Contract Student Worker System Test Engineer (Full-time)

Zoox; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 36,000 - 47,000; Part time

Job summary

Zoox in Foster City is seeking a part-time Autonomy Systems Test Engineer as part of its student worker program. You will help accelerate our self-driving development by building test plans, synthetic and log-based scenarios, and triage workflows for issues seen in simulation and on-vehicle testing.

You will work 40 hours per week for at least six months while enrolled in an MS program. The role is contract through a Zoox vendor with hourly compensation of $30.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS, EE, or related field.
• 0–2 years of experience designing and implementing scalable software test strategies.
• Proficiency with automated test frameworks and test automation.
• Experience with JIRA, Git, Linux CLI, Python, or similar scripting languages.
• Strong organizational, leadership, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Create test strategies and test plans for Zoox’s self-driving behavior features.
• Identify, track, report, and resolve test issues with cross-functional software teams.
• Prototype, validate new testing methods for driving software features using automated metrics.
• Design, develop, and execute synthetic and log-based test scenarios in an in-house simulation test framework.
• Compile triage strategy and triage results from QA validation platforms and pipelines.
• Lead cross-functional QA participation in various testing pipelines and enablement projects.

Skills

Software test strategy design

Test automation

JIRA

GIT

Linux CLI

Python

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS or EE

Tools

JIRA

Git

Linux command line

Python

Job description

About Zoox

Zoox is an autonomous ridehailing company building the world's first purpose-built robotaxi — fully electric, bidirectional, with no steering wheel or driver's seat. Backed by Amazon and founded to make transportation safer, cleaner, and more accessible, Zoox designs its vehicles entirely around the rider. We're currently operating in Las Vegas and San Francisco, with Austin and Miami on the horizon, and testing underway across seven U.S. markets.

About Our Part-Time Student Worker Program

Zoox's part-time student worker program puts you at the center of one of the most ambitious challenges in transportation. You'll contribute to real projects, work alongside engineers and researchers pushing the boundaries of autonomous technology, and gain experience that goes well beyond the classroom. We're looking for students who bring strong academic foundations, curiosity that doesn't stop at coursework, and a drive to be part of something that matters.

About The Team

As an Autonomy Systems Test Engineer at Zoox, you will help accelerate our product development by helping our developers build the safest and most reliable autonomous driving software possible. As developers build new features, you will oversee the development of extensive test plans, develop standardized simulated test design tooling processes to execute many different scenarios and put together triage pipelines for analyzing issues seen during offline and on-vehicle testing. These efforts are critical to exposing unforeseen failure modes, implementation bugs, and other issues as a result of new feature development. You will participate regularly in in-vehicle testing missions where you will see these new features behaving in the real world. Following these missions, you will help triage and root cause issues seen during testing, analyze test results to ensure existing functionality does not regress from release to release, and update our testing processes to ensure QA can continue scaling efficiently with future Zoox milestones. Your ability to distill complex systems and root cause issues will be critical to producing a safe and stable vehicle platform.

In this role, you will:

• Create test strategies and test plans for Zoox’s self-driving behavior features.
• Identify, track, report, and resolve test strategy, planning, or implementation issues with cross-functional software development teams
• Propose, prototype, and validate a new testing methodology for driving software features using automated metrics.
• Design, develop, and execute synthetic and log-based test scenarios on an in-house simulation test framework
• Compile triage strategy and triage results from different QA validation platforms and pipelines
• Lead cross-functional QA participation in various testing pipelines, initiatives, and enablement projects.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 0-2 years of experience in designing and implementing scalable software systems test strategies with excellent analytical, problem-solving, and prioritization skills.
• Proficiency with automated test framework and test automation.
• Experience with JIRA, GIT, Linux command line, Python, or other scripting languages.
• Strong organizational, leadership, and communication skills.

Program Requirements:

• Currently enrolled in M.S. program in a relevant discipline.
• Available to commit to a minimum 6 month assignment.
• Able to commit a minimum of 40 hours per week.
• Able to work on-site in Foster City California
• Must adhere with Zoox confidentiality requirements, including refraining from using or sharing proprietary company information outside of Zoox, such as in academic research, theses, publications, or presentations.

We want to be transparent: this is not an internship. The Part-Time Student Worker Program is designed to complement your academic experience by providing meaningful, ongoing work alongside your studies. Rather than participating in a cohort-based program, you'll join a team directly and contribute to real projects with real impact. While the program does not include structured intern programming or a pathway to full-time employment, it offers valuable opportunities to learn, develop new skills, and gain hands‑on experience in a professional environment.
Compensation for this role is $30/hour.

This is a contract position; employment will be through a vendor contracted with Zoox. The hourly rate is as posted, and benefits eligibility is determined by the vendor.

About Zoox

Zoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility‑as‑a‑service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast‑moving and highly execution‑oriented team.

Accommodations

If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to [e-mail] or your assigned recruiter.

A Final Note:

You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.