Senior Autonomy Engineer

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. This role demands deep technical expertise, mathematical rigor, and first-principles thinking to ensure safety in autonomous driving. You will own critical elements of our overall safety strategy to deliver safe, transformative autonomous trucking systems. The Autonomy Safety team is charged with an incredibly challenging task: how to make — and prove — that an autonomous truck is incredibly safe (fewer than one fatal collision per 10⁸ hours). There is no textbook for this problem. You will be part of a small, high-impact team working at the frontier of safety, leveraging existing methods and pioneering new ones when needed. What You'll Do:  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 building those systems 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 What you’ll bring: 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 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.) The pay range listed below reflects the base salary  in our SF/Silicon Valley location,  across several internal levels. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors including: work location, experience, relevant training, education, skill level and performance during interview. Total compensation at Kodiak includes base pay, equity, bonus and a competitive benefits package California Pay Range $190,000 — $230,000 USD   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 regardle