About Drivemode
Drivemode is a California-based division of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. We are a small, passionate
team of software product innovators helping Honda Automotive be competitive in the Electric
Vehicle market. We build application experiences for mobile devices. Are you passionate about
creating next-generation delightful digital experiences for automotive? Maybe you have worked
at some notable EV companies in this capacity? Would you like to work on new products and
product categories at Honda and help Honda invent the future of automotive? Then we would
like to hear from you!
Why Drivemode:
Drivemode is the new software and user experience subsidiary of Honda that is focused on
digital experience for new electric vehicles. You will be joining an exciting startup environment
that combines impactful work and competitive compensation. By becoming a part of our team,
you'll contribute to our crucial mission of changing the way people engage with vehicles and
help solve the world's environmental challenges. This presents an exceptional opportunity to be
at the forefront of innovation and drive Honda's success in the Auto market.
About the Role:
We are looking for an experienced Staff Software Engineer generalist to join the Drivemode IVI
Team as a foundational team member. Our goal is to assist Honda in delivering software
modules and tools in support of Honda’s broader initiatives in IVI, whether current or future
vehicles.
As part of this role, you help develop technical roadmaps, take a lead in implementing them,
along with initial bring-up of developer tools, environments, and approaches to validation, in
support of current Honda vehicles and future models. We are looking for someone who has a
strong sense of ownership, has experience with state-of-the-art approaches in the IVI space, but
is also enthusiastic about trying new technologies such as cloud-based virtualization of vehicle
ECU topologies and Agentic AI, and does not hesitate to do whatever it takes to get things
done, even if outside your usual responsibility area. This is a new team, so this is an opportunity
to be a foundational member.
Current focus for the team is building “shift left” tooling around a cloud-based virtual simulator of
the Digital Cockpit/Cabin, including Infotainment, Cluster, and other virtual ECU components
pertaining to Digital Cabin. You will be a significant contributor to this initiative.
As part of Honda, the candidate will need to interact closely with Honda counterparts in Japan.
What You Will Do:
● Work with Leadership/Manager and Product Owners to agree upon initial activities and
prioritized backlog.
● Collaborate to determine prioritized implementation plans for backlog items.
● Kick off the implementation of backlog items and see through to release.
● Help develop faster go-to-market approaches, including accelerated testing in virtual
environments.
● Take the initiative to explore how Agentic AI can be incorporated into our virtual rigs.
● Work with Honda vendors that are dependencies.
● Take a technical lead in the next IVI iterations and next-generation platforms.
● Occasional travel to Japan.
What We Are Looking For:
● Minimum 10 years of experience in HMI vehicle software development.
● Android Automotive Platform experience.
● Android Automotive
● Application layer experience.
● Experience architecting, building, and deploying IVI environments.
● Take a lead in evolving observability, logging and telematics best practices.
● Fluent in at least: Kotlin, C++
● A flexible attitude and entrepreneurial mindset. Be willing to engage outside of your
usual responsibility area, learn new technologies and tackle challenges beyond IVI.
Nice to Have
● Digital Twin and Software-Defined Vehicle Appreciation.
● Cuttlefish.
● Agentic AI experience.
● CarPlay / Android Auto
● Hardware Abstraction Layers
● Mobile application development experience.
● Rust, Golang.
● Experience working with Japanese vendors and OEMs.
● Rudimentary Japanese (not required).
Drivemode Mountain View, California, USA Office
Mountain View, CA, United States
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
