Probabilistic Risk Assessment Engineer

Kodiak AI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Equity & annual bonuses

Excellent medical, dental and vision

Flexible PTO

Office in Mountain View, CA

Dog-friendly office

Headspace / Calm / Gympass

401(k) and financial benefits

Job summary

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. is seeking an autonomy safety engineer to own elements of the safety case for autonomous trucking. You will apply probabilistic risk assessment and reliability engineering to improve safety.

You will write Python and C++ to model risk, run simulations, and help define validation strategies. This role requires strong mathematics, statistics, and collaboration across teams to deliver safe, scalable autonomous systems.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in engineering, mathematics, statistics.
• Deep understanding of probability & statistics.
• Experience using building probabilistic models.
• Experience developing software using Python and C++.
• Experience using Monte Carlo simulation to solve technical problems.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, particularly related to technical topics.

Responsibilities

• Write Python code to estimate risk using Bayesian probabilistic models in our Probabilistic Risk Assessment.
• Write C++ code to efficiently search for failure modes in high‑dimensional spaces.
• Run simulations and analyses to generate risk‑informed results guiding engineering priorities.
• Pioneer new methods for achieving incredibly high safety levels in autonomous vehicles.
• Perform hazard analysis, risk assessments, and fault tree analysis.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally to integrate safety throughout development.
• Develop and execute comprehensive validation strategies.
• Drive continuous improvement in safety processes and tools.

Skills

Python

C++

probabilistic models

Monte Carlo simulation

probability & statistics

communication skills

Education

MS or PhD in engineering, mathematics, statistics

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.

If you thrive on solving the hardest autonomy problems, we want you. This technically demanding role demands deep systems expertise, understanding of autonomy, mathematical rigor, and first-principles thinking to ensure safety in autonomous driving. You will own critical elements of our overall safety strategy to deliver safe, transformative autonomous trucking systems.

The Autonomy Systems Safety team is charged with an incredibly challenging task: how to make and prove that an autonomous truck is incredibly safe (<1 fatal collision per 10^8 hours)? There is no textbook for this sort of problem. You will be part of a small, high-impact team working to solve one of the most difficult problems in autonomous driving. You will be operating at the frontier of safety, working with talented teammates to leverage existing methods and to pioneer new methods when needed.

Each teammate is charged with owning a significant part of the overall safety story, whether it’s functional safety, probabilistic risk assessment, reliability engineering, building and running hardware-in-the-loop test rigs, defining and leading our structured testing campaigns, updating our safety case and documentation, and much more.

This role offers the opportunities for creating unparalleled impacts, overcoming career-defining technical challenges, and significant professional and technical growth.

What You'll Do:

• Write Python code to estimate risk using Bayesian probabilistic models in our Probabilistic Risk Assessment.
• Write C++ code to efficiently search for failure modes in insanely high-dimensional search spaces.
• Run simulations and perform analysis to generate risk-informed results that shape engineering priorities at the company.
• Pioneer new methods for practically achieving incredibly high safety levels in autonomous vehicles.
• Perform hazard analysis, risk assessments, and fault tree analysis.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to integrate safety throughout development.
• Develop and execute comprehensive validation strategies.
• Drive continuous improvement in safety processes and tools.

What you’ll bring:

• M.S. or PhD in engineering, mathematics, statistics, or related technical field
• Deep understanding of probability & statistics
• Experience using building probabilistic models
• Experience developing software using Python and C++
• Experience using Monte Carlo simulation to solve technical problems
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, particularly related to technical topic

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

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

$170,000 - $210,000 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.

In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility for such positions may hinge on verification of a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. Should the position require, and Kodiak determines that a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate an export license, bar the candidate from the position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak’s sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate’s application. If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.

As set forth in Kodiak’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.