Senior Software Engineer - Autonomous Vehicles

Details

Self-driving cars need to detect the road’s course instantly without relying on prior maps. The team builds an online mapping system that transforms raw sensor data into an accurate, live 3D model showing lanes, boundaries, crosswalks, intersection structure, and traffic control semantics required by the driving stack.

This software engineering role is central to that system. The algorithms are only as good as the software that runs them, requiring a strong focus on quality, performance, architecture, and turning algorithmic ideas into safe, fast, maintainable code for production vehicles running on NVIDIA DRIVE Orin and Thor. The software must meet ASIL-B/D requirements and ship across L2++, L3, and L4 programs. The role does not involve developing algorithms from scratch, but requires a strong understanding of them in order to implement, optimize, and test them effectively in collaboration with algorithm engineers.

Responsibilities

• Build and own core online mapping software operating in vehicles, from architecture through implementation and deployment.
• Write production C++ for real-time embedded systems, focusing on correctness, determinism, and maintainability.
• Build software architectures and frameworks that promote code reuse, clean interfaces, and long-term maintainability across vehicle programs.
• Improve the performance of C++ and CUDA code running on NVIDIA DRIVE Orin and Thor by using profilers to identify and resolve bottlenecks and meet real-time budgets.
• Use GPU parallelism with CUDA to make compute-intensive mapping components fast and efficient.
• Implement and incorporate algorithmic solutions from the mapping team into the core of NVIDIA’s autonomous vehicle stack.
• Collaborate with algorithm engineers to understand and improve their solutions.
• Develop according to automotive safety standards, including ASIL-B/D, using thorough static analysis and safety-focused coding guidelines.
• Achieve 100% line and branch coverage through detailed unit and integration testing.
• Handle real-time system signals from vehicles operating around the world, building software that is robust to varied conditions and failure modes.
• Collaborate with perception, localization, planning, and infrastructure groups to incorporate online mapping into the complete autonomous vehicle stack across L2++, L3, and L4 programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of validated experience building robust, production-quality software.
• 3+ years of professional C++ development experience, including modern C++, memory management, concurrency, and performance optimization.
• Experience designing software architectures and APIs for large, long-lived codebases.
• Quality-first mindset, with experience in static analysis, unit testing, and high-coverage test strategies.
• Solid understanding of algorithms and data structures, with the ability to work with algorithm developers and understand their work.
• Strong communication and analytical skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across multiple teams.
• Ability to work autonomously and responsibly while demonstrating strong teamwork and solving complex problems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Software development experience on embedded, real-time, or automotive platforms, including real-time operating systems such as QNX or Linux RT.
• Experience with functional safety standards and processes, including ISO 26262 and ASIL-B/D.
• Experience with MISRA or AUTOSAR C++ coding guidelines and safety-qualified toolchains.
• Experience achieving high or full structural coverage, including line and branch coverage and ideally MC/DC, on production code.
• Experience with GPGPU programming using CUDA and GPU performance tuning.
• Strong runtime profiling and CPU/GPU code optimization skills.

Compensation and Benefits

• Level 3 base salary: USD 152,000–241,500 per year.
• Level 4 base salary: USD 184,000–287,500 per year.
• Eligible for equity and benefits.
• Applications will be accepted at least until November 9, 2026.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and is an equal opportunity employer. NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.