Staff Data Engineer - AI & Cloud

Description
This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to Austin Technical Center three times per week, at minimum [or other frequency dictated by the business if more than 3 days].
The Role
A Staff Data Engineer operates as a recognized expert in data engineering with strong cross-functional visibility, leading complex initiatives that improve GM's data platforms, cloud architecture, and AI-enablement capabilities.
This role designs and delivers scalable, secure, cloud-native data solutions; builds highly automated, performant pipelines; and enables advanced analytics and machine learning use cases across the enterprise.
What You'll Do

• Design and evolve scalable, high-performance data architectures, including data warehouses, data lakes, and mesh environments
• Design ML models and enable AI/ML use cases by integrating data pipelines with machine learning platforms, feature/data products, vector or retrieval pipelines, and model-serving workflows where needed.
• Lead the design and implementation of large-scale data pipelines, data architectures, and cloud-based data platforms for ingestion, transformation, storage, and consumption.
• Establish and enforce organization-wide best practices for data quality, lineage, observability, security, and CI/CD operations
• Architect and optimize solutions on cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP, using native data services and containerized/orchestrated deployments where appropriate.
• Partner with data scientists, analysts, and executive stakeholders to translate complex business requirements into technical roadmaps
• Mentor engineers and raise technical capability across the organization in areas such as distributed data processing, cloud engineering, AI-enablement, and platform reliability.
• Identify and integrate emerging technologies, such as Generative AI (GenAI), into data workflows for automated validation and performance tuning.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Business Analytics, Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent experience.
• 8-10+ years in data engineering or related technical leadership roles
• Strong expertise in Python, SQL, Scala, or R with a focus on large-scale data processing, optimization, and performance tuning.
• Extensive experience with big data frameworks such as Azure Databricks, Apache Spark, Kafka, or Hadoop for large-scale data processing.
• Deep knowledge of cloud platforms and data services such as Azure, AWS, or GCP.
• Strong command of data modeling, relational and NoSQL databases, and scalable storage design.
• Strong understanding of data governance, privacy, and security controls for enterprise data systems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale technical initiatives and align engineering outcomes to broader business goals.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to align technical solutions to GM business priorities.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Advanced problem solving, architectural judgment, and continuous learning mindset.

What Can Give You a Competitive Advantage (Preferred Qualifications)

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or a related field
• Experience enabling or building AI/GenAI data foundations, including embedding pipelines, RAG/vector search, or production AI workflows.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud-native deployment/operations patterns.
• Familiarity with observability and production reliability for data and AI systems.
• Proven ability to influence enterprise standards, mentor senior engineers, and drive adoption of new capabilities across teams.
• Experience in Automative or Manufacturing Industry is preferred

This job may be eligible for relocation benefits.
Compensation:

• The expected base compensation for this role is: $160,000 - $211,950. 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.

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., H-1B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.)
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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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