Senior Localization and Planning Engineer - Autonomous Vehicles

NVIDIA AI; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 184,000 - 357,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

NVIDIA is seeking an experienced software engineer in Santa Clara to design and implement high-assurance navigation software for autonomous vehicles. You will contribute to large-scale algorithms, ensure robust performance, and deliver production-ready C++ code aligned with automotive safety standards.

Ideal candidates have 8+ years in CS, strong algorithmic design, and proven collaboration across teams. Equity and comprehensive benefits are available. Applications open until 2026-09-02.

Qualifications

• BS, MS or PhD in Computer Science or related fields (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of proven experience.
• Strong algorithmic design background.
• Outstanding communication and teamwork skills, cross-team collaboration.
• Meticulous craftsmanship of software in modern C++, RAII and exception-safe coding practices.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement systems using navigation maps to guide vehicle routing at lane level.
• Ensure algorithms perform effectively on large real-world and synthetic datasets.
• Write safe, highly efficient C++ code.
• Productize software for real-world deployment in consumer cars, adhering to MISRA and ISO26262 standards.

Skills

Algorithm design

C++ programming

Communication skills

Software craftsmanship (RAII)

Education

BS in CS

MS in CS

PhD in CS

Tools

C++

Job description

Job Requisition ID JR2022858

Job Category Engineering

Time Type Full time

What You'll Be Doing

• Design and implement systems using standard navigation maps, e.g. Google maps, to help navigate the car along a route on a lane level.
• Ensure algorithms perform effectively across large-scale real-world and synthetic datasets in diverse environments..
• Write safe, highly efficient code in C++.
• Productize all software for real-world deployment to consumer cars, follow automotive quality and safety standards (MISRA, ISO26262).

What We Need To See

• BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science or related fields (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of proven experience.
• Strong algorithmic design background.
• Outstanding communication and teamwork skills, as this project requires both cross-team collaboration and work in a tightly-knit team.
• Meticulous craftsmanship of software in modern C++, using RAII and the best exception safe coding practices.

Ways To Stand Out From The Crowd

• Prior industrial experience with navigation maps, online mapping, or lane planning.

We believe that realizing self-driving cars will be a defining contribution of our generation (e.g. traffic accidents cause ~1.25 million deaths per year world-wide). We have the funding and scale, but we need your help on our team. NVIDIA is widely considered to be one of the technology world’s most desirable employers with some of the most forward-thinking and hardworking people in the world working here. If you're creative and autonomous, we want to hear from you!

#AutonomousVehicles

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 184,000 USD - 287,500 USD for Level 4, and 224,000 USD - 356,500 USD for Level 5.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until September 2, 2026.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.

#deeplearning