Senior Software Engineer, Simulation & World Models

Botauto; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Botauto in Houston, Texas, seeks a Software Engineer to enhance their autonomous trucking technology. This role involves designing and developing advanced simulation systems to validate driving software. Ideal candidates will have strong skills in C++, and a background in robotics or AI is preferred.

Collaborative work with various engineering teams will be essential to improve simulation quality and operational efficiency. This position offers an exciting opportunity at the forefront of autonomous technology.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional software development experience.
• Strong expertise in modern C++ (C++17 or newer preferred).
• Experience designing and developing production software systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop high-performance simulation infrastructure.
• Build scalable systems for scenario generation and evaluation.
• Develop simulation tooling for various engineering teams.

Skills

C++ expertise

Python coding

Simulation development

Multithreading and concurrency

Performance optimization

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

CARLA

Unreal Engine

Job description

About the Role

We are building the next generation of autonomous trucking technology to make freight transportation safer, more efficient, and more scalable.

Our Simulation team develops the virtual environments, testing infrastructure, and AI-driven simulation systems that enable rapid development and validation of autonomous driving software. We leverage large-scale simulation, synthetic data generation, reinforcement learning environments, and emerging world-model technologies to accelerate autonomy development.

We are seeking a software engineer with strong C++ expertise and a passion for building scalable simulation systems. This role offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of autonomous driving, simulation, robotics, and AI.

What You'll Do

Build Autonomous Driving Simulation Systems

• Design and develop high-performance simulation infrastructure for autonomous vehicle development and validation
• Build scalable systems for scenario generation, simulation execution, and evaluation
• Develop simulation tooling used by Perception, Prediction, Planning, and Controls teams
• Improve simulation realism, scalability, and operational efficiency
• Collaborate across teams to support testing, validation, and development workflows

Develop AI-Driven Simulation Capabilities

• Build infrastructure supporting reinforcement learning and closed-loop evaluation workflows
• Develop systems for synthetic data generation and automated scenario creation
• Collaborate with ML engineers and researchers to integrate learned models into simulation environments
• Explore emerging approaches in world modeling, agent simulation, and Physical AI

Engineering Excellence

• Write production-quality C++ and Python code
• Participate in architecture and technical design discussions
• Build reliable, maintainable, and well-tested systems
• Contribute to code reviews and engineering best practices
• Create clear technical documentation for systems and tools

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
• 3+ years of professional software development experience
• Strong expertise in modern C++ (C++17 or newer preferred)
• Experience designing and developing production software systems
• Strong understanding of:
• Multithreading and concurrency
• Memory management
• Performance optimization
• Software architecture and system design
• Experience working with simulation, robotics, gaming, or autonomous systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with simulation platforms such as:
• CARLA
• Isaac Sim
• Unreal Enginei
• Familiarity with reinforcement learning concepts and workflows
• Experience with agent-based simulation or closed-loop simulation systems
• Experience building synthetic data generation pipelines
• Experience with ROS or ROS2
• Experience with cloud-native infrastructure such as Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, or GCP
• Familiarity with machine learning infrastructure and large-scale data processing systems

Nice to Have

• Experience in autonomous driving or robotics applications
• Experience with multi-agent simulation systems
• Familiarity with world models, generative simulation, or Physical AI technologies
• Experience with sensor simulation, including camera, lidar, or radar
• Experience with physics engines and real-time systems
• Experience with CUDA, OpenGL, Vulkan, or graphics programming

What We're Looking For

• Strong software engineering fundamentals
• Systems-thinking mindset and attention to detail
• Curiosity about simulation, AI, robotics, and autonomous systems
• Ability to work across simulation, infrastructure, and machine learning domains
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with evolving technical challenges
• Passion for building the next generation of intelligent simulation platforms