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Senior/Staff Software Engineer - Behavior Capabilities

Zoox zoox.com Open · verified Oct 24, 2026
Hybrid Foster City Full-time Senior Engineering Leadership

At a glance

Senior Engineering Leadership role at Zoox. Foster City · full-time · $254,000–$350,000 base.

SalaryStated by Zoox
$254,000 – $350,000
Base salary for this role, in USD per year, as published in the posting.
This role, from ZooxOur estimate for the market: $182,853–$306,125Median $298,500
The range includes the market median of $298,500 for senior engineering leadership roles in Foster City.
Worked out from 6 postings that stated pay, median $298,500. Last updated Oct 4, 2026.
RoleEngineering Leadership
SenioritySenior
LocationFoster City
WorkplaceHybrid
EmploymentFull-time
Base pay$254,000–$350,000
PostedJul 15, 2024 · 2y ago
Role brief

techroles summary, based on the employer's posting.

What you'll do

  • Improve specific driving behaviors with algorithms, then put those changes into the codebase
  • Work across teams to reduce degraded driving performance when system components fail
  • Build scalable software that fits into the wider driving stack
  • Set up algorithm tests with validation teams and help run them

What you bring

  • A master’s degree in computer science or a related discipline, plus at least nine years of experience
  • Fluent C++ skills, substantial programming and algorithm-design experience, and knowledge of vehicle kinematics

Who this fits

This senior engineering role suits someone who takes ownership of projects and considers how driving-stack components work together. It is a hybrid, full-time position in Foster City.

From the employer

The Behavior Capabilities opportunity falls within the Fail Operational Planning team at Zoox. This team works to ensure that the robot continues to operate effectively, even in the presence of minor compartmentalized failures or degraded capabilities. The focus of the team includes developing behavioral and motion planning algorithms to improve trip progress, vehicle uptime metrics, and correspondingly a better customer experience. This is a cutting-edge problem which requires teamwork and collaboration across a diverse group of experts including Planner, Perception, Prediction, Hardware, and more. On this team, you will contribute to the next generation of algorithmic advancements to expand our robot’s ability to drive in some of the most complex scenarios. We are looking for an engineer who is excited to understand the interdependencies within the driving stack and takes ownership of their projects and has a holistic product focused approach towards development.

In this role, you will:

  • Create principled algorithmic improvements to specific areas of driving behavior and implement those changes in our code base.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally to develop strategies and intelligent behaviors to mitigate the performance degradation under various failure modes of the system.
  • Architect and implement scalable solutions ensuring seamless integration with the rest of the driving stack.
  • Partner with validation teams to define and execute tests for developed algorithms.

Qualifications:

  • Master's degree in Computer Science or related field and 9+ years of experience
  • Fluency in C++
  • Extensive experience with programming and algorithm design
  • Understanding of vehicle kinematics

Bonus Qualifications

  • PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
  • Experience shipping products to market (commercial robotics, drones, consumer devices etc.)
  • Demonstrated ability to create real-time motion planning algorithms in a cross-functional team
About ZooxZoox 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.
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AccommodationsIf you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to accommodations@zoox.com 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.
Opportunity

Engineering Leadership work from LinkedIn, X, Reddit and Upwork, in one list.

Each morning you get everything that fits, strongest first.

Engineering Leadership$250k+

Find me work

By the team behind techroles.

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Opportunity

Engineering Leadership work from LinkedIn, X, Reddit and Upwork, in one list.

Each morning you get everything that fits, strongest first.

Find me work

By the team behind techroles.