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Senior Autonomy Engineer

Kodiak AI· Autonomy Safety
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Mountain View, CA$190k - $230kfull-timePosted 6mo ago

About the role

Senior Autonomy Engineer focusing on safety for autonomous driving systems, owning critical elements of Kodiak’s safety strategy and contributing to hazard analyses, risk assessments, and safety case development.

Responsibilities

  • Write C++ to efficiently search high-dimensional failure spaces at scale
  • Use first-principles analysis to develop requirements for safe perception, localization, prediction, motion planning, and control, collaborating directly with the Autonomy Software teams
  • Identify failure modes and edge cases that expose weaknesses in our system before they appear in on-road environments.
  • Perform hazard analysis, risk assessments, and fault tree analysis that feed directly into our safety case and drive system design decisions
  • Provide analysis to support complex autonomy system design trade-offs that affect safety and performance
  • Lead and support structured testing campaigns like simulation, track, on-road, and hardware-in-the-loop to validate that our safety claims hold
  • Pioneer new methods when existing ones aren't enough to hit our safety targets
  • Drive safety thinking cross-functionally — this team doesn't sit in a corner; it shapes how everyone builds

Qualifications

  • M.S. or Ph.D. in engineering, mathematics, statistics, or a related technical field
  • Deep understanding of kinematics, dynamics, and system modeling
  • Strong foundation in probability and statistics
  • Strong programming skills in C++ and/or Python
  • Hands-on work across one or more of the following: Sensor fusion and object tracking (e.g., Kalman filtering, particle filters, least squares estimation); Machine learning methods (e.g., neural networks, SVMs, kNN, regression models, decision trees); Classical computer vision (e.g., edge/corner detection, camera calibration, optics); Motion planning (e.g., A*, RRT, potential fields); Control systems (e.g., PID, nonlinear control, model predictive control)
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, particularly on technical topics
  • Safety analysis methodologies: FTA, FMEA, HARA
  • Safety-critical standards: ISO 26262, DO-178, IEC 61508, SOTIF, UL 4600
  • Redundancy strategies and fault-tolerant system design

Skills

Required:C++First-principles analysisHazard analysis and safety caseSafety standards
Nice to have:Python

Benefits

  • Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
  • 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
  • Offices in Mountain View, CA; dog-friendly with free catered lunch, 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.)
Last updated Oct 21, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Kodiak AI

Safely driving an autonomous future.

Our purpose-built autonomous solution, the Kodiak Driver, is the AV industry’s most advanced driverless technology, seamlessly integrating into any driving platform for reliable movement in any environment. Learn how we’re shaping the future of ground transportation.

autonomousdriverlessground transportationAI
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