Principal Software Engineer - Customer Integration

As a Principal Engineer for SDK Customer Integration in China, you will:

• Be responsible for the end‑to‑end technical integration strategy for Automotive customers using HERE SDK, from early concept to production deployment
• Ensure Automotive customers apply HERE SDK best practices in architecture, configuration, performance tuning, and lifecycle management
• Define and validate the optimal HERE SDK configuration for different automotive hardware setups (Android Automotive, embedded Linux, SoC‑specific constraints, memory/CPU/GPU trade‑offs)
• Act as the technical escalation point for complex customer integration challenges involving routing, navigation, guidance, rendering, or system performance
• Translate customer technical and business requirements into clear, actionable product backlog items, working closely with Product Management and Engineering
• Design and review end‑to‑end system solutions, including SDK usage patterns, APIs, data flows, and integration with vehicle platforms and middleware
• Influence the HERE SDK roadmap by identifying systemic customer needs, gaps, and scalability concerns based on real‑world Automotive integrations
• Collaborate with internal engineering teams to ensure customer feedback results in sustainable product improvements rather than one‑off solutions
• Represent HERE SDK as a technical authority in customer workshops, architecture reviews, and strategic technical discussions

Yuo are a strong fit for this role if you possess teh following qualifications,skills, competencies and experience:

• Bachelor/Master in Computer Science, Software Engineering or similar technical degree
• 12+ years of professional software development experience
• Strong expertise in modern C++ (C++17 or later), including performance‑critical and multithreaded systems
• Strong expertise in Android development (Java/Kotlin)
• Deep understanding of software architecture, system design, and API design in large‑scale products
• Strong knowledge of performance optimization, memory management, and hardware‑aware software design
• Proven experience working with Automotive platforms (Embedded Linux, Android Automotive, or similar)
• Experience applying AI-assisted tools to speed up development workflows or reduce operational overhead, with the ability to critically assess and take full ownership of AI generated suggestions in complex codebases
• Excellent collaborative and communication skills
• Experience working in an Agile development environment (Scrum or Kanban)
• Exposure to Automotive related software is a plus, though not mandatory
• Fluent communication skills in English and Mandarin

HERE Partner Maps Engineering team maintains and operates HERE global products in specific countries like China, South Korea, Japan.

HERE SDK, one of the products we are managing, provides a set of programming interfaces that enables developers to build immersive native applications while leveraging our powerful maps and services.

With features such as routing, guidance, search, interactive 2D and 3D vector maps, the HERE SDK enables developers to build powerful native location‑based applications for platforms like Android, iOS and Linux. Our product is used by millions of customers in mobile phones and moving vehicles.

As part of the HERE Maps and Services organization, the Customer Integration function plays a critical role in ensuring that Automotive customers successfully adopt the HERE SDK using best‑in‑class architectural patterns, optimized configurations, and proven integration practices across automotive platforms. In this role, you will act as a technical authority and trusted advisor for OEMs and Tier‑1s, ensuring that HERE SDK is integrated in a scalable, performant, and future‑proof way. You will bridge customer requirements, product strategy, and engineering execution by shaping solutions, influencing product backlog priorities, and driving best practices across hardware, software, and system architecture.