Principal Software Engineer – Developer Experience

General Motors

Principal Engineer improving General Motors’ developer productivity through AI, platforms, automation, and engineering insights. Shaping golden paths, metrics, and developer tooling across Core IT.

Posted 9/3/2026full-timeAustin • Missouri, Texas • 🇺🇸 United StatesLeadWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in technical strategy and execution, with a focus on AI integration, CI/CD processes, and developer productivity. Proven ability to mentor engineers and influence cross-functional teams to drive platform improvements and engineering standards.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Technical LeadershipAI/ML IntegrationCI/CD Pipeline DesignSoftware DevelopmentMentoring Engineers

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Software DevelopmentAI/ML IntegrationDistributed Systems DesignCI/CD Pipeline ManagementModern Programming LanguagesSystems ThinkingProduct MindsetEngineering MetricsAutomationSelf-Service Capabilities

Soft Skills

Excellent CommunicationMentoringInfluencing Without Authority

Tools & Technologies

GitHubGitLabJiraADOCI/CD SystemsArtifact RepositoriesSecrets ManagementFeature Flags

Industry Keywords

Technical StrategyDeveloper ProductivityEngineering StandardsReference ArchitecturesCross-Team Alignment

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Distributed SystemsGoJavaPythonSDLCTypeScript

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Set and lead technical strategy and delivery for platforms, tools, and workflows improving developer productivity, quality, and satisfaction across GM
Define and drive adoption of golden paths covering repository structure, CI/CD, testing, security, observability, and deployment
Build automation and self-service capabilities reducing manual toil, including environment provisioning, pipeline setup, guardrail enforcement, and standards checks
Lead strategy for embedding AI into engineering workflows, including agents and copilots for planning, coding, testing, documentation, and operations
Partner with and influence product, security, infrastructure, and application leaders to translate pain points into platform and tooling improvements
Mentor and coach engineers across IT on software engineering, AI-assisted development, and recommended practices
Define and own outcome-focused engineering metrics and use data to guide investments
Shape and govern engineering standards, patterns, and reference architectures across Core IT and beyond

Requirements

What you’ll need

Proven experience as a Principal Engineer or senior technical leader driving technical strategy and execution across multiple teams or organizations
Strong systems thinking and product mindset
Experience using and integrating AI/ML into engineering workflows, or strong evidence of ability to ramp quickly
Technical leadership without formal authority, including mentoring, design reviews, roadmap influence, and cross-team alignment
Excellent communication skills
10+ years of experience in software development, including significant time in senior/staff/principal-level roles
Strong proficiency in at least one modern language, such as Java, Go, C#, Python, or TypeScript
Experience designing, building, and operating distributed systems in production
Deep experience designing and operating modern CI/CD pipelines and release processes
Hands-on experience with developer platforms and SDLC tooling, such as GitHub/GitLab, CI/CD systems, Jira/ADO, artifact repositories, secrets management, and feature flags
Must not require GM immigration-related sponsorship now or in the future

Benefits

Comp & perks

Benefits supporting well-being at work and at home
Total Rewards resources
Reasonable accommodation support for applicants with disabilities