{"id":2228561,"url":"https://alion.io/job/general-motors-staff-software-engineer-compute-systems-software-embedded-linux-platform","title":"Staff Software Engineer, Compute Systems Software — Embedded Linux Platform","company":{"id":1705,"name":"General Motors","domain":"gm.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/general-motors-europe","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":null},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"staff","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Mountain View, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":220000,"max":300000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":300000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Bash","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Git","optional":false},{"name":"GitHub","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Unix","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-01T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-01","last_verified_at":"2026-10-12T13:15:45Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":11,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":11},"description":"Job Description\nThe Vehicle Experiences Engine at GM is transforming how millions of people interact with their vehicles by building the software engines behind next-generation digital experiences. At the core of this transformation is the Compute Systems Software team - the group that delivers the foundational embedded platform for GM’s software-defined vehicles.\nAs a Staff Software Engineer, Compute Systems Software, you will lead the design, development, integration, and debugging of the embedded Linux platform that powers GM’s in-vehicle compute systems. You will work deeply across the Linux kernel, board support packages (BSPs), device drivers, boot and recovery paths, build systems, and core platform services on modern ARM-based SoCs.\nYou will help ensure that platform software is not only functional in the lab, but performant, diagnosable, recoverable, and maintainable across production vehicle programs.\nYou’ll report to the Software Engineering Manager, Compute Systems Software, and collaborate closely with partners across Android Automotive OS, multimedia, connectivity, systems frameworks, safety, validation, and vehicle programs. You will also work directly with our silicon vendors to bring up new platforms, resolve complex issues, and optimize platform capabilities for GM-specific use cases.\nAbout the Role\nThis is a hands-on technical leadership role focused on embedded Linux and automotive compute. You will influence architecture and engineering practices across the platform while remaining close to the code, hardware, tools, and failure modes that determine real-world system behavior.\nYou will:\nOwn critical pieces of the compute platform, from kernel configuration and BSP integration to device drivers, boot and recovery, and low-level system services.\nBuild and maintain Yocto-based embedded Linux distributions and the pipelines that produce production images for multiple vehicle programs and hardware variants.\nHarden boot, recovery, watchdog, and health-monitoring paths to improve platform robustness across hardware and software failure modes.\nLead complex debugging and root-cause analysis across hardware, bootloaders, kernel, drivers, middleware, user space, build infrastructure, and vehicle integration.\nAutomate repetitive engineering work with shell, Python, CI/CD tooling, developer-facing utilities and AI to improve the speed and consistency of diagnosis and delivery.\nPartner with our silicon vendors to bring up new SoCs, integrate vendor deliverables, debug issues, and improve the quality and maintainability of upstream and downstream platform code.\nProvide technical leadership through architecture reviews, design and code reviews, mentoring, cross-team debugging, and platform-wide engineering standards.\nThis role is hybrid, with regular onsite collaboration at a GM technical center, consistent with GM’s hybrid work guidelines for engineering roles.\nResponsibilities\nEmbedded Linux platform development\nDesign, implement, and maintain Linux kernel modules, device drivers, BSP components, bootloader optimizations, device-tree configurations, and low-level system services for in-vehicle compute platforms.\nAnalyze system behavior across kernel and user space, with a strong focus on correctness, performance, diagnosability, and long-term maintainability.\nYocto, build, and release systems\nConfigure and extend Yocto-based embedded Linux distributions, including layers, recipes, machine configuration, image generation, and dependency management.\nOwn and refine build systems to produce deterministic, reproducible, scalable images across multiple programs, boards, and software variants.\nImprove build and release pipelines through automation, caching, failure isolation, actionable diagnostics, and clear ownership of pipeline health.\nPartner with CI/CD and validation teams to ensure that platform changes are continuously tested and regression-resistant.\nPerformance, optimization, and debugging\nProfile and optimize CPU, memory, I/O, boot-time, power, and thermal behavior across the embedded stack.\nUse low-level tools such as perf, ftrace, gdb, strace, kernel tracing, crash analysis, and custom instrumentation to diagnose issues spanning software and hardware boundaries.\nLead root-cause analysis rather than symptom mitigation, distinguishing transient failures, systemic defects, integration problems, and hardware or vendor issues.\nTurn difficult-to-reproduce failures into deterministic tests, better diagnostics, or automated detection wherever possible.\nEngineering systems and quality\nContribute to automated testing and validation strategies for platform software, including unit, integration, boot, stress, fault-injection, hardware-in-the-loop, and regression testing as appropriate.\nImprove developer experience through self-service tooling, fast feedback loops, clear ownership, and well-documented platform workflows.\nUse Git / GitHub and high-quality code review practices to maintain code quality, traceability, and disciplined change management across a multi-team environment.\nContribute to upstreaming and long-term reduction of downstream patches where practical.\nTechnical leadership and collaboration\nMentor engineers through design reviews, code reviews, hands-on pairing, and structured debugging.\nInfluence architecture and execution across Android Automotive OS, multimedia, connectivity, safety, systems, validation, and vehicle integration teams.\nCommunicate complex system behavior clearly to technical and non-technical partners, especially during high-severity issues and cross-team decisions.\nDrive alignment on priorities, reliability risks, engineering standards, and ownership boundaries.\nVendor and cross-company partnership\nWork directly with our silicon vendors to integrate BSPs and platform deliverables, resolve defects, and improve vendor engagement and issue turnaround.\nEvaluate vendor code and recommendations critically, balancing time-to-integration with maintainability, performance, reliability, security, and upstream alignment.\nRequirements\nBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent practical experience.\n10+ years of professional experience in embedded systems, kernel-level, or platform software development, including delivery of production software in automotive or similarly complex embedded domains.\nDeep expertise with embedded Linux on ARM-based SoCs, including several of the following:Linux kernel subsystems, kernel configuration, scheduling, memory, storage, networking, power, or low-level system behavior.\nDevice-driver development, debugging, and hardware interaction.\nBSP integration, bootloaders, board bring-up, device-tree configuration, and peripheral enablement.\nHardware abstraction and enablement for new boards, peripherals, and SoC platforms.\n\nStrong hands-on experience with Yocto or a comparable embedded Linux build system, with a track record of shipping commercial embedded Linux deployments.\nDemonstrated strength in system performance, optimization, and complex debugging, with the ability to lead root-cause analysis across hardware, kernel, drivers, middleware, and user space.\nExposure to Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) or production engineering practices, including observability, automation, incident response, and systematic post-incident improvement, applied to complex software platforms.\nStrong experience with build systems and development tooling, including Make-based build flows, Git / GitHub, code review, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and release-quality engineering.\nStrong proficiency in C, plus practical experience with Python and shell scripting such as Bash for automation, tooling, diagnostics, and debugging.\nDemonstrated technical leadership through architecture direction, mentoring, design and code reviews, cross-team debugging, and driving execution across organizational boundaries.\nStrong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence technical decisions, align partner teams, and explain complex system-level topics clearly.\nExperience working directly with silicon vendors or strategic platform partners to integrate deliverables, resolve issues, and optimize platform capabilities.\nDesired Skills\nMaster’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or a related field.\nExperience contributing to or upstreaming changes in the Linux kernel or related open-source projects.\nFamiliarity with Android Automotive OS, HAL integration, and multimedia pipelines such as audio, video, camera, and graphics.\nExperience with crash analysis, platform diagnostics, telemetry, fault injection, or resilience testing.\nExposure to automotive safety concepts such as ISO 26262, ASIL, safety islands, watchdog architectures, and health monitoring frameworks.\nExperience with secure boot, trusted execution environments, over-the-air updates, rollback, A/B partitions, or production recovery strategies.\nDeep comfort working in Linux / UNIX command-line environments and using classic tools such as shell, core utilities, gdb, perf, strace, and kernel tracing.\nDemonstrated technical leadership in mentoring peers, leading cross-team debugging efforts, and driving platform-wide improvements in reliability, performance, and developer experience.\nCompensation\nThe 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 the California Bay Area.\nThe base salary range for this role is $220,000 and $300,000. The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.\nBonus Potential\nAn incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.\nBenefits\nGM 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 and holidays, tuition assistance programs, employee assistance program, GM vehicle discounts, and more.\n\nThis role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week {or other frequency dictated by their manager}.\n\nRelocation benefits are available for candidates who qualify under company policy.\n\nAbout GM\nOur 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.\nWhy Join Us\nWe 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.\nBenefits Overview\nFrom 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.\nNon-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)\nGeneral 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.\nAll 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...","description_format":"text","description_chars":12840,"description_truncated":true,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":10,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Hybrid work","Life insurance","Retirement plans"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Automotive Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-10T17:37:23Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 795 · green card filings: 1","filings_12m":795,"filings_prev_12m":812,"green_card_filings_12m":1,"median_offered_wage_usd":147456,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-03T21:08:04+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":90}],"liveness":{"score":23,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.647,"p_room":0.35,"age_days":11,"expected_fill_days":5,"reasons":["conf:3","win:tail","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-12T06:55:09Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":300000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/general-motors-staff-software-engineer-compute-systems-software-embedded-linux-platform","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/general-motors-staff-software-engineer-compute-systems-software-embedded-linux-platform.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-12T15:06:54Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":23877,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-13T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1705},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1705"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fgeneral-motors-staff-software-engineer-compute-systems-software-embedded-linux-platform"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fgeneral-motors-staff-software-engineer-compute-systems-software-embedded-linux-platform"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fgeneral-motors-staff-software-engineer-compute-systems-software-embedded-linux-platform"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/general-motors-staff-software-engineer-compute-systems-software-embedded-linux-platform\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fgeneral-motors-staff-software-engineer-compute-systems-software-embedded-linux-platform"}]}