42dot

Evaluation, Validation & Simulation Engineer at 42dot (Sunnyvale, CA)

42dot· Sunnyvale, CA·

Role details

Employment
Full-Time

42dot at a glance

Hyundai Motor Group's Global Software Center, building software-defined vehicles, autonomous driving, and AI mobility from South Korea.

42dot develops the software-defined vehicle architecture, operating system, autonomous-driving AI, fleet data platform, and mobility services for Hyundai Motor Group, aiming to turn cars into continuously updatable, AI-driven machines.

Over 1 trillion won (~$770M+) in staged Hyundai and Kia investment through 2025, plus a reported ~$349M acquisition in 2022 raised · latest: ~500 billion won (~$360M) rights offering announced August 2025, with Hyundai Motor and Kia as strategic investors · backed by Hyundai Motor Company, Kia

Job description

We are looking for the best

About Us

42dot is a mobility AI company committed to solving mobility challenges with software and AI. As the Global Software Center of Hyundai Motor Group, 42dot pioneers the future of mobility by advancing the development of software-defined vehicles. We develop safety-first, user-centric software-defined vehicle technologies that deliver the latest performance through continuous updates like smartphones. By advancing software and AI technology, 42dot envisions a world where everything is connected and moves autonomously through a self-managing urban transportation operating system.

About the Role

We're building a new autonomous driving organization to deliver production-ready L4 autonomy across trucks, buses, passenger vehicles, and robotaxis. Our approach is ML-first, centered around end-to-end learning, foundation models, vision-language-action (VLA) models, and world models. As one of the founding members of the autonomy organization, you'll help build the systems that determine whether our autonomy stack is actually improving, where it is failing, and what should be built next. You will work on autonomy evaluation, validation, simulation, KPI development, scenario analysis, and performance measurement. Your work will directly influence engineering priorities and product decisions across the organization. This is a hands-on engineering role involving software development, data analysis, simulation, and autonomy performance evaluation.

Founding Team Opportunity Most autonomy programs were started years ago. The major evaluation methodologies, engineering processes, and validation strategies were established long before today's engineers joined.

We're at a different stage.

We're assembling the founding team that will define how autonomy performance is measured, validated, and improved across the organization.

The engineers who join now will help shape:

  • Evaluation methodology
  • KPI strategy
  • Validation framework
  • Simulation strategy
  • Engineering culture
  • Technical roadmap

Responsibilities

  • Develop autonomy KPIs and performance metrics.
  • Build evaluation and validation tools for autonomous driving systems.
  • Analyze driving performance and identify failure modes.
  • Develop scenario mining and performance analysis workflows.
  • Support simulation-based testing and validation.
  • Collaborate closely with ML, software, systems, and safety teams.
  • Contribute to technical discussions and engineering decisions.

Qualifications

  • Demonstrated grit, ownership, and problem-solving ability. We value engineers who take initiative, thrive in ambiguity, chase difficult problems, and consistently deliver results.
  • Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field.
  • Strong Python and/or C++ programming skills.
  • Strong analytical and quantitative problem-solving skills.
  • Experience working with large datasets and software systems.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Autonomous driving experience.
  • Robotics experience.
  • Simulation experience.
  • Data analytics or ML evaluation experience.
  • Statistical analysis experience.
  • Large-scale data processing experience.

Interview Process

  • Application Review - Coding Test - 1st interview - 2nd interview - Offer Negotiation - Hiring
  • The screening procedures may vary depending on the position, schedule, or other circumstances. You will be individually notified of the screening schedule and results via the email address provided in your application.

Compensation

  • $145,000 - $210,000

Additional Information

  • In accordance with fair hiring practices, do not include any personal information unrelated to your job qualifications (e.g., Social Security Number, family relations, marital status, age, photo, physical condition, place of birth, etc.) in your resume.
  • All documents must be submitted in PDF format and under 30MB in size.
  • If you experience issues uploading your resume, please send it along with the job posting URL to recruit@42dot.ai.
  • We strongly encourage applications from U.S. veterans and candidates eligible for employment preference under applicable laws.
  • Qualified individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
  • 42dot does not accept unsolicited resumes and will not pay fees for any such submissions. Equal Opportunity Statement
  • 42dot is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status.

※ Please review the following information before applying.

Why work at 42dot

  • Mission‑driven: Work on the future of mobility – SDV, autonomous driving, and AI – at the intersection of automotive and software.
  • Hybrid / Remote Flexibility: Some roles are listed as “Remote or Hybrid”; many positions at the South Korea HQ are in‑office, while offices in Sunnyvale and Warsaw offer hybrid options. builtin.com
  • Employee Sentiment: Employer rating of 3.9 / 5.0 on LinkedIn (24 reviews), with compensation at 3.6, culture at 3.5, and work‑life balance at 3.4. kr.linkedin.com
  • Engineering Culture: Heavy technical workforce (>34% engineers), with talent from top firms like Hyundai Motor, Samsung, Naver, and Kakao.
  • Growth Opportunities: Rapidly expanding engineering team (18% quarterly job increase), global exposure, and chances to work on cutting‑edge AI and automotive tech.

Application questions