Software Engineer - Simulation Motion Planning

Zoox; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 235,000; Full time

Job summary

Zoox is seeking a Simulation Engineer to model and replicate human behaviors for autonomous driving validation. This role involves creating realistic traffic scenarios and collaborating with AI and validation teams to enhance driving software. Candidates should have a strong background in engineering or computer science, along with experience in C++ and mathematics.

Benefits

Paid time off

Health insurance

Life insurance

Long-term care insurance

Short-term disability insurance

Qualifications

• Experience with motion planning, control systems, constrained optimization.
• Fluency in C++ and strong mathematics skills required.

Responsibilities

• Populate simulated roads with intelligent participants.
• Push the state of the art in traffic and behavior modeling.

Skills

C++

Mathematics

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering

PhD or 4+ years of experience

Tools

Python

Job description

Simulation is essential to Zoox’s mission. Zoox uses simulation to develop our driving software, validate safety, and analyze our real-world performance. Our team’s work directly impacts how rapidly and successfully Zoox will achieve its goals.

For our simulators to successfully validate our autonomous driving stack, we need to realistically model and replicate the worlds we will be driving in. This includes modeling and simulating human behaviors, specifically traffic and other pedestrian behaviors. The challenge is that the simulated humans need to show realistic and representative behavior — we want our agents to jaywalk as a human might do, and also replicate a wide range of behaviors that we encounter while driving in real cities.

In this role, you will:

• Populate the simulated roads with intelligent participants.
• Create simulated cars, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, etc. to behave realistically by default, and tunable to create a full gamut of traffic/agent behaviors.
• Push the state of the art in traffic and behavior modeling to capture real-world behaviors as closely as possible.
• Work closely with various teams — including AI software teams, QA, and Validation Engineers — to push autonomous driving forward.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
• PhD or 4+ years of experience in a related field
• Fluency in C++
• Mathematics skills, including trigonometry, linear algebra, and calculus
• Experience with motion planning, control systems, constrained optimization, and state estimation

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience in game development, traffic simulation, motion planning, or pathfinding
• Experience in automotive, robotics, data science, or machine learning
• Familiarity with Python

Compensation

There are three major components to compensation for this position: salary, Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. The salary will range from$160,00 to $235,000. A sign-on bonus may be part of a compensation package. Compensation will vary based on geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

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.