Staff Systems Engineer- Activation Management Systems

Job Description

The Team:

The Activation Management & Controls team (within the Low Voltage Infrastructure (LVI) organization) is responsible for defining, validating, and governing how GM’s software-defined vehicles turn hardware and software on and off to deliver the right features with the right power usage. The team owns the activation management system strategy, including activation profiles and their testing frameworks, ensuring that services and controllers are enabled only when needed and deactivated cleanly to avoid 12V battery drain, loss-of-communication issues, and unstable behavior across ECUs.

Partnering closely with product areas across the SDV ecosystem, LVI and Activation Management & Controls provide cross-vehicle methodologies, governance reviews, and debug tooling so that vehicle functions—from braking to charging to low-voltage protection—are power-efficient, robust, and traceable end-to-end from feature intent through system and solution implementation.

The Role:

We are seeking a highly skilled Staff Systems Engineer to join our Activation Management team. In this role, you will be instrumental in the design, development, and integration of complex embedded systems, focusing on activation and control functionalities within our next-generation automotive platforms.

What You'll Do (Responsibilities):

• Lead the system engineering efforts for activation management features, from concept to production.
• Develop and implement robust activation management application architecture for embedded systems and work with application teams (embedded and high-compute) to implement this architecture in production vehicle.
• Define and manage system requirements, ensuring alignment with overall vehicle architecture and performance objectives.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including hardware engineers, software developers, and validation engineers, to ensure seamless integration and functionality.
• Utilize Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) methodologies for efficient project planning, execution, and delivery.
• Organize and prioritize complex tasks and projects, managing dependencies and mitigating risks effectively.
• Conduct system-level testing, troubleshooting, and debugging to identify and resolve issues.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications):

• Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in embedded systems development within the automotive or related industries.
• Proven expertise in software algorithm design and implementation for real-time embedded applications.
• Proficiency in applying the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) for large-scale software development.
• Demonstrated ability in organizing complex projects, managing multiple priorities, and working effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to leverage AI to accelerate work process.

People Skills:

• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and drive changes across application teams.
• Ability to provide technical leadership and mentorship to the rest of the team.

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications):

• Master's degree in Engineering with a focus on Controls, Electrical, Computer, Mechanical, and/or Systems Engineering.
• Familiarity with robotics concepts and their application in automotive manufacturing or vehicle systems.
• Experience developing feature or ECU activation and deactivation strategies.
• Development experience with Software Defined Vehicle electrical architecture.
• Proficiency in Agile processes.
• Experience executing production programs through launch.
• Record of innovation in systems, subsystems, or feature design: patents, awards, or publications.
• Experience with JIRA, JIRA Align, Git Ecosystem, DOORs, and DNG.

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.

#LI-DH2

This 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}. 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

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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.

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