Staff Software Engineer - Frameworks

Aurora; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Hybrid; USD 171,000 - 273,000; Full time

Job summary

Aurora is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to advance the Autonomy Frameworks team, building the robotics middleware powering the Aurora Driver. You will shape the AV runtime across vehicle and offline execution, with a focus on high-performance, low-latency communication and robust APIs.

Join a mission-driven company delivering self-driving technology safely and broadly. Expect collaboration across time zones, hands-on field support, and a leadership role in setting coding standards and

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• Expert-level C++ programming skills in Linux for high-performance, thread-safe systems.
• Experience building middleware, runtime frameworks, or distributed systems (pub/sub, IPC, schedulers).
• Deep understanding of concurrency, memory models, and Linux internals.
• Ability to work across multiple programming languages.
• Passion for robust, production-grade code.
• Ability to navigate large codebases and collaborate across time zones.
• Mentor engineers, set coding standards, and shape long-term roadmap.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve architecture of Aurora's AV runtime framework across on-vehicle and offline execution.
• Design high-performance, low-latency inter-module communication (shared memory, IPC, RPC).
• Own stack configuration, deployment, and process lifecycle on the vehicle compute platform.
• Improve determinism and fidelity of offline execution for scalable on-vehicle behavior.
• Build framework capabilities for fault tracing, health monitoring, and recovery.
• Design intuitive C++ APIs for Autonomy engineers.
• Provide engineering support for field testing and fleet operations.
• Mentor senior engineers and drive long-term AV framework roadmap.

Skills

C++ programming

Linux systems

Middleware / distributed systems

Concurrency

Multi-language paradigms

Communication

Large codebases

Mentoring & coding standards

Education

CS degree or equivalent

Tools

ROS 2

ThreadX

FreeRTOS

Job description

Who We Are

Aurora’s mission is to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.

What We Are Looking For

Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all. We are searching for a Staff Software Engineer to join Aurora's Autonomy Frameworks team. This team builds the robotics middleware that powers the Aurora Driver: the runtime framework that every Autonomy and Simulation application uses to communicate, execute, and interact with the vehicle platform, both on the road and offline in the cloud.

In this role, you will

• Define and evolve the architecture of Aurora's AV runtime framework across on-vehicle and offline execution
• Design and implement high-performance, low-latency inter-module communication, including shared-memory, zero-copy IPC, and RPC
• Own stack configuration, deployment, and process lifecycle management on the vehicle compute platform
• Improve the determinism, fidelity, and performance of offline execution so on-vehicle behavior can be faithfully reproduced at scale
• Build framework capabilities for fault traceability, health monitoring, and recovery that support Aurora's safety case
• Design intuitive C++ APIs that make the right patterns easy for Autonomy engineers
• Provide engineering support for field testing and fleet operations
• Mentor senior engineers, set coding standards, and drive the long-term roadmap for the AV framework

Required Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent industry experience
• Expert-level C++ programming skills and the ability to design high-performance, thread-safe, and memory-efficient systems in a Linux environment
• Proven experience building middleware, runtime frameworks, or distributed systems, such as pub/sub messaging, IPC, schedulers, or executors
• Deep understanding of concurrency, memory models, and Linux systems internals (processes, threads, scheduling, shared memory)
• Ability to work across multiple programming languages and paradigms
• A passion for writing robust, intuitive, and pragmatic production code
• Ability to navigate and work effectively in large codebases
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work autonomously and collaborate effectively with colleagues across time zones

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience with robotics middleware such as ROS 2 or ThreadX or FreeRTOS, or with soft real-time systems
• Experience with deterministic simulation, log replay, or reproducible execution
• Experience with performance evaluation and optimization
• Experience with safety-critical systems

For roles based in Pittsburgh, PA: The salary range for this position is $171,000 - $273,000 per year.

For roles based in San Francisco, CA, Mountain View, CA, and Seattle, WA: The salary range for this position is $189,000 - $303,000 per year.

Aurora’s pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits.

Working at Aurora

At Aurora, we bring together extraordinarily talented and experienced people united by the strength of our values. We operate with integrity, set outrageous goals, and build a culture where we win together — all without any jerks.

We believe in-person work increases collaboration, empathy, and our ability to lead effectively. As a result, Aurorans are expected to work from the office at least 3 days per week, with some roles requiring more frequent in-office presence, up to 5 days per week, based on operational needs.

Our Careers page provides insight into what it is like to work at Aurora, and you can find all the latest updates in our Newsroom.

Our commitment to safety

At the core of everything we do is our commitment to safety. Building best-in-class self-driving technology will take time, and we believe that each employee at Aurora has a role in contributing to safety, every step of the way. Aurora expects commitment to our safety policies from every employee, and seeks candidates who take an active responsibility, can contribute to building an atmosphere of trust, and invest in the organization’s long-term success by prioritizing working safely, no matter what.

Our commitment to inclusion

Aurora considers candidates without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy status, parent or caregiver status, ancestry, political affiliation, veteran and/or military status, physical or mental disability, or any other status protected by federal or state law. Aurora considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [e-mail].

For California applicants, information collected and processed as part of your application and any job applications you choose to submit is subject to Aurora’s California Employment Privacy Policy.