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 excited about building the future of transportation that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient & accessible for all. We are searching for an exceptional Staff-level Backend Software Engineer to join the Aurora Services Engineering team and take on a critical role in building Aurora's suite of fleet management tools.
The Aurora Services Engineering team creates full-stack solutions including backend services, web apps, mobile apps, and real-time onboard code that enable commercial operation of autonomous vehicle fleets at scale. Our mission is to build the software that drives the commercial side of our platform such as assigning work to autonomous vehicles, providing remote support, managing a fleet of vehicles, and receiving orders from customers. As Aurora prepares to massively scale its fleet and integrate with partners on an API level, the tools we build are critical to the efficient daily operation of our business.
As a Staff Backend Software Engineer you will join a team which builds solutions for autonomous vehicle terminal operations: launching and landing vehicles at locations owned by Aurora and its largest customers. You will add new features to existing products and greenfield completely new ones. Your contributions will have a significant impact on the way terminal operations function at Aurora.
In this role, you will
- Design complex systems from the ground up, working closely with software, hardware, and infrastructure engineering teams along with other stakeholder teams within Aurora.
- Embrace AI tools to add new features which delight our users, along with improving frontend, backend, and onboard engineering efficiency.
- Build backend services running in Aurora’s AWS cloud used to monitor and manage the location and activity of our entire autonomous fleet.
- Establish technology and infrastructure to scale our products with high availability and reliability.
- Collaborate with stakeholders including Security, Product, Design, Safety, and Cloud Platform to achieve company milestones.
- Send suggestions and receive updates from vehicles in real time in order to ensure the safe operation of Aurora’s autonomous fleet.
- Contribute to and evolve our team culture around mentorship, feedback, collaboration, and engineering excellence.
You will be a good fit if you have
- Phenomenal communication skills. We build software with people and for people. You know how to write an effective technical spec, provide feedback to others, translate technical concepts into lay terms, and incorporate feedback into your efforts. You value and practice openness, empathy, kindness, and collaboration.
- A preference for action. You will use good judgment to balance speed and quality. You will deliver products that are built in a responsible and sustainable way. You will use a self-starter mentality to thrive in a growing environment where all hands are on deck, and consider no obstacle too big or too small. You will notice where there is a need and will hustle to fill it.
- The drive to make teams stronger. You're excited to work hard and fast to the finish line on new opportunities with a collaborative and integrated team. You will be proactive in engaging conflict with openness, patience and kindness in an environment where it is safe to lean on each other and learn from failures.
- Motivation to own the product lifecycle end to end. You’re happy to engage with our product and design teams and our internal customers to understand their needs and find ways to meet them. You ensure that product development stays on course all the way through release and post-release support.
- Strong backend service engineering skills. We use modern technologies to build our products including Golang, Python, C++, gRPC, Kubernetes, and AWS. We’re happy to help you learn and adapt to our stack.
- Experience working with databases and caches such as Postgres and Redis.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Computer Science or a related field.
- 6+ years of industry experience with a focus on high-availability cloud services.
Desirable experience
- Experience taking a SaaS development project into production at scale.
- Experience building gRPC services using Golang.
- Experience with IoT devices and Over-the-Air communication.
- Experience with Kubernetes, including service configuration, monitoring and deployment.
- Experience with cloud environments such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.
- Experience with fleet management solutions for robots, vehicles, or aerial drones.
- Experience with external customer facing software including production rollout with real customers.
The base range for this position is $171,000 - $273,000. 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.
#LI-WS1 #Senior
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.
Skills Required
- Phenomenal communication skills (technical writing, feedback, translating concepts)
- Preference for action and good judgment balancing speed and quality
- Drive to strengthen teams through collaboration, mentorship, and feedback
- Motivation to own product lifecycle end-to-end and engage with product/design/stakeholders
- Strong backend service engineering skills and experience with Golang, Python, C++, gRPC, Kubernetes, and AWS
- Experience working with databases and caches such as Postgres and Redis
- Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Computer Science or a related field
- 6+ years of industry experience focused on high-availability cloud services
- Experience taking a SaaS development project into production at scale
- Experience building gRPC services using Golang
- Experience with IoT devices and Over-the-Air communication
- Experience with Kubernetes service configuration, monitoring and deployment
- Experience with cloud environments such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure
- Experience with fleet management solutions for robots, vehicles, or aerial drones
- Experience with external customer-facing software and production rollouts with real customers
Aurora Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Aurora and has not been reviewed or approved by Aurora.
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Healthcare Strength — A broad set of medical plan options with dental and vision, plus company‑paid life and disability, signals strong healthcare support. Mental wellness access, including coaching and therapy sessions, further strengthens the offering.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Flexible vacation for salaried employees, 12 paid holidays, and reasonable sick time indicate generous time‑off provisions. Some roles also accrue substantial vacation days annually.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave and family‑forming reimbursement demonstrate meaningful support for growing families. Coverage for adoption, surrogacy, egg freezing, and genetic testing extends support beyond standard plans.
Aurora Insights
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!
