Staff Software Engineer, Compute Systems Software — Embedded Linux Platform

The 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. As 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. You will help ensure that platform software is not only functional in the lab, but performant, diagnosable, recoverable, and maintainable across production vehicle programs. You’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.

This 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. You will: Own critical pieces of the compute platform, from kernel configuration and BSP integration to device drivers, boot and recovery, and low-level system services. Build and maintain Yocto-based embedded Linux distributions and the pipelines that produce production images for multiple vehicle programs and hardware variants. Harden boot, recovery, watchdog, and health-monitoring paths to improve platform robustness across hardware and software failure modes. Lead complex debugging and root-cause analysis across hardware, bootloaders, kernel, drivers, middleware, user space, build infrastructure, and vehicle integration. Automate repetitive engineering work with shell, Python, CI/CD tooling, developer-facing utilities and AI to improve the speed and consistency of diagnosis and delivery. Partner 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. Provide technical leadership through architecture reviews, design and code reviews, mentoring, cross-team debugging, and platform-wide engineering standards. This role is hybrid, with regular onsite collaboration at a GM technical center, consistent with GM’s hybrid work guidelines for engineering roles.

Embedded Linux platform development Design, 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. Analyze system behavior across kernel and user space, with a strong focus on correctness, performance, diagnosability, and long-term maintainability. Yocto, build, and release systems Configure and extend Yocto-based embedded Linux distributions, including layers, recipes, machine configuration, image generation, and dependency management. Own and refine build systems to produce deterministic, reproducible, scalable images across multiple programs, boards, and software variants. Improve build and release pipelines through automation, caching, failure isolation, actionable diagnostics, and clear ownership of pipeline health. Partner with CI/CD and validation teams to ensure that platform changes are continuously tested and regression-resistant. Performance, optimization, and debugging Profile and