Senior Software Engineering Manager, Software Applications

Job description

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 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 role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week {or other frequency dictated by their manager}. This job may be eligible for relocation benefits. 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. 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