Senior Localization Engineer

Gatik; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Gatik, the leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics, is seeking a Senior/Staff Software Engineer to join the Localization team to build state-of-the-art sensor fusion and real-time localization for autonomous trucks.

Based onsite in Santa Clara, CA, you will develop GPS/IMU fusion, SLAM, and ROS/ROS2 integration, collaborate with perception and control, and validate systems in urban and challenging environments.

Qualifications

• MS/PhD in Robotics, CS, EE, or related field.
• 6+ years of production C++ software experience.
• 2+ years in AV/ADAS industries.
• Experience with GPS-IMU fusion and SLAM.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize sensor-based localization and odometry algorithms to improve the positioning accuracy.
• Implement sensor fusion using IMU, GPS, Lidar to create a robust localization pipeline.
• Develop and integrate real-time SLAM techniques for structured and unstructured environments.
• Collaborate with perception, mapping, and control teams to integrate localization outputs within the autonomous driving stack.
• Test and validate in simulation and real-world scenarios, including urban and unstructured settings.
• Analyze and debug localization issues with field/test data and user feedback.
• Research lidar and camera-based localization advancements to keep the stack up-to-date.
• Contribute to benchmarking, tuning, and real-time performance improvements.

Skills

C++ development

Python

ROS/ROS2

SLAM

GPS/INS fusion

Sensor fusion

Real-time systems

Education

MS/PhD in Robotics or CS

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Job description

Gatik, the leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics, is revolutionizing the B2B supply chain with its autonomous transportation-as-a-service (ATaaS) solution and prioritizing safe, consistent deliveries while streamlining freight movement by reducing congestion. The company focuses on short-haul, B2B logistics for Fortune 500 retailers and in 2021 launched the world’s first fully driverless commercial transportation service with Walmart. Gatik's Class 3-7 autonomous trucks are commercially deployed across major markets, including Texas, Arkansas, and Ontario, Canada, driving innovation in freight transportation.

Gatik's proprietary Level 4 autonomous technology, Gatik Carrier™, is custom-built to transport freight safely and efficiently between pick-up and drop-off locations on the middle mile. With robust capabilities in both highway and urban environments, Gatik Carrier™ serves as an all-encompassing solution that integrates advanced software and hardware powering the fleet, facilitating effortless integration into customers' logistics operations.

About the role

We are seeking a Senior/Staff Software Engineer to join our Localization team to build state-of-the-art sensor fusion solutions that combine data from a wide variety of sensors, as well as localization algorithms that integrate with maps in real time. We are looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team. You will play a critical part in building robust, real-time localization solutions, leveraging real-time sensor measurements to achieve high accuracy in diverse and challenging environments.

This role is onsite 5 days at our Santa Clara, CA office!

What you'll do

• Design, develop, and optimize sensor-based localization and odometry algorithms to improve the positioning accuracy of autonomous vehicles.


• Implement algorithms for sensor fusion, utilizing data from IMU, GPS, Lidar, and other sensors to create a robust, reliable localization pipeline.


• Develop and integrate real-time SLAM techniques for both structured and unstructured environments.


• Collaborate closely with perception, mapping, and control teams to ensure the seamless integration of localization outputs within the autonomous driving stack.


• Conduct rigorous testing and validation in both simulation environments and real-world scenarios, focusing on challenging conditions like urban and unstructured environments.


• Analyze and debug complex issues in localization, implementing improvements based on both field test data and user feedback.


• Research state-of-the-art techniques in lidar and camera-based localization, keeping the localization stack up-to-date with advancements in sensor processing and computational efficiency.


• Contribute to performance benchmarking, tuning, and continuous improvement efforts to meet real-time constraints and increase system robustness.

What we're looking for

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.


• 6+ years industry experience writing C++ software in a production environment - architecture design, unit testing, code review, algorithm performance trade-offs, etc.


• 2+ years of experience in the AV/ADAS industries.


• Experience in developing localization algorithms for autonomous vehicles or robotic systems, with a strong focus on GPS-IMU sensor fusion and SLAM.


• Proficiency in C++ and Python, with hands-on experience in ROS/ROS2.


• Experience with pose estimation, SLAM, probabilistic filtering, Kalman filtering, and non-linear optimization.


• Practical experience in processing large-scale and real-world data sets.


• Experience implementing mathematical principles effectively in software


• Expert-level knowledge of SLAM, GNSS/INS.


• Experience with sensor fusion and sensor calibration techniques, particularly integrating IMU, GPS, and Lidar data for enhanced localization accuracy.


• Experience with performance optimization and real-time system requirements

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with MATLAB / Simulink.


• Proficiency in linear algebra, probability, and optimization techniques.


• Proven ability to optimize and deploy real-time control systems in fast-paced environments.

Salary Range- $180,000- $260,000

More about Gatik

Founded in 2017 by experts in autonomous vehicle technology, Gatik has rapidly expanded its presence to Mountain View, Dallas-Fort Worth, Arkansas, and Toronto. As the first and only company to achieve fully driverless middle-mile commercial deliveries, Gatik holds a unique and defensible position in the AV industry, with a clear trajectory toward sustainable growth and profitability.

We have delivered complete, proprietary AV technology - an integration of software and hardware - to enable earlier successes for our clients in constrained Level 4 autonomy. By choosing the middle mile – with defined point-to-point delivery, we have simplified some of the more complex AV challenges, enabling us to achieve full autonomy ahead of competitors. Given extensive knowledge of Gatik’s well-defined, fixed route ODDs and hybrid architecture, we are able to hyper-optimize our models with exponentially less data, establish gate-keeping mechanisms to maintain explainability, and ensure continued safety of the system for unmanned operations.

Visit us at Gatik for more company information and Careers at Gatik for more open roles.

Notable News

• Bloomberg: Autonomous Trucking Firm Gatik Inks Contracts Worth $600 Million


• Forbes: Hundreds’ Of Gatik Robot Delivery Trucks Headed For U.S. Roads


• Forbes: Gatik And Loblaw Announce Largest Commercial Deployment Of AV Trucks


• Forbes: Forget robotaxis. Upstart Gatik sees middle-mile deliveries as the path to profitable AVs


• Tech Brew: Gatik AI exec unpacks the regulations that could shape the AV industry


• Business Wire: Gatik Paves the Way for Safe Driverless Operations (‘Freight-Only’) at Scale with Industry-First Third-Party Safety Assessment Framework


• Auto Futures: Autonomous Trucking Group Gatik Secures Investment From NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS


• Automotive News: Gatik foresees hundreds of self-driving trucks on road soon, and that's just the beginning


• Bloomberg: Autonomous Vehicle Startup Takes Off by Picking Off Easier Routes


• Reuters: Driverless vehicles on limited routes bump along despite US robotaxi scrutiny

Taking care of our team

At Gatik, we connect people of extraordinary talent and experience to an opportunity to create a more resilient supply chain and contribute to our environment’s sustainability. We are diverse in our backgrounds and perspectives yet united by a bold vision and shared commitment to our values. Our culture emphasizes the importance of collaboration, respect and agility.

We at Gatik strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels they have opportunities to succeed and grow because we know that together we can do great things. We are committed to an inclusive and diverse team. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any legally protected status.