> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/1134016-senior-staff-software-engineer-machine-learning-system-optimization](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1134016-senior-staff-software-engineer-machine-learning-system-optimization). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Senior/Staff Software Engineer - Machine Learning & System Optimization - **Company:** Zoox - **Location:** Seattle, WA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $226,000.0 - $307,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, C++ (Programming Language), Program Optimization, Nvidia CUDA, Python (Programming Language), Machine Learning, Object Detection, Performance Tuning, Sensor Fusion, Smart Devices, System Programming, Real Time Systems, Large Language Models, Low Latency, Machine Learning Operations, TensorRT, Lidar - **Published:** July 2, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=506d562ceeb9e138 ## About the Role * Deep experience in system and performance optimization in CPU/GPU systems designed for low latency or high throughput. * Deep expertise in working with real-time systems & required constraints such as processing latency, memory utilization, and memory bandwidth pressure. * Deep expertise in model quantization (PTQ, QAT) and mixed-precision inference frameworks (INT8, FP8, FP4, BF16/FP16). * Proficiency in low-level programming for AI accelerators, specifically developing and optimizing custom ML OPs and TensorRT Plugins with efficient CUDA kernel implementations. * Production-level C++ (14/17/20) and Python programming skills, with experience developing concurrent, memory-safe, real-time inference code for edge devices., * Prior experience in high-performance robotics applications such as AV/drones/robots. * Familiarity with SOTA autonomous driving perception algorithms (temporal 3D object detection, BEV, 3D Occupancy Networks) and multi-modal sensor processing (Vision, LiDAR, Radar). * Experience with end-to-end autonomous driving paradigms (VLM/VLA models, Foundation models) and edge deployment technologies (e.g., TensorRT-LLM). ## Description The Perception team is pioneering the development of a multi-modality foundation model to drive the next generation of autonomous system intelligence. As a Machine Learning and System Optimization Engineer, you will orchestrate and allocate overall system capacity to various core perception models running on-bot, as well as drive large initiatives that allow for more efficient inference by sharing various parts of the perception stack with one another. You will focus on bringing highly efficient, production-ready large-scale models to our on-vehicle stack. We are looking for experts with hands-on experience compressing, accelerating, and deploying complex models, including LLMs, VLMs, or foundation models, for power- and thermal-constrained vehicle SoCs. In addition, you will optimize ML models, write custom CUDA kernels, and build highly concurrent inference code to ensure real-time, deterministic execution on edge devices., * Allocate and distribute system resources (CPU/GPU/interconnect) to various models and inference engines running on the robot. * Spearhead cross-cutting initiatives that allow for better compute utilization through sharing/fusing models and better scheduling strategies. * Optimize large-scale models (Multi-Modal Sensor Fusion models, LLMs, VLMs) using advanced quantization (PTQ, QAT), pruning, mixed-precision inference frameworks, and parameter-efficient fine-tuning (LoRA, QLoRA). * Architect and implement model conversion and compilation pipelines using TensorRT for edge deployment. * Write production-level, low-latency, and memory-safe C++ and CUDA code for real-time inference on vehicle systems. ## Related Videos - [How to develop an autonomous car end-to-end: Robotic Drive and the mobility revolution](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/22-how-to-develop-an-autonomous-car-end-to-end-robotic-drive-and-the-mobility-revolution) - [Tour de Force: Open-Source LLM Inference Optimization from Simple to Sophisticated](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100099-tour-de-force-open-source-llm-inference-optimization-from-simple-to-sophisticated) - [Swapping Low Latency Data Storage Under High Load](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/746-swapping-low-latency-data-storage-under-high-load) - [Developing an AI.SDK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/198-developing-an-ai-sdk) - [Remote Driving on Plant Grounds with State-of-the-Art Cloud Technologies](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/251-remote-driving-on-plant-grounds-with-state-of-the-art-cloud-technologies) - [Trends, Challenges and Best Practices for AI at the Edge](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/630-trends-challenges-and-best-practices-for-ai-at-the-edge) ## Related Articles - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [How software is steering vehicle technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/515-how-software-is-steering-vehicle-technology) - [Dev Digest 137 - AI'm not sure about this](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/485-dev-digest-137-ai-m-not-sure-about-this) - [Dev Digest 121 - AI goes offline](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/456-dev-digest-121-ai-goes-offline) - [MLOps And AI Driven Development](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/82-mlops-and-ai-driven-development) - [Dev Digest 120 - Apple and peers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/455-dev-digest-120-apple-and-peers)