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# Senior Staff / Principal Software Engineer - Freeway Autonomy

- **Company:** Zoox
- **Location:** Foster City, CA, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Systems Engineering, C++ (Programming Language), Motion Planning, Verification and Validation (Software)
- **Published:** October 22, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.thejobnetwork.com/job/a93dce50-8c3e-4f2d-b064-f604c507ae26/senior-staff-principal-software-engineer-freeway-autonomy

## About the Role

* 10+ years of industry software experience
 * Demonstrated technical leadership of removing the human driver from an autonomous vehicle operating on freeways or highways
 * Deep technical expertise in at least one autonomy domain, such as behavior/motion planning, perception, prediction, simulation, or systems engineering
 * Proven ability to lead large, cross-functional engineering efforts from ambiguity to shipped results
 * Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical trade-offs for varied audiences including executives

Bonus Qualifications:

 * Experience scaling and operating a driverless service after driver removal
 * Experience constructing safety cases or defining driver-out readiness criteria for high-speed autonomous driving
 * Proficiency in C++

## Description

Zoox is on an ambitious journey to develop a full-stack autonomous robotaxi solution, and freeways are the next frontier. We are looking for a Senior Staff or Principal Software Engineer who has played a significant role in removing the driver from an autonomous vehicle operating on freeways, and who can help Zoox navigate that same journey. You will bring deep technical expertise in a relevant autonomy domain - the specific domain is flexible - along with the hard-won judgment that comes from having taken a freeway driving program from supervised operation to driverless. This is a highly visible role with broad influence across the Autonomy organization.

In this role, you will:

 * Guide autonomy-wide initiatives toward driverless freeway operation, including setting the technical vision and strategy, building the roadmap, and driving cross-functional execution
 * Identify the highest-risk gaps between our current freeway capabilities and driver-out readiness, and lead the engineering work to close them
 * Develop algorithms that enable freeway driving capabilities, spanning architecture, design, implementation, integration, testing, and verification and validation
 * Communicate technical trade-offs, risk assessments, and readiness recommendations to diverse stakeholders, including senior and executive leadership
 * Mentor engineers across the freeway program and raise the bar for how we design, test, and validate high-speed autonomous driving