Zoox is on an ambitious journey to develop a full-stack autonomous robotaxi solution, and freeways are the next frontier. We are looking for a Senior Staff or Principal Software Engineer who has played a significant role in removing the driver from an autonomous vehicle operating on freeways, and who can help Zoox navigate that same journey. You will bring deep technical expertise in a relevant autonomy domain — the specific domain is flexible — along with the hard-won judgment that comes from having taken a freeway driving program from supervised operation to driverless. This is a highly visible role with broad influence across the Autonomy organization.
In this role, you will:
Guide autonomy-wide initiatives toward driverless freeway operation, including setting the technical vision and strategy, building the roadmap, and driving cross-functional execution
Identify the highest-risk gaps between our current freeway capabilities and driver-out readiness, and lead the engineering work to close them
Develop algorithms that enable freeway driving capabilities, spanning architecture, design, implementation, integration, testing, and verification and validation
Communicate technical trade-offs, risk assessments, and readiness recommendations to diverse stakeholders, including senior and executive leadership
Mentor engineers across the freeway program and raise the bar for how we design, test, and validate high-speed autonomous driving
Qualifications:
10+ years of industry software experience
Demonstrated technical leadership of removing the human driver from an autonomous vehicle operating on freeways or highways
Deep technical expertise in at least one autonomy domain, such as behavior/motion planning, perception, prediction, simulation, or systems engineering
Proven ability to lead large, cross-functional engineering efforts from ambiguity to shipped results
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical trade-offs for varied audiences including executives
Bonus Qualifications:
Experience scaling and operating a driverless service after driver removal
Experience constructing safety cases or defining driver-out readiness criteria for high-speed autonomous driving
Proficiency in C++
Zoox Foster City, California, USA Office
4000 E 3rd Ave, Foster City, CA, United States, 94404
Zoox Foster City, California, USA Office
1149 Chess Drive, Foster City, CA, United States, 94404
Zoox Fremont, California, USA Office
47540 Kato Road, Fremont, CA, United States, 94538
Zoox San Francisco, California, USA Office
60 Broadway St, San Francisco, CA, United States, 94111
Similar Jobs
What you need to know about the San Francisco Tech Scene
Key Facts About San Francisco Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 365,500; 13.9% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Google, Apple, Salesforce, Meta
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fintech, consumer technology, software
- Funding Landscape: $50.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Greylock Partners, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins
- Research Centers and Universities: Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; University of San Francisco; Santa Clara University; Ames Research Center; Center for AI Safety; California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

