Staff Software Engineer, Data Platform Services and API Development

Description
The Role
Software-defined vehicles represent a new paradigm for automakers and consumers, fueled by technological advancements and an escalating demand for intelligent transportation solutions. At General Motors, we have embarked on an ambitious journey to pioneer next-generation data platforms to support all our business units.
To fulfill this mission, Operational Data Platforms organization is seeking an experienced, hands-on Full Stack Java Development Lead with strong expertise in designing and building cloud-native microservices and APIs. This role is an individual contributor position focused primarily on backend engineering-Java services, distributed systems, API design, and data persistence (SQL and NoSQL). While full-stack experience is expected, the emphasis is on backend/API development rather than interactive front-end frameworks.
As a staff engineer, you will be at the forefront of creating and implementing scalable and reliable platform services that enable rapid deployment of applications largely in a domain agnostic fashion. We will be relying on these services to help shrink our time to market and adopt faster releases for continuous improvement.
What You'll Do

• Lead technical design discussions and create detailed architecture for new features and services.
• Guide junior engineers through code reviews and technical mentorship (without direct people management).
• Drive high engineering standards: unit testing, integration testing, code quality, automated testing frameworks.
• Ensure secure coding practices, API hardening, and adherence to enterprise security policies.
• Work closely with product owners, architects, and platform teams to translate requirements into technical solutions.
• Provide backlog input, effort estimates, and help shape technical roadmaps.
• Design, develop, and maintain scalable Java-based cloud microservices (Spring Boot & Spring Cloud).
• Develop services for cloud environments (Azure, AWS or GCP) including containerization (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes), and CI/CD pipelines.
• Build robust, secure, and versioned RESTful APIs and integrations.
• Implement asynchronous messaging, event-driven patterns, and distributed processing.
• Ensure reliability, observability, and monitoring through logging, tracing, and metrics.
• Design and optimize data models leveraging RDBMS (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, etc.) and NoSQL databases (MongoDB, CosmosDB, Cassandra).
• Implement efficient data access layers and query strategies for performance and scalability.
• Diagnose performance bottlenecks and optimize services for throughput and latency.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• Minimum of 8 years of hands-on software development experience, with demonstrated expertise in:
  
  • Java 11+, Spring Boot, and Spring Cloud
  • RESTful API design and implementation
  • Microservices architectures and distributed systems
  • Object-oriented design principles and Java design patterns
• Strong experience building cloud-native applications on Azure, AWS, or GCP
• Hands-on experience with containerization and orchestration technologies, including Docker and Kubernetes
• Proven experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI)
• Proficiency with SQL databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle) and NoSQL data stores (MongoDB, CosmosDB, Cassandra)
• Solid understanding of application and API security best practices, including OAuth2, JWT, mTLS, and API gateways
• Ability to operate as a technical lead and decision-maker while remaining a strong individual contributor
• Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and documentation capabilities
• Ability to collaborate effectively in an agile, fast-paced environment
• BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science or Engineering preferred

What Will Give You A Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• Knowledge of networking concepts, including routing tables, firewall rules, load balancing, and network security.
• Hands-on experience with service observability: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK/EFK, Datadog, OpenTelemetry.
• Exposure to challenges of building scalable applications for device and sensor data capture & consumption

GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This includes direct company sponsorship, entry of GM as the immigration employer of record on a government form, and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g., H1-B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.)
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.
Total Rewards | 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
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