Senior Software Test Engineer — Vehicle Communications Diagnostics and Validation

Job Description

Work Arrangement (Hybrid)

This role is classified as hybrid. The selected candidate is expected to work onsite three days per week at our Warren, MI location.

The Role

GM's Diagnostic Software and Wired Programming Integration team is seeking a highly motivated, detail-oriented Senior Software Test Engineer who is passionate about software quality, vehicle communications, and diagnostic programming robustness. This role is focused on validating and improving the software, tools, and workflows that enable efficient and accurate vehicle diagnostics and programming across the GM dealership and engineering ecosystem.

The ideal candidate combines strong software validation fundamentals with hands-on experience in automotive diagnostics, vehicle communication protocols, programming workflows, and root-cause investigation of complex system interactions. Success in this role requires excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, strong cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to translate intermittent failures into reproducible evidence, actionable recommendations, and long-term quality improvements.

As a Senior Software Test Engineer on the Diagnostic Software and Wired Programming Integration team, you will help protect Service First Time Quality by validating Development Programming System (DPS), Service Programming System (SPS/SPS2) related workflows, Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) scenarios, and vehicle communication behaviors across bench and vehicle environments. You will also help define and expand automation strategies that improve release readiness and reduce escapes in diagnostic and programming flows.

What You'll Do

• Lead validation efforts for diagnostic programming and vehicle communication workflows, including DPS, SPS/SPS2, VWP, and related service-tool scenarios.
• Develop and execute test plans, test cases, and test procedures to validate software functionality, communication robustness, and programming performance across vehicle, bench, and lab environments.
• Investigate complex failures involving vehicle communication protocols, ECU programming behavior, gateway routing, and tool-to-vehicle interactions; drive issues through root-cause isolation, defect documentation, and corrective-action validation.
• Validate new software releases and fixes for vehicle programming and diagnostics features, including regression, stress, and performance-oriented test scenarios.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret logs, traces, and data captured from tools such as Wireshark, CAN loggers, and Lauterbach debuggers and trace tools to support root-cause analysis.
• Support flatbuild, bench, and hardware-in-the-loop style validation activities where flashing, power cycling, UART/SSH access, or bench-specific setup is required to reproduce and isolate issues.
• Partner with software engineers, subsystem engineers, product engineering, service engineering, and validation stakeholders to clarify requirements, reproduce issues, and assess release readiness.
• Analyze test results and provide recommendations for software improvements, defect fixes, containment actions, and automation opportunities.
• Create and maintain high-quality validation documentation, including test plans, test reports, defect records, scenario coverage, and lessons learned.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of software validation processes, bench strategies, and automated test coverage for diagnostic and programming systems.

Required Qualifications (Skills & Abilities)

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Software Systems, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of professional experience in software validation, software test engineering, or system-level software integration testing.
• Hands-on experience testing and validating software applications, preferably in automotive diagnostics, embedded systems, service programming, or vehicle communications domains.
• Solid understanding of software testing methodologies, defect management, root-cause analysis, and validation best practices.
• Knowledge of vehicle serial data and communication protocols, including CAN (ISO 15765), UDS (ISO 14229), DoIP (ISO 13400), GMLAN and SAE J1850.
• Experience with diagnostic and programming workflows involving vehicle communication tools and interfaces.
• Proficiency in one or more programming or scripting languages such as Python, C/C++, or Java for automation, analysis, or test support.
• Experience reading and analyzing communication logs and traces to troubleshoot complex software or programming issues.
• Understanding of vehicle electrical architecture systems and software/hardware interaction points relevant to diagnostics and programming.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in a cross-functional team environment.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and independently drive investigations from symptom identification through validated resolution.

Preferred Qualifications (Competitive Edge)

• Familiarity with GM tools and workflows such as Development Programming System (DPS), Service Programming System (SPS/SPS2), and Global Diagnostic System (GDS 2).
• Experience validating service-programming and parallel-programming scenarios across bench and vehicle environments.
• Hands-on experience with Wireshark, CANoe/CANalyzer, Lauterbach, or comparable debug, trace, and network-analysis tools.
• Experience with SAE J2534 Pass-Thru interfaces, MDI/MDI2, and related diagnostic/programming toolchains.
• Experience supporting bench-based validation, including flashing workflows, power-state control, capture of serial/network logs, or automation in lab environments.
• Experience developing or improving test automation frameworks, regression strategies, or CI/CD-aligned validation workflows.
• Embedded software development exposure or Windows-based application validation experience.
• Experience with ODX/OTX, utility files, SPS interpreters, or related diagnostic content workflows.
• Automotive service engineering, manufacturing engineering, or field issue triage experience.
• Demonstrated technical leadership through mentoring, driving issue closure, or leading complex validation investigations.

Additional Information

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

About GM

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