Systems Engineer, Autonomy Software

Kodiak Robotics has built the best self-driving technology purpose-built for long-haul trucks and defense applications. We care deeply because this technology will save lives and transform the freight industry. Lauded by commercial partners as the safest and most capable autonomous freight solution on the market, the Kodiak team is ushering in a new era of transportation. We’re led by many of the self-driving industry’s leading minds, who have built Kodiak’s technology from day one to be deployable and scalable. This includes Kodiak’s unique modular hardware approach that integrates sensors into a streamlined sensor-pod structure, optimizing for perception, scalability, and maintainability. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the country, for some of the biggest names in trucking and most recognizable brands. Over the past year and a half, we announced commercial partnerships with a range of companies including IKEA, Pilot Company, Werner Enterprises, Forward, U.S. Xpress, and CEVA Logistics. We have demonstrated fundamental tech differentiators such as an on-road fallback, maintaining control of a truck after a catastrophic steer tire blowout, and our hot-swappable SensorPod.

We are looking for an Autonomy Software Systems Engineer who can derive requirements from first-principles for safe driving behavior for a self-driving vehicle. An ideal candidate will have background developing algorithms commonly used in autonomy or robotics applications in aerospace, automotive, or other domains. This will be used to support our safety claims about safe perception, motion planning, and control for autonomous robots so that we can ethically and safely deploy autonomous trucks to save lives and transform the freight industry.

In this role you will:

• Collaborate closely with Autonomy Software teams by using first-principles analysis to develop requirements for safe perception, localization, prediction, motion planning, and/or control algorithm.
• Identify edge cases that could help us expose weaknesses in our system prior to encountering them in on-road environments.
• Provide analysis to support complex autonomy system design trade-offs to inform system design decisions affecting safety and performance.
• Support development of simulation scenarios, structured track testing, on-road road testing, and hardware-in-the-loop testing.

What you’ll bring:

• Strong grasp of kinematics, dynamics, and modeling
• Proficiency in Python, Matlab, C++, or C.
• Strong experience (you should have implemented or be able to explain) in multiple of these domains: Sensor Fusion and Object Tracking, Supervised Machine Learning Algorithms, Classical Computer Vision, Motion Planning Algorithms, Control algorithms
• Strong grasp of probability and statistics.
• Familiarity with autonomy systems architectures
• Should be able to whiteboard a system physical architecture describing power, sensing, compute, and actuators for an arbitrary autonomous vehicle.

An ideal candidate may also bring some of the following experiences:

• Experienced in Systems Engineering V-Model
• Experience with Bayesian inference, including beta and gamma distributions.
• Experience developing Markov models.
• Experience developing simulation software.
• Experience analyzing system reliability.
• Experience with any of ISO 26262, DO 178, IEC 61508 standards, particularly on the highest level of criticality (e.g. ASIL-D, DAL A, SIL 4).
• Experience performing safety analysis, such as Fault Trees Analysis (FTA), Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA), Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA), SOTIF, & UL4600
• Familiarity with redundancy management
• Familiar with autonomous vehicle safety cases
• An outstanding candidate will have experience developing a safety case
• Experience developing software unit tests.
• Experience developing and executing integrated system and subsystem tests

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
• 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.)

The salary range for this full-time position is $175,000 - $220,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. We can share more about the specific salary range for your job level during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed above are base salary only and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits.

At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant U.S. national security statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. These statutes may impose limitations on Kodiak's capacity to engage specific individuals in particular roles based on various national security-related criteria. Consequently, the eligibility for this position may hinge on Kodiak's verification of a candidate's residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. In accordance with these statutes , Kodiak may find it necessary to secure a U.S. government export license before disseminating its technologies to specific individuals. Should Kodiak determine that a candidate's residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate a license, prohibit the candidate from assuming this position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak explicitly retains the right to either assess the candidate for an alternative position unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak's sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate's application.