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Vehicle Simulation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

You'll work with a small, experienced group of engineers specializing in vehicle dynamics, tire modeling, aerodynamics, race car performance, and physics-based simulation. In this role, you will ...

We are looking for a new colleague in our Vehicle Development team at our location in Livonia, MI ... What you can look forward to as a System Simulation Engineer: * Primary support engineer for HIL ...

Our vehicles do more than just drive themselves - they provide value to communities, bridge public ... Job Summary As Lead Simulation Engineer, you will architect and scale our core autonomous vehicle ...

You will drive the development of high-fidelity vehicle dynamics, multi-body physics, rendering, and sensor-simulation pipelines while guaranteeing stack-wide determinism and performance.

We are looking for a new colleague in our Vehicle Development team at our location in Livonia, MI ... What you can look forward to as a System Simulation Engineer: * Primary support engineer for HIL ...

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Vehicle Simulation information

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$11K

$67.6K

$121.5K

How much do vehicle simulation jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 4, 2026, the average yearly pay for vehicle simulation in the United States is $67,601.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $44,000.00 and $79,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is vehicle simulation?

Vehicle simulation refers to the use of computer models and software to mimic the behavior, dynamics, and performance of vehicles in various scenarios. This technology allows engineers and designers to test and optimize vehicles without the need for physical prototypes, saving time and cost. Vehicle simulation can assess aspects such as safety, efficiency, and handling under different conditions, and is widely used in automotive, aerospace, and research industries. It plays a crucial role in the development of autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a vehicle simulation engineer?

To thrive as a Vehicle Simulation Engineer, you need a solid background in mechanical or automotive engineering, physics, and mathematics, often supported by a relevant degree. Familiarity with simulation software such as MATLAB/Simulink, CarSim, or ANSYS, and sometimes certification in these tools, is typically required. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective teamwork and communication skills help you excel in this role. These competencies are essential to accurately model vehicle systems, validate designs, and collaborate across engineering teams to ensure vehicle performance and safety.

What are some common challenges faced in a vehicle simulation role, and how can I prepare for them?

Professionals in Vehicle Simulation often encounter challenges such as integrating complex real-world vehicle dynamics into virtual environments and ensuring simulation accuracy. You may also need to collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including hardware engineers, software developers, and test drivers, to refine simulation models. Staying updated with the latest simulation software and automotive technologies is crucial, as is strong problem-solving ability to address unexpected simulation discrepancies. Building a solid foundation in physics, programming, and communication skills can help you succeed in this dynamic and evolving field.

What is the difference between Vehicle Simulation vs Vehicle Testing Engineer?

AspectVehicle SimulationVehicle Testing Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Mechanical, Automotive, or Software Engineering; proficiency in simulation softwareBachelor's in Mechanical, Automotive Engineering; experience with physical testing methods
Work EnvironmentPrimarily computer-based, using simulation software and modeling toolsLaboratories, test tracks, and vehicle testing facilities
Industry UsageUsed in automotive design, research, and development to predict vehicle behaviorInvolved in real-world testing to validate vehicle performance and safety
Common Search/ComparisonYesYes

Vehicle Simulation professionals focus on creating virtual models to predict vehicle behavior, while Vehicle Testing Engineers conduct physical tests to validate these models and ensure vehicle safety and performance. Both roles are essential in automotive development, often working together to optimize vehicle design and functionality.

More about Vehicle Simulation jobs

What cities are hiring for Vehicle Simulation jobs?

Cities with the most Vehicle Simulation job openings:

What states have the most Vehicle Simulation jobs?

States with the most job openings for Vehicle Simulation jobs include:

Infographic showing various Vehicle Simulation job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 58% Full Time, 41% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $67,601 per year, or $32.5 per hour.

Senior Software Engineer, Simulation, Vehicle & Autonomous Driving Realism

Waymo

San Diego, CA

$130K - $171K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 19 days ago


Job description

The Simulator Team at Waymo builds state-of-the-art simulations of realistic environments for testing and training the Waymo Driver. The team is be a diverse, and collaborative group of software engineers, machine learning (ML) engineers, and data scientists. We develop industry-leading simulation solutions that measure and enhance the performance of the Waymo Driver. We achieve those goals by jointly modeling the real world, including self driving vehicle simulation, realistic agents (vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists), roads, traffic control systems, and weather conditions, and the full sensor suite including camera, Lidar and radars. Waymo's simulation allows the self driving software to be tested on millions of miles of traffic before they even hit the road. It is crucial to Waymo's mission of developing the world's most experienced driver.

The Vehicle and Automated Driving Realism team focuses on building tools and techniques to improve driving realism, which is one of the fundamental attributes of simulation. We ensure that signals we get from simulation reflect real-world driving performance. We care deeply about the performance, reliability, fidelity, and usability of Waymo's simulation.

In this role, you will report to a Senior Staff Engineering Manager. 

You will:

  • Work closely with onboard and research engineers to scale simulation and enable critical Waymo milestones

  • Support development, testing and evolution of mapping data in the simulator

  • Improve / monitor the performance, scalability and the reliability of the simulator

  • Design the long term architecture to fit the product to an increasing number of internal customers

You have:

  • Hands-on experience building a popular (internal or external-facing) product

  • 5+ years of experience with backend knowledge such as workflows, databases, SQL, production monitoring, etc

  • Strong in C++

We prefer:

  • Experience with the release of software in a highly distributed heterogeneous execution environment

  • Experience with systems programming (game engines, database, OS, distributed)

  • Experience with ML Agent development