Staff Software Engineer, Linux Kernel & Driver Development

This role is categorized as hybrid. The successful candidate is expected to report to Austin, TX three times per week, at minimum.

About the role

General Motors is seeking a highly skilled and experienced professional to join our team as a Staff Software Engineer specializing in Linux Kernel & Driver Development. This role will be instrumental in the bring-up of next-generation automotive computing platforms, focusing on Linux kernel development, device drivers, low-level system integration, diagnostics, and health monitoring for our in-vehicle infotainment and embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and enhance Linux kernel and device drivers, including those for camera sensors, display interfaces, multimedia subsystems, and networking (WLAN, LAN, BLE, BT5.0).
• Lead system bring-up activities, including bootloader configuration, camera pipeline initialization, board support package (BSP) development, and low-level debugging.
• Integrate and optimize hardware components, including USB, PCIe, I2C-connected peripherals, and Ethernet interfaces to ensure seamless operation within our embedded software stack.
• Develop and implement diagnostics and health monitoring solutions, ensuring system reliability, predictive maintenance, and fault detection in critical automotive systems.
• Analyze and troubleshoot low-level system issues, particularly in camera interfaces (MIPI-CSI, ISP bring-up), high-speed data buses, and network connectivity.
• Support manufacturing and production processes, including hardware validation, firmware flashing, and end-of-line testing to ensure smooth integration of software into production vehicles.
• Work closely with hardware teams to validate and debug platform issues, ensuring optimal hardware-software interaction.
• Contribute to upstream Linux kernel development and work with open-source communities where applicable.
• Define Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and work towards continuously improving software stability, performance, and maintainability.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 8+ years of experience in embedded Linux kernel development, device driver programming, and board bring-up.
• Expertise in Linux kernel internals, including memory management, scheduling, file systems, and IPC mechanisms.
• Experience in camera bring-up, including MIPI-CSI, ISP tuning, V4L2 framework, and image processing pipelines.
• Strong experience with BSP development, bootloaders (e.g., U-Boot), and firmware integration.
• Deep knowledge of communication protocols such as USB, PCIe, I2C, SPI, and MIPI-CSI.
• Experience with Ethernet interfaces (WLAN, LAN) and network protocols (BLE, Bluetooth 5.0).
• Proficiency in diagnostics, health monitoring, and fault detection for embedded systems.
• Familiarity with manufacturing and production support, including hardware validation, firmware flashing, and end-of-line testing.
• Proficiency in low-level debugging tools (e.g., JTAG, GDB, ftrace, kdump, perf).
• Experience with SoC architectures and hardware interaction at the register level.
• Knowledge of power management techniques, security frameworks, and real-time optimizations in Linux-based systems.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to analyze complex system issues across software and hardware domains.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in electrical engineering or a related field.

Benefits

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.

• This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.
• Company Vehicle: Upon successful completion of a motor vehicle report review, you may 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 an exception applies.

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. 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.