Senior Software Development Engineer in Test - Verification And Validation

Zoox; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 176,000 - 238,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Health insurance

Long-term and short-term disability insurance

Life insurance

Job summary

A leading autonomous vehicle company in California is seeking a highly motivated V&V Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to join its team. This role involves owning the end-to-end validation strategy for critical safety systems, architecting automated testing frameworks, and developing advanced software tools. The ideal candidate should have over 7 years of experience in relevant fields and possess strong skills in Python, HIL/SIL methodologies, and Linux internals. Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits are included.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in relevant fields with ownership of 3+ complex projects.
• Strong technical background necessary for coding-intensive role.
• Experience with real-time fault injection.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and maintenance of large-scale testing frameworks.
• Architect and manage CI pipelines for automation.
• Perform gap analyses of safety requirements and implementations.

Skills

Good technical communication skills

Experience delivering complex projects in Python

Deep understanding of HIL and SIL methodologies

Ownership of automated testing pipelines

Practical knowledge of Linux internals

Education

Bachelor's or higher degree in Mechatronics Engineering, Computer Science or relevant technical field

Tools

Bamboo

Jenkins

SQL

PySpark

Looker

Databricks

Job description

Overview

Zoox is on an ambitious journey to develop a full-stack autonomous mobility solution for cities and safely deploy such a robotaxi solution. The System Design and Mission Assurance (SDMA) team plays a foundational role in the company's success, responsible for constructing the safety case and fail-operational design for our autonomous driving robots before public road deployment.

We are seeking a highly motivated V&V software development engineer in test (SDET) to join this systems-engineering department. As a V&V SDET, you will be a technical lead, owning the end-to-end validation strategy for critical safety systems while architecting and implementing the advanced software infrastructure required to verify them. This role is coding-intensive, focused on building solutions for high-fidelity testing, scalable automation frameworks, and sophisticated data analysis tools to ensure successful compliance to requirements and mission success.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and maintenance of large-scale event-driven software/hardware-in-the-loop (SIL/HIL) testing frameworks, utilizing advanced software patterns to improve modularity and reduce code duplication.
• Architect and manage end-to-end continuous integration (CI) pipelines to automate the execution of regression suites.
• Lead root cause analysis for complex system-level failures, developing log mining scripts and visualization dashboards (e.g., Grafana, SQL-based notebooks) to triage failures and track performance metrics.
• Perform gap analyses between high-level safety requirements and technical test implementations, including the development of intricate timing and prioritization patterns. Lead end-to-end validation and clearance process for safety-critical monitors, such as for collision detection systems.

Qualifications

• Good technical communication skills, with the ability to summarize complex test failures and provide clear impact assessments for our tests, tools, and pipelines.
• Demonstrated experience delivering complex projects in Python, including the use of AI-based coding, such as for infrastructure development, tooling and automated test writing.
• Deep understanding of HIL and SIL methodologies, including real-time fault injection.
• Ownership from design to implementation and maintenance of automated testing pipelines (e.g., using Bamboo, Jenkins, or similar) and developing custom automation plugins.
• Practical knowledge of Linux internals and networking protocols used in high-throughput real-time systems.
• Bachelors or higher degree in Mechatronics Engineering, Computer Science or a relevant technical field, such as Data Science or Electrical Engineering. 7+ years of experience in the above, with demonstrated ownership of 3+ complex projects.

Bonus Qualifications

• Strong C++
• Pytest customization experience
• Background in autonomous systems or safety-critical robotics validation.
• Experience applying Generative AI or Machine Learning tools to code, audit and improve test coverage and documentation.
• Experience with data engineering tools like SQL, PySpark, Looker or Databricks for large-scale performance analysis.
• Experience with real-time communication protocols (e.g., DDS, I2C, SPI, CAN, GMSL2).

Compensation

$176,000 - $238,000 a year

Base Salary Range: There are three major components to compensation for this position: salary, Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. A sign-on bonus may be offered as part of the compensation package. The listed range applies only to the base salary. Compensation will vary based on geographic location and level. Leveling, as well as positioning within a level, is determined by a range of factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate\'s relevant years of experience, domain knowledge, and interview performance. The salary range listed in this posting is representative of the range of levels Zoox is considering for this position.

Zoox also offers a comprehensive package of benefits, including paid time off (e.g. sick leave, vacation, bereavement), unpaid time off, Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights, Amazon RSUs, health insurance, long-term care insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, and life insurance.

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.

Follow us on LinkedIn

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.