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# Senior / Staff Software Engineer, Localization

- **Company:** WAABI PARTNERS
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA, United States (Remote available)
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $141,000.0 - $242,000.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Data Analysis, Computer Programming, Memory Management, Fault Tolerance, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Python (Programming Language), Machine Learning, Sensor Fusion, Concurrency, Deep Learning, Gaussian, Information Technology, C++14, Lidar, GNSS
- **Published:** October 21, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.thejobnetwork.com/job/d5e72929-b78a-4a5a-b7e3-64133f4d70a5/senior-staff-software-engineer-localization

## About the Role

* BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Aerospace/Electrical Engineering, or related field, with a minimum for 5 years of industry experience.
 * Deep, rigorous domain expertise in probabilistic robotics, state estimation, and 3D geometry (Gaussian estimation, filtering, smoothing, and mapping).
 * Proven experience building and optimizing online and/or offline Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) systems, including deep knowledge of point-cloud registration algorithms (e.g. ICP).
 * Extensive hands-on experience processing and fusing data from physical sensors (IMU, LiDAR, Radar, GNSS, etc.).
 * Exceptional systems-level programming skills in modern C++ and/or Rust, with a strong understanding of memory management, concurrency, and real-time computing constraints.
 * Proficiency in python for data analysis, prototyping, and tooling.
 * Strong mathematical foundation in linear algebra, calculus, and probability theory.
 * A proven track record of deploying complex state estimation algorithms onto physical robots or autonomous vehicles operating in the real world.

Bonus/nice to have:

 * Familiarity with industry-standard optimization libraries (e.g., GTSAM, Ceres Solver, g2o).
 * Experience with "learned localization" - applying deep learning and AI/ML models to improve traditional state estimation and feature matching.
 * Experience with high-speed highway autonomous driving constraints.

## Description

The Localization team at Waabi is responsible for answering one of the most critical questions in autonomous driving: exactly where is the vehicle right now? As a Senior or Staff Software Engineer on the Localization team, you will be a domain expert architecting the highly precise, robust state estimation systems that keep our robotaxis and 80,000lb trucks safely on the road. You will design algorithms that seamlessly fuse data across a complex sensor suite to provide real-time, centimeter-accurate pose estimation, even in degraded or GPS-denied environments. You will collaborate with world-renowned engineers and scientists to merge traditional robotics state estimation with Waabi's AI-first approach. You will...

 * Act as a deep domain expert in state estimation, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in real-time vehicle localization.
 * Design, implement, and optimize robust algorithms for multi-sensor fusion leveraging IMU, LiDAR, Radar, Camera, GNSS, wheel encoders, etc.
 * Architect and develop mathematical models to be used in factor graph optimization, Kalman filters, etc.
 * Develop highly optimized, low-latency Rust code that runs directly on the vehicle's various compute devices in real-time.
 * Partner with the Perception and Mapping teams to tightly couple map data and semantic landmarks into the localization pipeline.
 * Build rigorous evaluation frameworks to measure localization accuracy, integrity, fault tolerance across millions of miles in Waabi World (our simulation platform) and on physical test tracks.