Senior / Staff Software Engineer, Localization

Waabi; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 141,000 - 242,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation and equity awards

Health and Wellness benefits

Unlimited vacation

Flexible hours and Work from Home support

Catered meals when in office

Regular team-building activities

Job summary

Waabi is hiring a Senior or Staff Software Engineer for its Localization team in San Francisco. You will design algorithms to enhance vehicle localization systems, leveraging multi-sensor fusion and real-time data processing.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience in probabilistic robotics and strong programming skills in C++ or Rust. With a competitive salary range of $141,000 to $242,000, Waabi offers a dynamic work environment and comprehensive perks.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of industry experience.
• Exceptional systems-level programming skills.
• Strong mathematical foundation in linear algebra, calculus, and probability theory.

Responsibilities

• Design algorithms for real-time vehicle localization.
• Implement and optimise algorithms for multi-sensor fusion.
• Develop low-latency Rust code for vehicles' compute devices.

Skills

Probabilistic robotics

State estimation

3D geometry

SLAM systems

Modern C++

Rust

Python

Education

BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Aerospace/Electrical Engineering

Tools

IMU

LiDAR

Radar

GNSS

Job description

With offices in Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas, and Pittsburgh, Waabi is growing quickly and looking for diverse, innovative and collaborative candidates who want to impact the world in a positive way.

The Localization team at Waabi is responsible for answering one of the most critical questions in autonomous driving: exactly where is the vehicle right now? As a Senior or Staff Software Engineer on the Localization team, you will be a domain expert architecting the highly precise, robust state estimation systems that keep our robotaxi and 80,000‑lb trucks safely on the road. You will design algorithms that seamlessly fuse data across a complex sensor suite to provide real‑time, centimeter‑accurate pose estimation, even in degraded or GPS‑denied environments. You will collaborate with world‑renowned engineers and scientists to merge traditional robotics state estimation with Waabi's AI‑first approach.

You will

• Act as a deep domain expert in state estimation, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in real‑time vehicle localization.
• Design, implement, and optimise robust algorithms for multi‑sensor fusion leveraging IMU, LiDAR, Radar, Camera, GNSS, wheel encoders, etc.
• Architect and develop mathematical models to be used in factor‑graph optimisation, Kalman filters, etc.
• Develop highly optimised, low‑latency Rust code that runs directly on the vehicle's various compute devices in real‑time.
• Partner with the Perception and Mapping teams to tightly couple map data and semantic landmarks into the localisation pipeline.
• Build rigorous evaluation frameworks to measure localisation accuracy, integrity, fault tolerance across millions of miles in Waabi World (our simulation platform) and on physical test tracks.

Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Aerospace/Electrical Engineering, or related field, with a minimum of 5 years of industry experience.
• Deep, rigorous domain expertise in probabilistic robotics, state estimation, and 3D geometry (Gaussian estimation, filtering, smoothing, and mapping).
• Proven experience building and optimising online and/or offline SLAM systems, including deep knowledge of point‑cloud registration algorithms (e.g. ICP).
• Extensive hands‑on experience processing and fusing data from physical sensors (IMU, LiDAR, Radar, GNSS, etc.).
• Exceptional systems‑level programming skills in modern C++ and/or Rust, with a strong understanding of memory management, concurrency, and real‑time computing constraints.
• Proficiency in Python for data analysis, prototyping, and tooling.
• Strong mathematical foundation in linear algebra, calculus, and probability theory.
• A proven track record of deploying complex state estimation algorithms onto physical robots or autonomous vehicles operating in the real world.

Bonus/nice to have

• Familiarity with industry‑standard optimisation libraries (e.g. GTSAM, Ceres Solver, g2o).
• Experience with "learned localisation" – applying deep learning and AI/ML models to improve traditional state estimation and feature matching.
• Experience with high‑speed highway autonomous driving constraints.

The US yearly salary range for this role is: $141,000 – $242,000 USD in addition to competitive perks & benefits. Waabi (US) Inc.’s yearly salary ranges are determined based on several factors in accordance with the Company’s compensation practices. The salary base range is reflective of the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Note: The Company provides additional compensation for employees in this role, including equity incentive awards and an annual performance bonus.

Perks/Benefits

• Competitive compensation and equity awards.
• Health and Wellness benefits encompassing Medical, Dental and Vision coverage (for full‑time employees only).
• Unlimited vacation.
• Flexible hours and Work from Home support.
• Daily drinks, snacks and catered meals (when in office).
• Regularly scheduled team‑building activities and social events both on‑site, off‑site & virtually.

Waabi is a technology start‑up building technologies to transform the way the world moves. Join our talented team to be a part of the future and to make an impact!

Waabi is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a supportive, inclusive, and accessible workplace for all our employees. We seek applicants of all backgrounds and identities, across race, colour, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, age, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military or veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or parental status, caregiver status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. We make workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process please let our recruiting team know.