Who we are
Aurora’s mission is to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.
The Aurora Driver will create a new era in mobility and logistics, one that will bring a safer, more efficient, and more accessible future to everyone.
At Aurora, you will tackle massively complex problems alongside other passionate, intelligent individuals, growing as an expert while expanding your knowledge. For the latest news from Aurora, visit aurora.tech or follow us on LinkedIn.
Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all.
We’re searching for a Senior Software Engineer to join the HIL Platform team. This team is the backbone of Aurora’s safety mission, building the "flight simulator" for autonomous vehicles that allows us to validate the Aurora Driver on physical hardware at an unprecedented scale. We are hiring to evolve our testing platforms into a highly automated, "productized" ecosystem, offering you the chance to solve complex systems-level challenges that directly impact the deployment of autonomous Class 8 trucks.
In this role you will
- Architect and Develop Core HIL Software: Design and implement high-performance, real-time software interfaces and drivers that bridge the gap between our autonomy stack and various hardware test rigs.
- Build Scalable Tooling, APIs, and Cloud Integration: Develop the platform layer of HIL, creating robust APIs and automation frameworks in cloud environments that allow other engineering teams to easily schedule, execute, and analyze hardware-locked tests.
- Lead Technical Design Reviews: Act as a technical authority within the team, evaluating trade-offs in system architecture, communication protocols, and simulation fidelity to ensure long-term platform stability.
- Optimize System Performance: Debug complex, low-level integration issues involving latency, jitter, and synchronization across distributed hardware components (sensors, ECUs, and compute units).
- Mentor Junior Engineers: Drive engineering excellence by conducting rigorous code reviews, documenting architectural patterns, and mentoring mid-level and junior peers on the team.
Required qualifications
- 5+ years of professional software development experience building complex, low-latency systems or high-scale infrastructure products.
- Expert-level proficiency in Modern C++ (14/17/20): Deep understanding of memory management, multi-threading, and performance optimization.
- Systems-Level Scripting: Strong experience with Python or Golang for building automation pipelines, CLI tools, or data processing services.
- Experience with Systems Integration: Proven track record of developing software that interacts with physical devices, hardware peripherals, or complex networking protocols.
- Linux Mastery: Expert knowledge of the Linux environment, including kernel-space/user-space communication, drivers, and system-level troubleshooting.
- Familiarity with Cloud Services: Experience managing cloud infrastructure and observability tools, balancing the need for a smooth user experience against challenging physical hardware constraints.
Desirable qualifications
- Robotics or AV Experience: Familiarity with ROS (Robot Operating System), middleware communication (Protobuf, ZeroMQ), or autonomous vehicle sensor suites.
- Automotive Protocols: Prior exposure to CAN-bus, CAN-FD, Automotive Ethernet, or J1939 standards.
- Real-Time Systems: Experience with RTOS (FreeRTOS, QNX) or Linux real-time patches (PREEMPT_RT).
- Platform-as-a-Product Mindset: Experience in DevOps, Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, Docker), or building developer-facing tools in a cloud environment (AWS/GCP).
The base salary range for this position is $146,000 - $234,000 per year. Aurora’s pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits.
Working at Aurora
At Aurora, we bring together extraordinarily talented and experienced people united by the strength of our values. We operate with integrity, set outrageous goals, and build a culture where we win together — all without any jerks.
We believe in-person work increases collaboration, empathy and our ability to lead effectively. As a result, we operate in a hybrid work environment where Aurorans are in office at least 3 days per week.
Our Careers page provides insight into what it is like to work at Aurora, and you can find all the latest updates in our Newsroom.
Our commitment to safety
At the core of everything we do is our commitment to safety. Building best-in-class self-driving technology will take time, and we believe that each employee at Aurora has a role in contributing to safety, every step of the way. Aurora expects commitment to our safety policies from every employee, and seeks candidates who take an active responsibility, can contribute to building an atmosphere of trust, and invest in the organization’s long-term success by prioritizing working safely, no matter what.
Our commitment to inclusion
Aurora considers candidates without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy status, parent or caregiver status, ancestry, political affiliation, veteran and/or military status, physical or mental disability, or any other status protected by federal or state law. Aurora considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected].
For California applicants, information collected and processed as part of your application and any job applications you choose to submit is subject to Aurora’s California Employment Privacy Policy.
Top Skills
What We Do
Founded in 2017 by experts in the self-driving industry, Aurora is on a mission to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly. To move both people and goods, the company is building the Aurora Driver, a platform that brings together software, hardware and data services to autonomously operate passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles, and heavy-duty trucks. Aurora is backed by Sequoia Capital, Baillie Gifford, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, among others, and is partnered with industry leaders including Toyota, Uber, Volvo, and PACCAR. Aurora tests its vehicles in the Bay Area, Pittsburgh, and Dallas. The company has offices in those areas as well as in Bozeman, MT; Seattle, WA; Louisville, CO; and Wixom, MI. To learn more, visit aurora.tech.
Aurora is backed by Amazon and Sequoia, among others, and has partnerships with leading transportation companies including PACCAR, Uber, FCA, and Hyundai Group. It tests its vehicles in the Bay Area, Pittsburgh, and Dallas and has offices in those cities as well as in Bozeman, Seattle, Denver, and Detroit.
Aurora hires people who want to build the future of transportation.
Join us!
