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Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Hybrid
This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Principal Engineer, Autonomy Systems Engineering, ODD Definition & Risk based in the United States.
The Principal Engineer will lead driverless readiness evaluations, helping determine whether autonomous driving systems are ready for safe and reliable real-world deployment. This role sits at the intersection of systems engineering, software validation, operational risk assessment, and autonomy development. You will evaluate results from commercial-grade software builds, reconcile findings across different testing methods, and identify risks that could affect system performance and operational readiness. Working closely with Safety, Autonomy, Vehicle Platform, Engineering, and Operations teams, you will help define appropriate mitigations and communicate critical findings to stakeholders and leadership. You will also influence autonomy development priorities by translating test insights into actionable roadmap recommendations, supporting both performance improvements within existing Operational Design Domains (ODDs) and expansion into new environments. This is a highly collaborative technical leadership opportunity involving complex datasets, evolving testing processes, and tooling that supports the continued development of driverless technology.
Oversee driverless readiness testing: Coordinate with teams executing system tests to ensure that evolving testing processes, improvements, and customizations are properly integrated and that assessments meet their intended scope.
Analyze and validate test results: Review automatically generated test outcomes, verify their correctness, and investigate discrepancies across different testing modalities to ensure consistent, accurate, and reliable reporting.
Identify and prioritize operational risks: Organize findings from test analysis, assess their potential impact, and collaborate with the Safety team to evaluate risks and define appropriate mitigations.
Communicate critical findings: Share test outcomes, risks, and emerging issues with relevant stakeholders, including engineering teams and company leadership, ensuring that communication is timely and proportionate to severity.
Drive cross-functional issue resolution: Work directly with developers to investigate issues, understand root causes, and coordinate resolution, escalating findings to stakeholders when appropriate.
Contribute to autonomy roadmapping: Partner with Technical Program Management (TPM) and Commercial teams to translate performance evaluations and identified gaps into autonomy development priorities and roadmap recommendations.
Support ODD performance and expansion: Help guide improvements to autonomy capabilities within existing Operational Design Domains while supporting the development and scaling of capabilities for new operating environments.
Develop and maintain analysis tooling: Own and evolve the tools used to process and analyze large datasets, ensuring they remain reliable and effective as testing methods and evaluation processes improve.
Support continuous system improvement: Use evidence from testing and operational risk analysis to strengthen system readiness, performance evaluation, and deployment decision-making.
Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, or a related technical discipline. A Master's degree is preferred.
At least 7 years of engineering experience, ideally including work with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) or autonomous driving technologies.
Strong understanding of modern software development principles, engineering workflows, and production best practices.
Experience querying and analyzing databases and presenting insights through tools such as SQL and Looker.
Experience with agentic-based software development and data analysis.
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, particularly in complex system performance evaluation, large-scale data analysis, and identifying inconsistencies or operational risks.
Proficiency with Git and standard version control workflows.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to explain technical findings and concepts to engineers, product managers, and senior leadership.
Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to data quality, accuracy, and rigorous testing practices.
Comfort working in a fast-paced, agile environment that uses continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) practices.
Willingness to travel up to 20%, typically for 1–2 weeks each quarter, to visit testing sites, primarily in Las Vegas and other domestic locations as business needs require.
Ability to meet the physical demands of the role, which may include extended periods of sitting, occasional prolonged standing and walking, handling equipment, reaching, and occasionally lifting or moving up to 50 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be available.
Ability to work in an environment involving mechanical and computer equipment, occasional exposure to fumes or airborne particles, and low-to-moderate noise levels.
Base salary range: $200,000–$275,000 USD. Actual compensation depends on factors including skills, experience, expertise, location, certifications, licenses, and business needs.
Potential additional compensation through bonus and/or company equity.
Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company match.
Health Savings Account (HSA).
Life insurance.
Pet insurance.
Additional benefits and program details may be provided during the recruitment process.
Opportunity to contribute to the development and deployment of autonomous driving technology.
Collaborative work with multidisciplinary teams across autonomy, safety, vehicle platforms, engineering, and operations.
Work location options including Boston, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, and remote locations within the United States.
