Software Engineer, Controls (C++)

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. In 2025, Kodiak listed publicly on the NASDAQ.

Kodiak is recruiting a Software Engineer who is passionate about vehicular motion control to join our Controls team. The role exposes the breadth of Kodiak’s controller, including dynamic control laws, safety limits, monitoring, feedback, and state management.

This is an opportunity to develop expertise in control theory, platform characterization, and software engineering. Kodiak supports a range of platforms, which has given rise to a cutting-edge modular controller design.

The role accelerates career development by putting driverless features on the road immediately and providing data-based performance feedback.

In this role, you will:

• Implement control and actuation strategies
• Develop and test reliable, safety-critical software that controls articulated trucks driving on highways
• Characterize the vehicle platform, including braking, steering, and acceleration
• Develop models for both onboard and simulated motion prediction
• Specify requirements and document their implementation
• Apply degraded operations capabilities for fail-safe driving
• Collaborate with Planning, Hardware, Systems, and Infrastructure colleagues to advance a robust vehicle control architecture

What you’ll bring:

• 2+ year of experience developing production-level vehicular controls software
• Software development experience writing production-level C++
• A strong background in robotics, controls, and mathematics
• Experience developing, testing, and tuning controllers for autonomous robots, ideally trucks, cars, or flying vehicles
• A focus on vehicle safety

Bonus points if you have:

• Characterized, modeled, and simulated robotic systems
• Facility with control theory, including stability analysis
• Written low-level drivers for software/hardware interfacing using protocols such as CAN or ethernet
• Developed efficient code running on resource-constrained embedded systems with a real-time operating system
• Experience with software design and implementation in safety-critical domains (e.g. automotive, aerospace, medical, etc)
• Knowledge of formal verification methods, writing requirements, and systems engineering processes
• Proficiency with Python
• Proficiency with MATLAB / Simulink

What we offer:

• Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
• Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
• MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance
• Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, 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 through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation) 
• Fidelity 401(k)
• Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
• Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)