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Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer Jobs in California

AeroVect

Senior Planning Engineer (Autonomy)

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$123K - $169K/yr

If you have a passion for applying autonomous driving technologies to impact the flow of goods for millions of people, we want to talk to you! We are looking for a Senior Planning Engineer who knows ...

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Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer information

What is the difference between Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer vs Autonomous Vehicle Software Engineer?

AspectSenior Autonomous Driving EngineerAutonomous Vehicle Software Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in Robotics, Computer Science, or related; experience in autonomous systemsBachelor's/Master's in Software Engineering, Computer Science; programming skills
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, automotive companies, tech firms developing autonomous systemsSoftware development teams, automotive or tech companies working on autonomous vehicle software
Industry UsageDesigning, testing, and integrating autonomous driving featuresDeveloping and maintaining software components for autonomous vehicles
Common Search/ComparisonYesYes

The Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer focuses on leading the development and integration of autonomous driving systems, requiring expertise in robotics and sensor integration. In contrast, the Autonomous Vehicle Software Engineer primarily develops software components for autonomous vehicles, emphasizing programming skills. Both roles are vital in autonomous vehicle development but differ in scope and responsibilities.

What are the most commonly searched types of Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs in California? The most popular types of Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs in California? For Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer job openings:
Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Autonomous Driving Engineer job openings in California as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 84% Full Time, 11% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution.

Senior Software Engineer - Autonomous Driving

Nvidia Corporation

Santa Clara, CA • On-site

$143K - $189K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 4 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 246 rated software companies

Job description

Our Automotive Platform Team is building the software foundation for scalable, high-performance vehicle computing platforms that power autonomous driving, ADAS, digital cockpit, and centralized vehicle architectures. We are looking for exceptional engineers who thrive on solving deeply complex system-level challenges and shaping the future of automotive computing.
We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer for next-generation innovations in automotive platform performance, AI model optimization, scalability, and system architecture! In this highly visible technical leadership role, you will drive architecture, optimization, and execution across the autonomous driving software stack, with a focus on optimizing and deployment of deep neural networks that are fast, efficient, reliable, and deployable on NVIDIA automotive compute platforms. You will work at the intersection of core platform, deep learning inference, TensorRT and related compiler/runtime technologies, CUDA/GPU performance, model compression, platform software, and safety-aware automotive deployment.
What you'll be doing:
  • Lead architecture and technical strategy for optimizing inference workloads in autonomous driving applications.
  • Drive end-to-end performance analysis across DNN models, TensorRT/compiler flows, CUDA kernels, memory behavior, scheduling, runtime services, and automotive platform constraints.
  • Develop and guide model optimization techniques such as quantization, pruning, distillation, graph optimization, operator fusion, kernel selection, and layout/memory optimization.
  • Collaborate with TensorRT, CUDA, compiler, silicon architecture, perception, planning, DriveOS and safety platform teams.
  • Build tools, methodologies, and metrics for profiling, benchmarking, debugging, and validating model and platform performance.

What we need to see:
  • BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
  • 12+ years of software engineering experience in systems software, AI/ML infrastructure, deep learning inference, compiler/runtime technology, or platform performance.
  • Strong C/C++ and practical Python experience.
  • Deep familiarity with TensorRT, TensorRT-LLM, ONNX, PyTorch, CUDA, Triton, or related frameworks.
  • Experience optimizing DNN models for latency, throughput, memory footprint, and power.

Ways to stand out from the crowd:
  • Hands-on experience with TensorRT internals, CUDA kernels, Triton kernels, or other compiler/runtime technologies.
  • Experience deploying optimized DNNs, LLMs, VLMs, or perception models on embedded, edge, robotics, or automotive platforms.
  • Background in autonomous driving, ADAS, robotics, real-time systems, safety-aware software, or deterministic low-latency systems.
  • Experience with ISO 26262, QNX, Safe RTOS, DriveOS, Linux, hypervisors, or virtualization.

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 224,000 USD - 356,500 USD.
You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.
Applications for this job will be accepted at least until June 30, 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

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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

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