits: GM offers a variety of health and wellbeing benefit programs. Benefit options include medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plan, sickness and accident benefits, life insurance, paid vacation & holidays, tuition assistance programs, employee assistance program, GM vehicle discounts and more.

Company Vehicle: Upon successful completion of a motor vehicle report review, you will be eligible to participate in a company vehicle evaluation program, through which you will be assigned a General Motors vehicle to drive and evaluate. Note: program participants are required to purchase/lease a qualifying GM vehicle every four years unless one of a limited number of exceptions applies.

This role is based remotely, but if the selected candidate lives within a specific mile radius of a GM hub, they will be expected to report to the location three times a week {or other frequency dictated by your manager}.

The selected candidate will be required to travel <25% for this role.

This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us

We believe we all must make a choice every day - individually and collectively - to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Benefits Overview

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 ( .

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.

All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws.

We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire ( .

Accommodations

General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email ([email protected]) us or call us at 800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

We are leading the change to make our world better, safer and more equitable for all through our actions and how we behave. Learn more about:

Our Company (

Our Culture

How we hire (

Our diverse team of employees bring their collective passion for engineering, technology and design to deliver on our vision of a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion. We are looking for adventure-seekers and imaginative thought leaders to help us transform mobility.

Explore our global locations (

We are determined to lead change for the world through technology, ingenuity and harnessing the creativity of our diverse team. Join us to help lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all by becoming a member of GM's Talent Community (beamery.com) ( . As a part of our Talent Community, you will receive updates about GM, open roles, career insights and more.

Please note that filling out the form below will not add you to our Talent Community automatically; you will need to use the link above. If you are seeking to apply to a specific role, we encourage you to click "Apply Now" on the job posting of interest.

The policy of General Motors is to extend opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual's age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or veteran status. Additionally, General Motors is committed to being an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us at [email protected] .In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

Posted 2026-01-17

Recommended Jobs

Transmission Line Engineer

Leidos
Wrightstown, NJ

Overview We are seeking a Transmission Line Engineer who will work as a member of a dynamic team in a fast-paced environment, solving challenging problems involved with electric transmission. Th…

View Details
Posted 2026-01-14

Senior Executive Assistant

Mai Placement
Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Executive Assistant to CEO Englewood Cliffs, NJ | Full-Time 75 -100k   Overview A fast-paced, growth-oriented company is seeking a reliable and highly organized Executive Assistant to sup…

View Details
Posted 2026-01-06

Shipping Services Sales Executive

Cream Ridge, NJ

Inside Sales Executive Cream Ridge, NJ (ON SITE) $55K - $60K base | OTE $85K+ uncapped commission Growth-Focused | Competitive | Hard-Working We are looking for driven sales professionals re…

View Details
Posted 2026-01-13

Auto Body Prep - Start Your Career

Dover Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Fiat
Dover, Morris County, NJ

Entry level position - will train. Nielsen Automotive Group is looking to add an Automotive Detailer/Prepper/General Helper to their team. This person will be starting a new career as an Automotive Bo…

View Details
Posted 2025-08-28

Part-time Teacher Instructional Coach

The Achievement Network
Camden, NJ

Part-time Teacher Instructional Coach Location: Camden, NJ ABOUT ANET Achievement Network (ANet) is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping all students achieve strong educational outcomes…

View Details
Posted 2026-01-13

General Manager

Doherty Enterprises
Linden, NJ

Position & Perks Chevys Fresh Mex is seeking an experienced, people-first General Manager to lead restaurant operations, inspire teams, and deliver unforgettable “WOW” guest experiences. This…

View Details
Posted 2026-01-15

Automotive Business Development Representative (BDC) / Internet Sales

DARCARS Automotive Group
Englewood, NJ

DARCARS Lexus of Englewood  is now looking for an  Automotive Business Development Representative (BDC) / Internet Sales   to join our team! As an Internet Sales Representative, you’ll be the digita…

View Details
Posted 2026-01-02

Adjunct Therapist (Per Diem-Day, Weekends), Somerville NJ

110 Rehill Ave
Somerville, NJ

Job Title: Adjunct Therapist Location: RWJUH Somerset Department Name: Eating Disorders Unit Req #: 0000214379 Status: Hourly Shift: Day Pay Range: $34.37 - $34.37 per hour Pay Tr…

View Details
Posted 2025-09-10

Bike Mechanic - Secaucus, NJ

Unlimited Biking
Secaucus, NJ

Who We Are Unlimited Biking is the best bike rental, tour and city experience company operating in New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Miami, San Diego and Santa Monica. Our goal is to provide…

View Details
Posted 2025-09-01

Assistant Store Manager — Luxury Watch Retail (Commission)

Movado Group Inc
Paramus, NJ

A leading watch retailer in Paramus is seeking an experienced Assistant Store Manager to lead the sales team and oversee store operations. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in retail man…

View Details
Posted 2026-01-17