--- title: 'Principal Engineer, Mapping and Localization at PlusAI' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-engineer-mapping-and-localization-plusai-santa-clara-pqv0j6919kv9' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-08' --- # Principal Engineer, Mapping and Localization at PlusAI - **Company:** PlusAI - **Location:** Santa Clara, CA - **Compensation:** $200k–$260k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-08-06 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/plus-2/527722d7-5887-4c96-9363-46eb3ea5cbc5 ## Job description PlusAI is a Physical AI company pioneering AI-based virtual driver software for factory-built autonomous trucks. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with operations in the United States and Europe, Plus was named by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Partners including TRATON GROUP’s Scania, MAN, and International brands, Hyundai Motor Company, Iveco Group, Bosch, and DSV are working with Plus to accelerate the deployment of next-generation autonomous trucks. If you’re ready to make a huge impact and drive the future of autonomy, Plus is looking for talented individuals to join its fast-growing teams. As a Principal Engineer on our Mapping and Localization team, you will design and implement high-fidelity fusion algorithms that combine LiDAR, Radar, Camera, IMU, and GNSS data with HD Maps to achieve centimeter-level accuracy. You will tackle the hardest edge cases—from GPS-denied tunnels to dynamic construction zones—ensuring our vehicles operate safely in complex L4 ODDs (Operational Design Domains). Responsibilities: - Lead the design and evolution of our localization architecture, making critical build-vs-buy decisions and defining long-term technical roadmaps. - Design and implement robust, real-time algorithms for sensor fusion, visual/LiDAR odometry, and global localization using techniques like Factor Graphs, EKF/UKF, and particle filters. - Develop pipelines to generate, maintain, and query High-Definition (HD) maps. - Work on "priors-based" localization and semantic map matching. - Solve the "stale map" problem by designing systems for change detection. You will use fleet data to identify construction zones, lane shifts, or new signage and update the map in near real-time. Maintain and continuously update large-scale LiDAR-based HD maps to support autonomous driving systems. - Optimize code for embedded compute constraints (latency, memory, and power) without sacrificing safety or accuracy. - Provide self diagnosis capability for localization - Act as a technical mentor to senior and junior engineers, conducting rigorous code reviews and fostering a culture of engineering excellence. Required Skills: - M.S. or Ph.D. in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. - 7+ years of industry experience in robotics, with at least 4 years dedicated to production-level localization or mapping systems. - Expert-level Modern C++ (14/17/20) skills, with a deep understanding of memory management, multi-threading, and real-time systems. - Strong theoretical foundation in probabilistic robotics, including Kalman Filtering (EKF, UKF), nonlinear optimization (Ceres, g2o, GTSAM), and SLAM. - Deep understanding of 3D geometry, linear algebra, and coordinate transformations (quaternions, SE(3)). - Familiarity with Eigen, Ceres, PCL, OpenCV, GTSAM Preferred Skills: - Experience shipping localization stacks for deployed autonomous vehicles or mobile robots. - Hands-on experience with LOAM, lego-LOAM, ORB-SLAM, or VINS. - Experience with CUDA/GPU programming or optimization for ARM-based embedded platforms. ## Your opportunities joining PlusAI Work, learn and grow in a highly future-oriented, innovative and dynamic field. Wide range of opportunities for personal and professional development. Catered free lunch, unlimited snacks and beverages. Highly competitive salary and benefits package, including 401(k) plan. ## About PlusAI ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: PlusAI develops AI-based autonomous driving software for heavy trucks, powering Level 4 (L4) virtual driver systems that enable trucks to operate without human intervention on highways. - **Entity Type**: Private (planning to go public via a SPAC merger with Churchill Capital Corp IX, NYSE: PLAV – conflicting reports indicate the reverse merger may have been cancelled) - **Headquarters**: Santa Clara, California, United States - **Founded**: 2016 - **Founders**: Not publicly available in provided sources ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Autonomous driving / automotive technology - **Target customers**: B2B – global truck manufacturers (OEMs) and large freight fleets - **Mission**: To make trucking safer, more efficient, and more sustainable by deploying AI-powered autonomous driving at scale ## Products & Services - **SuperDrive**: L4 autonomous driving system that serves as a virtual driver for factory-built heavy trucks. Designed to be installed by OEMs and monetized on a per-mile usage basis. - **PlusDrive**: A driver-assist version of SuperDrive that keeps a human in the cabin to oversee the system. Already in commercial use, reducing driver fatigue and fuel costs. - **SuperDrive HyperFoundry**: A suite of proprietary AV data and tools (data acquisition, auto-labeling, 3D reconstruction, neural simulation) sold to third-party customers today, generating revenue before the full L4 launch. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed; the SPAC merger was valued at $300M (conflicting reports of cancellation). - **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of $4M (as of latest data); total funding of ~$1.3B across 8 rounds. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: TRATON GROUP (Scania, MAN, International), Hyundai Motor Company, Iveco Group, Bosch, DSV, Ryder. - **Growth Signals**: - Active trial with Ryder and International on a 600+ mile daily route (I-35 corridor) – 60,000+ cumulative miles, approaching 100 runs. - Recent software upgrades enabling night driving and construction zone capabilities. - Partnered with multiple global OEMs to install SuperDrive on factory-built trucks – no retrofitting required. - 7M+ miles of L4-validated data collected. ## Competitive Advantages - **Asset-light software model**: Zero manufacturing capex – PlusAI is a pure-play software provider, avoiding heavy hardware costs. - **OEM integration**: Factory-installed by partners like TRATON and Hyundai, providing a scalable path to thousands of trucks. - **Proprietary data moat**: Over $500M in R&D investment and 7M+ miles of validated data enable advanced AI models (end-to-end and vision-language-action). - **Capital efficiency**: Path to cash-flow positive in 2027E, with lower OpEx than key competitors. ## Strategic Focus - **Near-term**: Commercial launch of driverless L4 trucks in 2027, targeting revenue from per-mile usage. - **Current revenue generation**: Selling AV data and tools (HyperFoundry) to third parties. - **R&D edge**: Leveraging large AI models and generative AI to continuously improve the virtual driver’s capabilities and expand the Operational Design Domain (ODD). ## Why Work Here - **Culture & ratings**: Employer rating of 4.1/5 (30 reviews), with high marks for work-life balance (4.6), culture (4.7), and career growth (4.6). - **Engineering focus**: 105 technical employees (23% of workforce); active job postings (38) include senior ML infrastructure, perception, planning, simulation, and engineering intern roles. - **Global offices**: HQ in Santa Clara, CA, with offices in Fremont, Cupertino, and Munich, Germany. Workforce spans 8 countries. - **Notable perks**: Opportunity to work on cutting-edge autonomous driving technology with partners like TRATON, Hyundai, and Bosch. Strong talent pipeline from Stanford, CMU, and alumni at Waymo, NVIDIA, Apple. ## Sources 1. [LinkedIn – PlusAI](https://linkedin.com/company/plusai) 2. [CB Insights – PlusAI](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/plusai) 3. [PitchBook – PlusAI](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/180375-76) 4. [PlusAI Presentation (April 2026)](https://www.plus.ai/documents/plusai-presentation-april-2026.pdf) 5. 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