Staff Machine Learning Engineer - Data

Kodiak; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 265,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation package

Medical, Dental and Vision plans

Flexible PTO and paid holidays

Free catered lunch and stocked kitchen

Long-term and short-term disability insurance

Job summary

Kodiak, based in Mountain View, CA, is seeking a Machine Learning Engineer to develop data pipelines and improve the intelligence behind their autonomous trucking technology. This role involves close collaboration with teams in robotics and AI infrastructure to enhance vehicle performance through data-driven insights.

Candidates should have a strong background in ML practices, proficient programming skills in Python, and experience in building scalable data solutions using frameworks like Apache Airflow. The position offers a competitive compensation package along with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of practical experience working with ML teams.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals including testing and debugging.

Responsibilities

• Automate existing and new pipelines using orchestration frameworks.
• Utilize signals to stratify datasets and improve ML datasets.
• Support the metrics dashboard ensuring scalability.

Skills

Python

Scalable ELT pipelines

Collaboration

Data modeling

Education

MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Engineering, Mathematics

Tools

Apache Airflow

MetaFlow

SQL

Job description

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose‑built for commercial trucking and the public sector. Kodiak delivers freight daily across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi‑truck to a customer. Kodiak also leverages its commercial self‑driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Kodiak is seeking Machine Learning Engineers focusing on data, pipelines and tooling to help build the intelligence that powers the Kodiak Driver. Our ML teams work across perception, prediction, planning and AI infrastructure to turn real‑world driving data into models that enable safe and scalable autonomous trucking.

In this role, you will develop the data pipeline that helps design machine‑learning systems to improve our vehicles’ ability to understand the world, predict the behavior of other road users, and make safe driving decisions. You will collaborate closely with robotics, autonomy and infrastructure teams to continuously improve the performance of our autonomy stack using large‑scale data from our growing fleet.

Responsibilities

• Work with the ML team to automate existing and new pipelines using orchestration frameworks such as AirFlow or MetaFlow.
• Utilize auto‑generated or manually labeled signals to stratify datasets, deduplicate data and improve the information content of ML datasets.
• Improve and support the metrics dashboard and its underlying datastore to ensure scalability for increasing test volume, performance and cost‑effectiveness.
• Advocate for additional tooling to simplify and improve current processes, becoming more powerful and automated. This includes, but is not limited to, dataset curation and mining, evaluation and problem discovery, labeling and triage, including the use of LLMs and offboard models.
• Contribute to the development of scalable AI infrastructure that supports continuous learning and deployment across Kodiak’s fleet.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical field with 3+ years of practical experience working with ML teams.
• Proficiency in Python.
• Proven ability to build scalable ELT pipelines and data models using SQL and modern data lakes with automated workflow orchestration tools such as Apache Airflow or MetaFlow.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals, including testing, debugging and system design.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams to solve complex autonomy and robotics challenges.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses.
• Excellent Medical, Dental and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including miscarriage benefits).
• MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance and Critical Illness Insurance.
• Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays and generous parental leave policies.
• Office located centrally in Mountain View, CA.
• Office perks: dog‑friendly, free catered lunch, fully stocked kitchen and free EV charging.
• Long‑term and short‑term disability, life insurance.
• Wellbeing benefits – Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation).
• Fidelity 401(k).
• Commuter, FSA, dependent‑care FSA, HSA.
• Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.).

The pay range listed below reflects the base salary in our SF/Silicon Valley location, across several internal levels. Actual starting pay will be based on job‑related factors including work location, experience, relevant training, education, skill level and performance during interview. Total compensation at Kodiak includes base pay, equity, bonus and a competitive benefits package.

California Pay Range: $200,000 USD – $265,000 USD

At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal‑opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility for such positions may hinge on verification of a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status and/or citizenship status. If the position requires, and Kodiak determines that a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status or citizenship status necessitate an export license, disqualifies the candidate from the position or otherwise falls under national security‑related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak’s sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate’s application. If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.

We use a third‑party AI tool (Endorsed) to assist in the initial screening of applications. As part of the evaluation process, we provide Endorsed with job requirements and candidate‑submitted applications. Final hiring decisions are made by our human recruitment team, and no automated system makes the ultimate decision regarding hiring. Certain features of the platform may qualify it as an Automated Employment Decision Tool (AEDT) under applicable regulations. We began using Endorsed on January 1, 2026. You can review the independent bias audit report covering our use of Endorsed https://endorsed.com/local-law-144. By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your application may be processed by AI systems as part of the screening and selection process. If you have any questions or would like to request a separate review of your application, please contact [e-mail] with "Separate Review Request" in the email subject line.