Principal Systems Engineer – Enterprise Systems Engineering Transformation Architect

Job Description

At General Motors, our product teams are redefining mobility. Through a human-centered design process, we create vehicles and experiences that are designed not just to be seen, but to be felt. We’re turning today’s impossible into tomorrow’s standard —from breakthrough hardware and battery systems to intuitive design, intelligent software, and next-generation safety and entertainment features.

Every day, our products move millions of people as we aim to make driving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale.

Company Vehicle: Upon successful completion of a motor vehicle report review, you will be eligible to participate in a company vehicle evaluation program, through which you will be assigned a General Motors vehicle to drive and evaluate. Note: program participants are required to purchase/lease a qualifying GM vehicle every four years unless one of a limited number of exceptions applies.

The Role

Define and lead the future-state Systems Engineering operating model, MBSE tool ecosystem, and digital thread that connect stakeholder needs, requirements, architecture, analysis, safety, hardware/software development, verification, validation, configuration, and lifecycle evidence.

The role converts GM’s MBSE vision into an executable enterprise capability: a governed, model-driven ecosystem with authoritative data, reusable architecture patterns, automated traceability, adaptable to concurrent engineering process, and measurable adoption across programs. The role includes a focus on adapting industry-standard Systems Engineering approaches to incorporate Agile and concurrent engineering processes. GM’s future-state direction calls for a model-driven digital ecosystem, common SE processes, predominantly model-based requirements, and end-to-end traceability.

What You’ll Do (Responsibilities)

- Own the enterprise MBSE ecosystem architecture, including tool boundaries, authoritative sources, data ownership, interfaces, identity, configuration management, and lifecycle responsibilities.
- Define the target operating model spanning people, process, methods, data, tools, governance, and adoption.
- Establish the enterprise MBSE method, SysML profile, metamodel, ontology, viewpoints, modeling standards, and reusable libraries.
- Architect MBSE integration across Requirements Management, System Architecture modeling, PLM, ALM/DevOps, simulation, safety, cybersecurity, test, configuration, and reporting environments.
- Define/Tailor Systems Engineering process enabling a more concurrent and continuously integrated execution.
- Define the minimum viable digital thread and sequence expansion based on business value, technical readiness, and adoption capacity.
- Lead tool and technology evaluations using objective criteria such as interoperability, traceability, data portability, configuration control, scalability, security, vendor maturity, and total lifecycle cost.
- Protect GM from unnecessary lock-in by keeping the method, metamodel, ontology, and process definitions as tool-independent as practical.
- Establish the decision framework for existing-versus-modernized capabilities, including when to configure, integrate, migrate, retire, or replace.
- Lead cross-functional architecture decisions involving GEOS, IT, Systems Engineering, software, hardware, safety, PLM, test, suppliers, and program leadership.
- Define migration and coexistence strategies for legacy repositories and dual toolchains while maintaining operational continuity.
- Create model-based lifecycle gates, readiness criteria, evidence expectations, and governance mechanisms.
- Drive pilot-to-scale execution, ensuring that deployment follows proven engineering use cases rather than tool availability alone.
- Establish outcome-based KPIs for traceability coverage, change-impact cycle time, architecture reuse, adoption, late design changes, defect escape, and engineering efficiency.
- Shape supplier and partner roadmaps and represent GM’s technical position in industry forums and strategic vendor engagements.

Your Skills and Abilities (Required Qualifications)

- Bachelor’s in Engineering, Computer Science, IT, Technology, or other relevant degree
- 8+ years relevant experience
- Deep systems engineering and MBSE practice across requirements, architecture, behavior, interfaces, analysis, and V&V.
- Enterprise architecture of complex engineering toolchains and data ecosystems.
- SysML and model management, with practical understanding of SysML v1/v2 transition considerations.
- Deploying and managing modern MBSE ecosystems.
- Requirements management, bidirectional traceability, configuration/version management, and change-impact analysis.
- Integration patterns, APIs, OSLC or equivalent standards, event/data flows, and identity/access management.
- Product lifecycle management, software/ALM, simulation, safety, cybersecurity, and test-system integration.
- Engineering process design, governance, capability maturity, migration, rollout, and organizational change.
- Strong understanding of automotive or other complex cyber-physical product development.
- Ability to make defensible make/buy/partner and platform decisions under uncertainty.

Expected first-year outcomes

- Approved current-state and future-state MBSE ecosystem architecture.
- Deploy pilot and proof-of-concept MBSE environments, in support of tool selections and ecosystem architecture development.
- Enterprise MBSE capability map, reference architecture, and decision-rights model.
- Common SysML profile, metamodel, ontology, modeling guidelines, and reusable pattern strategy.
- Validated integration architecture for requirements, MBSE, PLM, ALM/DevOps, simulation, safety, and test.
- Pilot evidence supporting tool, configuration, interoperability, and adoption decisions.
- Governed migration/coexistence plan for legacy requirements and modeling environments.
- 18-month execution roadmap and longer-term strategic roadmap tied to investment and business cases.
- Operating metrics and executive reporting for adoption, traceability, quality, and value realization.

Compensation:

- The expected base compensation for this role is $201,600- $365,700 USD 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.