Staff Machine Learning Engineer - Deployment

Kodiak; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 265,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation package

Medical, Dental, and Vision plans

Flexible PTO

Dog-friendly office

Free catered lunch

Job summary

A leader in autonomous technology is seeking a Machine Learning Engineer to design and deploy systems improving vehicle perception and decision-making. The role involves collaborating with various teams to utilize real-world data for model enhancement. Ideal candidates will possess an MS or PhD in a relevant field, strong experience in deploying ML systems, and proficiency in Python and C++. The position offers competitive salary ranging from $200,000 - $265,000, along with exceptional benefits like flexible PTO and comprehensive health plans.

Qualifications

• Strong experience deploying machine learning or deep learning systems in production environments.
• Experience with large-scale distributed training systems.
• Solid understanding of optimization and machine learning fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Design and deploy onboard machine learning models to improve performance.
• Collaborate with teams to integrate ML models into production systems.
• Analyze driving logs to improve model robustness and safety.

Skills

Deploying machine learning systems

Collaboration across teams

Proficiency in Python

Proficiency in C++

Deep learning frameworks

Education

MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, or related field

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Job description

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.

Kodiak is seeking Machine Learning Engineers focusing on model deployment to help build the intelligence that powers the Kodiak Driver. Our ML teams work across perception, prediction, planning, and AI infrastructure to turn real‑world driving data into models that enable safe and scalable autonomous trucking.

In this role, you will design and deploy machine learning systems that improve our vehicles’ ability to understand the world, predict the behavior of other road users, and make safe driving decisions. You will collaborate closely with robotics, autonomy, and infrastructure teams to continuously improve the performance of our autonomy stack using large‑scale data from our growing fleet.

This is a high‑impact opportunity to work on cutting‑edge AI systems operating in the real world, where every mile driven improves our models and brings autonomous trucking closer to global deployment.

In this role, you will:

• Help design, train, with a focus towards deploying onboard machine learning models that improve the performance/latency of the Kodiak autonomy stack which includes quantization, pruning, converting to ONNX/TensorRT, custom GPU kernels and profiling.
• Help identify and achieve parity between onboard and deployed offboard models using validation on HIL.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams including perception, planning, simulation, and autonomy infrastructure to integrate ML models into production systems.
• Analyze real‑world driving logs to identify edge cases and improve model robustness and safety.
• Use profiling tooling to additionally help improve the train time for models by identifying and removing bottlenecks.
• Contribute to the development of scalable AI infrastructure that supports continuous learning and deployment across Kodiak’s fleet.

What you’ll bring:

• MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Machine Learning, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong experience deploying machine learning or deep learning systems in production environments.
• Proficiency in Python, C++ and modern ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Experience working with large‑scale distributed training systems.
• Solid understanding of optimization and machine learning fundamentals.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals including testing, debugging, and system design.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams to solve complex autonomy and robotics challenges.

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.
• 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.

Pay and Compensation

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.

$200,000 - $265,000 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 regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.