ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Director Autonomous Driving Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Motional

Autonomous Driving Test Operator

Las Vegas, NV

$17.50 - $21.50/hr

We are hiring Autonomous Driving Test Operators to support Motional's growing AV Test Operations ... As an AV Test Operator, you will serve as the "eyes and ears" for engineering teams by safely ...

Motional

Autonomous Driving Test Operator

Las Vegas, NV · On-site

$17.50 - $21.50/hr

We are hiring Autonomous Driving Test Operators to support Motional's growing AV Test Operations ... As an AV Test Operator, you will serve as the "eyes and ears" for engineering teams by safely ...

Motional

Autonomous Driving Test Operator

Las Vegas, NV · On-site

$17.50 - $21.50/hr

We are hiring Autonomous Driving Test Operators to support Motional's growing AV Test Operations ... As an AV Test Operator, you will serve as the "eyes and ears" for engineering teams by safely ...

previous pagenext page

Showing results 21-40

All JobsAutonomous Driving Engineer JobsDirector Autonomous Driving Engineer Jobs

Director Autonomous Driving Engineer information

See salary details

$73K

$194.7K

$254K

How much do director autonomous driving engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 11, 2026, the average yearly pay for director autonomous driving engineer in the United States is $194,709.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $141,500.00 and $253,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a director autonomous driving engineer?

To thrive as a Director Autonomous Driving Engineer, you need deep expertise in robotics, computer vision, sensor fusion, and machine learning, typically supported by an advanced degree in engineering or computer science and significant industry experience. Familiarity with tools such as ROS, simulation platforms, automotive-grade software systems, and relevant safety certifications (like ISO 26262) is crucial. Strong leadership, strategic thinking, and effective communication are essential soft skills for guiding multidisciplinary teams and collaborating with stakeholders. These abilities are vital for driving innovation, ensuring technical excellence, and delivering safe, reliable autonomous driving solutions.

What is the difference between Director Autonomous Driving Engineer vs Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer?

AspectDirector Autonomous Driving EngineerSenior Autonomous Driving Engineer
ResponsibilitiesOversees autonomous driving projects, manages teams, sets strategic goalsDesigns and develops autonomous driving systems, implements algorithms
Required CredentialsAdvanced degree (Master's/PhD), extensive experience, leadership skillsRelevant engineering degree, several years of experience in autonomous systems
Work EnvironmentLeadership roles in R&D teams, cross-department collaborationHands-on engineering in labs or development teams
Industry UsageCommon in tech and automotive companies for strategic rolesCommon in engineering teams focused on system development

The main difference is that the Director Autonomous Driving Engineer focuses on leadership, strategy, and project oversight, while the Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer is primarily involved in technical development and implementation. Both roles require relevant technical credentials, but the director position emphasizes management and strategic planning within autonomous driving projects.

How does a director autonomous driving engineer typically collaborate with cross-functional teams within an organization?

As a Director of Autonomous Driving Engineering, you'll regularly collaborate with cross-functional teams such as hardware engineers, data scientists, product managers, safety and compliance experts, and user experience designers. Your role involves aligning the technical roadmap with business goals, ensuring seamless integration of software and hardware, and facilitating effective communication between departments. This collaborative approach is crucial for addressing complex challenges, maintaining project momentum, and ensuring the autonomous driving system meets safety, regulatory, and performance standards.

What does a director autonomous driving engineer do?

A Director Autonomous Driving Engineer leads and manages teams responsible for developing self-driving vehicle technologies. This role oversees the technical strategy, project execution, and integration of hardware and software for autonomous systems. Directors in this position collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, ensure safety and regulatory compliance, and drive innovation to advance autonomous vehicle capabilities. They also mentor engineers, set technical standards, and work with stakeholders to align product goals with business objectives.
More about Director Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Director Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Director Autonomous Driving Engineer job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs? The most popular types of Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs are:
What states have the most Director Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Director Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Director Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Director Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs are:
Director Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Director Autonomous Driving Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 70% Full Time, 28% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 96% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $194,709 per year, or $93.6 per hour.

Senior Machine Learning Engineer, EndtoEnd Autonomous Driving

Nvidia

Santa Clara, CA • On-site

$122K - $168K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 21 days ago

Nvidia rating

9.6

Company rating: 9.6 out of 10

Based on 17 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

8th of 242 rated software companies

Job description

We are seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to join our endtoend autonomous driving team! You will help build, train, and deploy largescale E2E driving models that leverage VLM/VLA architectures, and build a data flywheel that continuously improves our systems in the real world! Today, we're tapping into the unlimited potential of AI to define the next era of computing. An era in which our GPU acts as the brains of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can understand the world. Doing what's never been done before takes vision, innovation, and the world's best talent. As an NVIDIAN, you'll be immersed in a diverse, supportive environment where everyone is inspired to do their best work. Come join the team and see how you can make a lasting impact on the world.

What you'll be doing:

  • Designing, implementing, and training largescale endtoend driving models.

  • Driving the data flywheel: identifying failure cases, specifying data collection and labeling needs, and iterating models to close realworld performance gaps.

  • Building, curating, and maintaining highquality multimodal datasets (e.g., video, sensor, language/action traces) tailored for endtoend autonomous driving.

  • Developing and applying datacentric learning algorithms such as active learning, curriculum learning, automated hardexample mining, outlier and novelty detection, and semi/selfsupervised methods.

  • Exploring and productizing new data sources including simulation, synthetic data, and worldmodelbased generation/augmentation to improve coverage and robustness.

  • Designing and implementing agentic data workflows that automate data discovery, labeling, evaluation, and retraining to maximize development velocity.

  • Foster collaborative partnerships with our researchers and engineers, transforming innovative research into robust, industrial-strength machine learning models.

What we need to see:

  • PhD with 4+ years, MS with 6+years, or BS (or equivalent experience) with 8+ years of relevantexperience in Computer Science,Computer Engineering, or a relatedtechnical field

  • Strong background in modern deep learning, including transformerbased architectures, video modeling, and multimodal VLM/VLA or foundation models.

  • Handson experience training and deploying deep learning models on realworld datasets: data preprocessing, distributed training, evaluation, debugging, and iterative improvement.

  • Practical experience with at least some datacentric methods such as active learning, curriculum learning, outlier/novelty detection, or largescale sample mining.

  • Proficiency in Python and at least one major deep learning framework (PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX), plus solid software engineering practices (testing, code review, CI/CD).

  • Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across teams, drive designs from prototype to production, and communicate clearly with technical and nontechnical partners.

  • Track record of leading complex crossteam projects, setting technical direction, and making critical technical decisions that impact multiple teams or products.

Ways to stand out from the crowd:

  • Experience building and operating data flywheels or largescale data pipelines for ML, including data quality monitoring and continuous retraining loops.

  • Direct experience with endtoend driving models, largescale behavior cloning, or reinforcement/imitation learning for driving or robotics.

  • Experience leveraging simulation, synthetic data, or world models to generate training and evaluation data for autonomous systems.

  • Contributions to sophisticated methods in datacentric ML, VLM/VLA, or autonomous driving, such as impactful publications, opensource projects, or widely used internal tools.

  • Background with safety, reliability, and validation requirements for autonomous driving or other safetycritical applications.

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 184,000 USD - 287,500 USD for Level 4, and 224,000 USD - 356,500 USD for Level 5.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until June 13, 2026.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.

What Nvidia employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom

Nvidia logo

About Nvidia

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

NVIDIA has been transforming computer graphics, PC gaming, and accelerated computing for more than 25 years. It's a unique legacy of innovation that's fueled by great technology--and amazing people. Today, we're tapping into the unlimited potential of AI to define the next era of computing. An era in which our GPU acts as the brains of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can understand the world. Doing what's never been done before takes vision, innovation, and the world's best talent.

Industry

Computer and electronic product manufacturing

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Santa Clara, CA, US

Year founded

1993

View All Nvidia Jobs

Apply