Principal Engineer, Autonomy Systems Engineering, ODD Definition & Risk

Role overview

Lead evaluations that determine whether autonomous driving software is ready for real-world, driverless operation. You will review test scope and results from production-grade builds, identify operational risks, and work with safety and engineering teams to agree on mitigations and communicate readiness to stakeholders.

Responsibilities

- Coordinate with test teams to ensure evolving system evaluations cover the intended scope and incorporate process changes. - Check automated test analyses for correctness and reconcile differences across test methods before results are reported. - Organize test findings into operational risks, assess them with safety partners, and communicate priorities to stakeholders and leadership. - Work with developers to investigate issues, understand root causes, and escalate concerns according to their severity. - Use evaluation findings to inform autonomy development priorities, including performance improvements and expansion to new operating conditions. - Maintain and improve tools for analyzing large datasets and supporting readiness evaluations.

Requirements

- Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, computer science, aerospace engineering, robotics, or a related field; a master’s degree is preferred. - At least seven years of engineering experience; work with automated driving or advanced driver assistance systems is preferred. - Strong analytical skills for evaluating complex system performance and data quality. - Experience querying and visualizing data, such as with SQL and Looker, and familiarity with Git workflows. - Understanding of software development and production practices, including continuous integration and delivery. - Clear communication skills and the ability to collaborate independently and across engineering, product, safety, and leadership groups.

Nice to have

Experience with agentic software development and data analysis, or with automated driving and driver assistance systems.

Benefits and work setup

The stated U.S. salary range is $200,000–$275,000. Benefits for eligible roles include medical, dental, and vision coverage, a retirement plan with employer match, health savings accounts, life insurance, and pet insurance.