Zoox

Senior Staff / Principal Software Engineer - Freeway Autonomy

Foster City, CAFull timeAutonomy Software

$340K – $493Kposted range

Range as posted by the employer.

Posted 1 week ago · listed on Lever

Apply on Lever →Tailor my resume to this job, free

Should you apply?

Open: 8 days; Still in the active review window.
Open roles at this company: 247; Hiring in volume. Recruiters are busy, so a tailored resume that matches the posting's words gets through the screen.
Salary: Posted; The employer put pay in writing. Anchor on it in the first conversation.

Days open comes from the posting date. Fill time and reposting rate come from this company's recent public postings.

The job, broken down

Zoox wants a Senior Staff or Principal Software Engineer to help lead the push toward driverless freeway autonomy. This person should have already done this before, at least once, on another program.

What you'd actually do

Provide deep technical expertise in a core autonomy domain (specific domain not fixed)
Guide technical decisions to move the freeway driving program from supervised to driverless operation
Exert broad influence across the Autonomy organization
Apply judgment from past experience to unblock technical and program risks

Must-haves

Direct experience having played a significant role in removing the safety driver from an autonomous vehicle on freeways
Deep technical expertise in a relevant autonomy domain
Track record of taking a freeway driving program from supervised to driverless operation
Senior Staff or Principal level experience

Read before you apply

No mention of compensation or equity
Very narrow requirement (must have personally driven a program to driverless) will exclude most senior engineers, so expect a small, competitive pool
Vague on which specific domain (perception, planning, controls, etc.) they actually need, so scope of the role is unclear

Written from the posting text only. Check the full description below before you decide.

Career Pulse

See how you stack up for this job.

It's not just about searching for jobs. We help you land it. Upload your resume once. Career Pulse scores you against this exact posting, shows where you match and where you fall short, then rewrites your resume for it. Free.

Steps to get this job

1Lead your resume and cover letter with the specific freeway autonomy program you helped take from supervised to driverless, naming the milestone (e.g. 'removed safety driver in [year]')
2Mirror the phrase 'removing the driver' and 'supervised to driverless' directly in your application materials since this is the exact bar they set
3If you know engineers at Zoox's Autonomy org or freeway team, reach out directly since this is described as a highly visible, cross-org role likely filled through referral and network
4Prepare a concise story of the judgment calls you made during that supervised-to-driverless transition, since the posting emphasizes 'hard-won judgment' over checklist experience

Check my fit for this job, free →

Coming to Premium: Job Intel. The hiring contact behind this posting, their LinkedIn, a verified work email when we have one, and the note to send.

What it's like to work at Zoox

Premium

Zoox is an Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company building purpose-built robotaxis (no steering wheel or pedals), headquartered in Foster City, CA, with testing also happening in San Francisco and Las Vegas. It was acquired by Amazon in 2020 for $1.3 billion and had roughly 1,000 employees as of a 2024 layoff report, likely more now as it approaches paid commercial robotaxi service.

The full picture: what employees say in public reviews, with sources
Recent news and signals about how the company is doing
How to position yourself when you apply here

Create a free account to unlock

About the role

Zoox is on an ambitious journey to develop a full-stack autonomous robotaxi solution, and freeways are the next frontier. We are looking for a Senior Staff or Principal Software Engineer who has played a significant role in removing the driver from an autonomous vehicle operating on freeways, and who can help Zoox navigate that same journey. You will bring deep technical expertise in a relevant autonomy domain — the specific domain is flexible — along with the hard-won judgment that comes from having taken a freeway driving program from supervised operation to driverless. This is a highly visible role with broad influence across the Autonomy organization.

Apply on Lever →or tailor my resume first, free