BMW career: Hi Max, you work for the BMW Car IT GmbH and so you are one of the BMW Group’s software experts. Please briefly describe your area of responsibility: How can one imagine your job?

My team and I are currently working on the software platform for one of the autonomous driving control units. Our goal is to provide the high-level software engineers with a simple software framework that works independently of the hardware. In addition, we are responsible for integrating the various software modules and ultimately generating a flashable output which can then be loaded onto the control unit. Of course I spend a lot of my time programming. At the moment, it's mostly about implementing first proof-of-concepts for our ideas. In other words, we first check the concepts for feasibility.

BMW career: You have only been working in this department for a short time. What would you say your highlight has been so far?

The new campus in Unterschleißheim is definitely a highlight! Everything revolves around autonomous driving here. You can tell right away that the site was designed for agile software development: The countless whiteboards, the Surface Hubs in every corner and the open-office design definitely boosts teamwork. If you want to have some peace, you can retire to one of the Silent Rooms. Of course that also helps us bring our current project forward. As we are in the early stages of development much of the work consists of coordinating with colleagues and working together to develop concepts for the software and build system architecture. The environment in Unterschleißheim is perfect for that.

BMW career: You are currently looking for new colleagues. What should applicants bring with them in terms of skills and previous experience, and what makes the BMW Group so attractive to you?

We are looking for new colleagues who are familiar with software development in the embedded area. C++ skills are essential, as we mainly program in C++. Also, one should bring enthusiasm for agile development methods as the BMW Group relies heavily on these methods. What I think makes work at the BMW Group so special, is that despite the company’s size you get an agile working environment, but at the same time you can call on the resources of a large corporation.