Senior Autonomy Behavior Validation Engineer

Role 

As a  Senior Autonomy Behavior Validation Engineer on the Software Validation team  within the AV organization, you will play a critical role in  simulation-led validation of autonomous vehicle behavior , with a strong focus on behavioral analysis of ML models, automation, and agentic workflows . 

You will leverage your experience in software engineering to convert validation strategies into  well-architected, automated pipelines and tools  that analyze AV behavior at scale. You will work with a team of engineers to define best practices, raise the bar internally on coding quality and automation, and evaluate the safety and performance of autonomous systems. You will be responsible for shaping the future of evaluation methodologies for ML systems, architecting solutions that meet the testing needs of AI developers, systems engineers, and safety stakeholders. 

About the Organization 

The  Autonomous Vehicle (AV) organization  is dedicated to advancing the development of autonomous vehicles through cutting-edge simulation technologies and novel iterative development processes. 

The  Software Validation team  focuses on unlocking software launches and continuous release decisions via simulation-led verification and validation strategies, prototypes, and protocols. Our collaborative environment fosters innovation and excellence, allowing us to push the boundaries of what is possible in autonomous vehicle testing. 

What You’ll Do 

• Build validation critics and agentic workflows   to evaluate autonomy behavior, automate scenario review, and accelerate validation flows. 

• Drive simulation-based ML evaluation at scale  by evaluating deep learning modules in realistic sensor and traffic simulation and expanding behavioral and scenario coverage tightly linked to ML models.

• Translate validation strategies into production-quality code and automation pipelines  that execute high-quality AV behavior analysis for continuous and scaled software release cycles. 

• Ensure the quality and reliability of behavior validation outputs  through monitoring, alerting, automated checks, and continuous improvement of the underlying code and data pipelines. 

• Provide cross-functional collaboration  across Simulation, Safety, Systems Engineering, and Autonomy focused on high-quality, automation-first software. 

Your Skills & Abilities 

• 5+ years of experience and MS/PhD in  Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, Software Engineering, Data Science , or a related field. 

• Background in autonomous vehicles

• Strong programming skills  in  Python  and experience with  SQL ; exposure to  C++ or another compiled language  is preferred. 

• Experience writing  clean, well-tested, and maintainable code  for data processing, backend services, or scientific/analytical workflows. 

• Hands-on experience using  AI agents, LLM-based tools, or workflow orchestration  to automate parts of the development, validation, or operations lifecycle. 

• Experience working with  large datasets  to derive insights, build analyses, or drive decisions. 

• Strong  analytical thinking skills  with the ability to interpret data and derive impactful conclusions. 

• Ability to  adapt and operate under ambiguity , going from quick code prototypes to longer-term, production-ready solutions on brief time horizons. 

• Excellent  communication skills , capable of switching between high-level and detailed technical discussions. 

• Curiosity and willingness to  learn new tools and domains , especially in autonomous systems, robotics, and safety-critical software. 

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge 

• 3-5 years of professional engineering experience  building automation, internal tools, or data/analysis pipelines. 

• Proven track record of successful software engineering on a  safety-critical  or  high-reliability  product, especially as it relates to  verification and validation tools , testing frameworks, or CI/CD automation. 

• Reusable internal libraries or frameworks  that are used by other engineers. 

• Demonstrated impact from introducing automation and AI-assisted tooling (e.g., AI agents, AI validation critics, smart monitoring) that improved scale, reliability, or engineering velocity in ML validation workflows. 

• Experience working with  robotics simulation environments  or simulation-based testing. 

• Experience developing  dashboards and data visualizations  using tools such as  Looker, Jupyter notebooks, or similar platforms  to communicate validation results to stakeholders. 
   

Compensation: The compensation information is a good faith estimate only. It is based on what a successful applicant might be paid in accordance with applicable state laws. The compensation may not be representative for positions located outside of New York, Colorado, California, or Washington.
·     The salary range for this role: is $129,400 to $198,400. The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.
·     Bonus Potential: An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.
·     Benefits: GM offers a variety of health and wellbeing benefit programs. Benefit options include medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plan, sickness and accident benefits, life insurance, paid vacation & holidays, tuition assistance programs, employee assistance program, GM vehicle discounts and more