Contract Student Worker Software Engineer (6-month Contract) (20/hrs week) at Zoox (Foster City, CA)
Zoox· Foster City, CA·
Role details
Job description
Zoox is on an ambitious journey to develop a full-stack autonomous mobility solution for cities — and the System Design and Mission Assurance (SDMA) team plays a foundational role in making it happen. We’re responsible for constructing the safety case and fail-operational design for our autonomous robotaxis before they hit public roads.
We’re looking for a part-time Full Stack Software Engineer (approximately 20 hours per week, starting for 6 months) to join the team and gain hands-on, real-world experience building the tools and automation that drive Zoox’s safety metrics. This role is an excellent opportunity for local students who want to apply classroom learning to cutting-edge autonomous vehicle technology.
Under the mentorship of a senior engineer, you’ll collaborate with PMs and engineers to design, develop, and enhance applications used in Zoox’s safety evaluation processes.
In this role, you will:
- Help develop and implement scalable applications to automate the generation of Zoox’s safety metrics.
- Collaborate with software engineers and PMs to build and test new features.
- Improve existing tools by optimizing latency, CPU/memory usage, and database queries.
Qualifications:
- Exposure to SQL, Spark, JavaScript/TypeScript, HTML, CSS, or Python.
- Experience with a Front-End UI Framework (e.g., Vue, React, Svelte) or a web framework (e.g., Flask, FastAPI).
- Comfortable using Google Suite or Microsoft Office; willing to learn tools like JIRA or Confluence.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Actively enrolled in a 2-year or 4-year college program pursuing a degree or certificate in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
Bonus Qualifications:
- Familiarity with a low-level language such as Java, Kotlin, C, C++, or Rust.
- Understanding of low-level Linux system protocols, firmware, or ECUs.
- Experience or interest in using AI-assisted development tools such as Cursor IDE, GitHub Copilot, or Claude Code.
Compensation
$30 per hour.
This is a contract position and employment for this position will be through a vendor contracted with Zoox. The hourly pay range is posted and you will be eligible for a benefits package as offered by the vendor.
Why work at Zoox
- Culture: Diverse, supportive community with inclusion‑focused strategy. Crew‑led groups for personal and professional development. Emphasis on trust, humility, and openness zoox.com/careers
- Work environment: Hybrid? The careers page lists many roles as “On‑site” in Foster City, CA, with other office locations available. In‑office perks include a famous food program with daily changing local and sustainable dishes, plus a busy calendar of events and sports teams.
- Benefits: Comprehensive health plans (Cigna), mental health support, wellbeing program, flexible time off, generous family planning and caregiver support, and a commitment to work‑life balance.
- Growth opportunities: Work on cutting‑edge autonomous vehicle technology alongside some of the brightest minds in AI, engineering, computer vision, and more. Offers internships and re‑entry programs (via Path Forward) for career returners.
- Recruitment process: Uses AI tools to assist in reviewing applications but final decisions are human. No fees are charged at any stage – watch for recruitment scams zoox.com/journal/landing-a-job-zoox