Staff Systems Engineer, Autonomy

We're Cruise, a self-driving service designed for the cities we love.

We’re building the world’s most advanced, self-driving vehicles to safely connect people to the places, things, and experiences they care about. We believe self-driving vehicles will help save lives, reshape cities, give back time in transit, and restore freedom of movement for many.

Cruisers have the opportunity to grow and develop while learning from leaders at the forefront of their fields. With a culture of internal mobility, there's an opportunity to thrive in a variety of disciplines. This is a place for dreamers and doers to succeed.

If you are looking to play a part in making a positive impact in the world by advancing the revolutionary work of self-driving cars, join us.

The Staff Systems Engineer on the Autonomy Systems Engineering team at Cruise is an experienced technical contributor and influential leader with a passion for autonomous vehicles (AV). The ideal candidate will have a background in developing and validating modern robotics systems, deep AV stack expertise, broad system level understanding, and strong cross-functional drive.

In this role you will partner closely with the AI, Robotics, Simulation, Safety and Data Science groups to direct the development of practical, efficient and scalable solutions for the validation of our autonomous vehicles. You will collaborate with software engineers and data scientists to develop metrics, success criteria, and technical roadmaps consistent with company goals on a 1+ year timeline. This includes building safety arguments and methodologies for scaling the validation of our system across different vehicle platforms and for expanding the operating domain of our driverless operations to adverse weather conditions and multiple cities around the world. 
 

What you’ll be doing:

• Support the development of a simulation-based safety validation approach for the autonomous driving software

• Develop and apply novel Systems Engineering methods for the characterization and safety validation of machine-learning systems

• Lead initiatives including the verification and validation activities for unlocking perception long-tail encounters for new cities

• Maintain a high-quality bar in projects from the start and champion quality improvements by implementing better technical practices

You should apply for this role if you have the following qualifications:

• BS, MS, or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or another related field

• 10+ years of industry experience in systems engineering, software engineering, data analysis, data science, statistical analysis, or other related fields

• Deep expertise in at least one component of the AV autonomy stack

• You are able to effectively and efficiently solve problems, using paretos, root cause analysis, and more.

• You have experience working with large datasets, SQL and Python or C++

• You are adaptable and can operate under ambiguity

• You have strong technical and non-technical communication skills

• You have strong critical thinking skills - you can interpret what the data is telling us, and which analyses will reveal impactful conclusions

Bonus Points!

• Prior experience in AV stack safety and validation, especially ML models and perception long-tail solutions

• Ability to identify and act on opportunities to improve processes and increase efficiency

The salary range for this position is $170,000 - 250,000. Compensation will vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. You may also be offered a bonus, restricted stock units, and benefits. These ranges are subject to change.

• Our benefits are here to support the whole you:
• Medical / dental / vision, AD+D and life insurance
• Subsidized mental health benefits
• One Medical membership
• Flexible Spending Account 
• Monthly wellness stipend
• 401(k) match 
• Paid time off: vacation, sick, public health emergency, jury duty, bereavement and company holidays. 
• Paid parental, family care and medical leave
• Family care benefits: fertility benefits, Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (subsidized by Cruise).
• Non-remote employees: Pre-tax Commuter Benefit Plan, healthy meals and snacks 
• CruiseFlex - a working policy for US-Based Cruisers that lets you and your manager find what working style is best for you, whether it’s primarily in-person, primarily at home or a combination of home and in-office time.

• We’re Integrated
• Through our partnerships with General Motors and Honda, we are the only self-driving company with fully integrated manufacturing at scale.

• We’re Funded
• GM, Honda, Microsoft, T. Rowe Price & Walmart have invested billions in Cruise. Their backing for our technology demonstrates their confidence in our progress, team, and vision and makes us one of the leading autonomous vehicle organizations in the industry. Our deep resources greatly accelerate our operating speed.

• We’re Independent
• We have our own governance, board of directors, equity, and investors. Our independence allows us to not just work on the edge of technology, but also define it.

• We’re Vested
• You won’t just own your work here, you’ll have the potential to own equity in Cruise, too. We are competing in a market that is projected to grow exponentially, which gives our company valuation room to grow.
• Recurring Liquidity Opportunity (RLO) - a unique equity program where employees, both current and former, have the option to sell any amount of their vested equity on a recurring basis, currently quarterly.

• We’re Safety Conscious
  • We integrate #staysafe, our top priority at Cruise, into our everyday work. Through our Safety Management System, every Cruiser is asked to do their part by reporting any potential issues or hazards they observe and making continuous improvements. You’ll be able to contribute to safety at Cruise, no matter your job function or title.

Cruise LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a supportive and inclusive workplace where contributions are valued and celebrated, and our employees thrive by being themselves and are inspired to do the best work of their lives. 

We seek applicants of all backgrounds and identities, across race, color, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or parental status, or disability. Applicants will not be discriminated against based on these or other protected categories or social identities. Cruise will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, in accordance with applicable laws.

Cruise is committed to the full inclusion of all applicants. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process please let our recruiting team know or email HR@getcruise.com.

We proactively work to design hiring processes that promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias. To help us track the effectiveness and inclusivity of our recruiting efforts, please consider answering the following demographic questions. Answering these questions is entirely voluntary. Your answers to these questions will not be shared with the hiring decision makers and will not impact the hiring decision in any way. Instead, Cruise will use this information not only to comply with any government reporting obligations but also to track our progress toward meeting our diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging objectives.

Note to Recruitment Agencies: Cruise does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Furthermore, Cruise does not pay placement fees for candidates submitted by any agency other than its approved partners.