Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.
We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer to join us to help design, architect, implement, and maintain our simulation capabilities.
In this role, you will:
- Own the integration between our simulation platform and all critical pieces of our autonomy stack
- Work with our technical leads and subject matter experts to engineer novel ways of testing and evaluating our algorithms, including for edge cases and rare events
- Lead the development of new features to improve the fidelity of our simulation results and implement novel evaluation metrics for measuring the performance of our self-driving stack
- Write maintainable, clear, and concise code
- Coordinate with our external partners to drive new features and integrate them with our internal workflows
What you’ll bring:
- Strong technical background (BS, MS, PhD or equivalent professional experience) in Computer Science or a closely related engineering field
- Excellent software developer with at least 5 years of experience writing production-level C++ code
- High standards for software quality and rigor, and a testing-oriented mentality
- Good communication skills and a collaborative bent
- Proven ability to iterate quickly and work hands-on
- Desire to learn about all aspects of autonomous vehicles
- Hands-on knowledge of one or more autonomous vehicle simulators
- Knowledge of modern C++ (c++14 and newer) and version control systems (e.g., git)
- Practical experience in one or more fields of robotics: perception, planning, localization, modeling, control, etc.
- An interest in defining autonomy metrics and evaluation strategies
- Experience with modern DevOps
What we offer:
- Competitive compensation package including equity and biannual bonuses
- Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Anthem, and Guardian (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
- Flexible PTO and generous parental leave policies
- Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA
- Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging
- Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
- Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health
- Fidelity 401(k)
- Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
- Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)
Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors, including exact work location, experience, relevant training and education, and skill level. Please note that the compensation details listed above are base salary only and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits.
Top Skills
What We Do
Kodiak Robotics is an autonomous technology company redefining the long-haul trucking industry.
We believe self-driving trucks will be the first economically viable application of autonomous vehicle technology. We founded Kodiak in the spring of 2018 to make that belief a reality.
Safety is our top priority. We are taking a safe and responsible approach to developing and testing our technology.
We are proud to work with some of the best in the business. We’ve built a world class team of technologists from leading autonomous driving programs who know the industry inside and out. Our combined experience and commitment to the vision will allow us to put self-driving technology on the road in the safest and most effective way.
