Senior Software Engineering Manager, Software Applications
General Motors
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Job Description
The Role
We are seeking a Senior Software Engineering Manager to lead the engineering strategy, delivery, and technical execution of software applications across a diverse portfolio of business-critical platforms, products, integrations, and modernization initiatives.
This is a hands-on engineering leadership role. The successful candidate must bring the same technical depth, engineering judgment, and delivery credibility expected of a Principal Software Engineer, while also leading teams, growing talent, and driving execution across a complex application portfolio. This role is not intended for an architect-only or people-only leader. The right candidate is expected to stay close to the code, lead technical design, perform code reviews, solve complex engineering problems, and coach engineers through direct technical engagement and example.
What You Will Do
- Lead multiple engineering teams responsible for the design, build, modernization, integration, and support of software applications
- Own technical direction across a portfolio that includes modern platforms, business-critical applications, integrations, APIs, and legacy systems
- Partner with product, business, architecture, operations, and delivery leaders to translate business needs into scalable engineering solutions
- Drive modernization strategies for legacy applications, including decomposition, platform evolution, integration simplification, and reduction of technical debt
- Act as the senior technical leader for the organization by making sound architecture decisions, reviewing designs, and setting a high bar for engineering quality
- Contribute directly when needed through design reviews, debugging, code reviews, solution modeling, technical spike work, and hands-on problem solving
- Establish and enforce strong software engineering practices including testing, observability, CI/CD, version control discipline, secure coding, and operational readiness
- Build strong engineering teams by hiring, coaching, mentoring, and developing software engineers and technical leaders
- Create a culture of accountability, technical excellence, continuous learning, and customer-focused delivery
- Lead incident response and escalation management for critical production issues, ensuring fast resolution and durable corrective action
- Manage delivery across multiple workstreams with clear prioritization, measurable outcomes, and transparent communication to stakeholders
What Makes This Role Different
- This leader is expected to operate with principal-level engineering capability, not simply manage engineers
- The role requires strong technical credibility across application architecture, software delivery, integration patterns, modernization, and production support
- The leader must be able to challenge designs, improve implementation approaches, and personally help teams through difficult technical situations
- Success in this role depends on balancing strategic leadership with direct engineering engagement
Your Skills and Abilities (Required Qualifications)
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
- 10+ years experience in software engineering, with progressive responsibility across application development, and 5+ years of technical people leadership experience
- Proven experience leading engineering teams and engineering managers responsible for complex enterprise application portfolios
- Deep hands-on experience in software design, coding, code review, debugging, and technical problem solving
- Demonstrated success modernizing legacy systems while supporting ongoing delivery for business-critical applications
- Strong understanding of distributed systems, application integration, APIs, event-driven patterns, data flows, and enterprise architecture
- Experience establishing and improving engineering standards, development lifecycle practices, and delivery discipline
- Ability to lead across ambiguity, influence senior stakeholders, and align technical decisions with business outcomes
- Strong coaching and mentoring capability, with a track record of raising the technical effectiveness of engineers and managers
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical issues clearly to both engineering and business audiences
What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)
- 12+ years experience in software engineering, with progressive responsibility across application development, and 7+ years of technical people leadership experience
- Experience supporting complex customer-facing, operational, or enterprise business domains
- Experience with legacy platform transformation, including mainframe-connected or deeply integrated enterprise systems
- Experience with cloud platforms, DevOps tooling, automated testing, observability, and modern software delivery practices
- Experience leading globally distributed engineering teams
- Experience operating in environments that require both speed of delivery and high operational reliability
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 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.
Benefits Overview
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.
Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)
General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.
All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws.
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
General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us or call us at 1-800-865-7580. 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.
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