Senior AI & AV Safety Researcher

Job Description

Remote: This role is categorized as remote. This means the successful candidate may be based anywhere in the United States and is not expected to report to a GM worksite unless directed by their manager.

The Role

The Safety Assurance for Effective Autonomous Driving Software team at General Motors is seeking a Senior Systems and Safety Engineer with strong data analysis and modeling expertise to support the development, validation, and compliance of autonomous vehicle (AV) software systems. The Safety Assurance for Effective Autonomous Driving Software (SAFE-ADS) department is part of the Global Product Safety, System, and Certification (GPSSC) organization at GM.  The SAFE-ADS department serves as the central body for automated driving system (ADS) safety. GM’s vision is zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion – AV safety is at the heart of driving forward this vision.

This role plays a critical part in shaping GM’s safety assurance strategies by leveraging statistical insights, collision dynamics modeling, safety and compliance metrics defining and development and counterfactual driver behavior analysis. The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise in traffic safety, risk modeling, and AV system performance, and will help define measurable safety goals in alignment with regulatory expectations and internal safety policies.

What You’ll Do

• Define and refine safety and traffic compliance metrics for AV software based on data-driven insights.

• Lead the development of counterfactual driver behavior models to simulate alternative outcomes in near-miss or intervention scenarios.

• Analyze large-scale real-world and simulation datasets (e.g., SHRP2, GM fleet data) to identify leading indicators of risk, unsafe behaviors, or non-compliance events.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (system architects, ML engineers, safety operators) to ensure that AV behavior aligns with established safety goals and compliance thresholds.

• Model collision scenarios and dynamics to assess severity, avoidability, and control system response.

• Translate statistical findings into actionable safety recommendations for engineering and policy teams.

• Contribute to safety case development and internal documentation supporting AV software releases.

• Support alignment with internal and external standards (e.g., ISO 26262, UL 4600, NHTSA safety frameworks, GM Safety Process).

This job is not eligible for relocation benefits. Any relocation costs would be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

Additional Job Description

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Statistics, Robotics, or a related field.

• 5+ years of experience in safety systems, AV development, or traffic safety analysis.

• Demonstrated expertise in data analysis, statistical modeling, and machine learning applied to safety-critical systems.

• Deep understanding of AV safety principles, traffic law compliance, and behavioral modeling.

• Proficiency with Python and data analysis tools (e.g., NumPy, pandas, scikit-learn, SQL, Databricks).

• Experience with counterfactual reasoning or driver modeling frameworks.

• Familiarity with real-world driving datasets (e.g., SHRP2, crashdatabases).

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to present complex data clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience with AV simulation platforms (e.g., Carla, Apollo, NVIDIA DRIVE Sim).

• Familiarity with Functional Safety (ISO 26262), SOTIF (ISO 21448), UL 4600.

• Prior involvement in regulatory safety reporting (e.g., NHTSA’s Standing General Order (SGO), state reporting, consent order, etc.)

• Knowledge of crash reconstruction, accident severity modeling, or surrogate safety metrics.

Compensation:

• The expected base compensation for this role is $130,800- $200,400USD Annually

• Actual base compensation within the identified 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.

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 aspire to be the most inclusive company in the world. 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. Our Work Appropriately philosophy supports our foundation of inclusion and provides employees the flexibility to work where they can have the greatest impact on achieving our goals, dependent on role needs. Every day, we want every employee, no matter their background, ethnicity, preferences, or location, to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Benefits Overview

The goal of the General Motors total rewards program is to support the health and well-being of you and your family. Our comprehensive compensation plan incudes, the following benefits, in addition to many others:
• Paid time off including vacation days, holidays, and parental leave for mothers, fathers and adoptive parents;
• Healthcare (including a triple tax advantaged health savings account and wellness incentive), dental, vision and life insurance plans to cover you and your family;
• Company and matching contributions to 401K savings plan to help you save for retirement;
• Global recognition program for peers and leaders to recognize and be recognized for results and behaviors that reflect our company values; 
• Tuition assistance and student loan refinancing;
• Discount on GM vehicles for you, your family and friends.

Diversity Information

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that workforce diversity creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.   We understand and embrace the variety through which people gain experiences whether through professional, personal, educational, or volunteer opportunities. GM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications and apply for any positions that match your skills and capabilities.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statements

GM is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. GM is committed to providing a work environment free from unlawful discrimination and advancing equal employment opportunities for all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, all practices and decisions relating to terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, and termination of employment are made without regard to an individual's protected characteristics. For purposes of this policy, “protected characteristics" include an individual's actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, weight, height, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.  If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us at Careers.Accommodations@GM.com or call us at 800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.​