---
title: 'Senior Software Engineer, C++ Vehicle Experience at Zoox'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-c-vehicle-experience-zoox-foster-city-nvkjvt6wekm9'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-03'
---

# Senior Software Engineer, C++ Vehicle Experience at Zoox

- **Company:** Zoox
- **Location:** Foster City, CA
- **Compensation:** $235k–$285k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-10-29
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-03
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/zoox/8703109b-1cb5-4e78-999a-7093ca4407e2

## Job description

Zoox is building the future of transportation. To do that, we’re also building an incredible crew—united by our mission, energized by our values, and driven by our purpose. We are looking for an experienced Software Engineer to join our Vehicle Experience team. Zoox isn’t an updated car–it’s a whole new form of transportation–designed for AI to drive, and humans to enjoy. In this role, you will design, develop and optimize the software that powers a unique and premium vehicle experience to delight our riders. The Vehicle Experience team is primarily responsible for the software that manages the ride state and orchestrates the rider experience–audio, lighting, vehicle controls and even the infotainment tablets. The on-vehicle software is authored in C++ and sits at the nexus of all the systems a rider sees and touches and as such, runs on the vehicle under resource constraints. This team delivers select features end-to-end, including writing backend cloud services. The person in this role will be working on impactful projects like improving the vehicle mission handling as we add new autonomous capabilities, personalizing the vehicle experience to the rider’s preferences and providing situational awareness so the rider feels safe and informed, while consistently working to raise the performance, reliability and quality bar. In short, this position will be implementing and orchestrating some of the most highly visible features in-vehicle.

In this role, you will:

- Design and implement real-time software systems in C++ to manage autonomous vehicle ride states, passenger interactions and vehicle control interfaces while ensuring optimal performance on embedded Linux systems.

- Architect and integrate mission-critical software components that process data from multiple vehicle sensors and systems, implementing robust error handling and failsafe mechanisms while adhering to automotive-grade safety standards.

- Analyze system performance metrics and telemetry data to optimize software efficiency, troubleshoot issues, and make data-driven decisions for improving ride management systems.

- Partner cross-functionally with vehicle software teams, cloud engineers, Product Management, Technical Program Management, UX Design, Quality Assurance and Feature Integration teams to deliver integrated solutions that advance our autonomous vehicle technology.

## Qualifications

- MS/BS in Computer Science, Engineering or related field with 8+ years of software development experience

- Strong expertise in modern C++ development on Linux systems

- Experience with modern software development practices (Git, CI/CD, code review), automated testing and validation methodologies and cross-team collaboration in large, complex software projects

-

## Experience leading 2-3 engineers in feature delivery

- Track record of building user-centric product software, collaborating with Product Management and UX designers and ability to translate UX requirements into technical implementations

Bonus Qualifications

- Knowledge of robotics, automotive or embedded systems software development, including real-time constraints and hardware interfaces

- Hands-on experience with Data Distribution Service (DDS) middleware in production environments, including performance optimization and fault tolerance

- Proficiency with distributed systems in Java, Kotlin or Python

## About Zoox

Zoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility-as-a-service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team.

Follow us on LinkedIn

Accommodations If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to accommodations@zoox.com or your assigned recruiter.

A Final Note: You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.

## About Zoox

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Zoox is building a fully autonomous, all-electric, purpose-built robotaxi service to give the world a better way to ride.
- **Entity Type**: Private (independent subsidiary of Amazon, acquired in 2020)
- **Headquarters**: Foster City, California, USA (with offices in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin, Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles)
- **Founded**: 2014
- **Founders**: Not specified in provided sources

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Autonomous ride‑hailing / Self‑driving electric vehicles
- **Target customers**: B2C – individual riders seeking safe, convenient, and sustainable urban transportation
- **Mission**: “Give the world a better way to ride” – providing safer, cleaner, autonomous ride‑hailing for everyone [zoox.com](https://zoox.com/about)

## Products & Services
- **Zoox Robotaxi**: A purpose‑built, fully autonomous electric vehicle designed from the ground up for ride‑hailing. Features bidirectional driving, four‑wheel steering, and no steering wheel or pedals. The service handles all charging, maintenance, and fleet management – riders simply get in and enjoy the ride [zoox.com](https://zoox.com).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed (Zoox is a private subsidiary of Amazon)
- **Key Metric**: Not publicly available (revenue and funding details are not reported as a stand‑alone entity)
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Amazon (parent company)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Received authorization from the Nevada DMV to operate robotaxis on public roads [zoox.com/about](https://zoox.com/about)
  - Expanded testing and operations to Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, and other cities
  - Continues to scale its engineering and operations teams (multiple open roles on the careers page as of 2026)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Purpose‑built design**: Unlike retrofitted vehicles, Zoox’s robotaxi is designed from scratch for autonomous ride‑hailing (symmetrical, bidirectional, four‑wheel steering, no driver controls)
- **Amazon backing**: Deep financial resources, supply chain expertise, and cloud infrastructure (AWS) support rapid development and scaling
- **Full‑stack autonomy**: In‑house AI, computer vision, and sensing stack integrated directly into the vehicle design
- **Safety‑first approach**: Comprehensive testing, safety‑critical system design, and focus on public road validation

## Strategic Focus
- Achieving commercial launch of the Zoox ride‑hailing service in select U.S. cities
- Continuing to mature the autonomous driving system through real‑world testing and simulation
- Expanding the “Go‑to‑Market” strategy and building out operations teams (see CRM Lead, Go‑to‑Market Manager roles) [jobs.lever.co/zoox](https://jobs.lever.co/zoox)
- Scaling manufacturing and prototyping to prepare for fleet deployment

## Why Work Here
- **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](https://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](https://zoox.com/journal/landing-a-job-zoox)

## Sources
1. [Zoox official website](https://zoox.com)
2. [Zoox About page](https://zoox.com/about)
3. [Zoox Careers page](https://zoox.com/careers)
4. [Zoox job openings on Lever](https://jobs.lever.co/zoox)
5. [Zoox hiring and interview process](https://zoox.com/journal/landing-a-job-zoox)

## Other roles at Zoox

- [Team Lead, Vehicle Technicians](https://feeny.ai/job/team-lead-vehicle-technicians-zoox-san-francisco-fm78xhnkbtvc) — San Francisco, CA
- [Human Resources Generalist](https://feeny.ai/job/human-resources-generalist-zoox-foster-city-94tbpn6kg9b8) — Foster City, CA
- [Manufacturing Test Infrastructure Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-test-infrastructure-engineer-zoox-foster-city-eq18925fgss3) — Foster City, CA
- [Staff Systems Engineer, Simulation Systems Verification and Validation Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-systems-engineer-simulation-systems-verification-and-validation-lead-zoox-mtbxccfhzzjf) — Foster City, CA
- [Systems Engineer, Motion Controls Safety](https://feeny.ai/job/systems-engineer-motion-controls-safety-zoox-foster-city-r02y5xhnw15v) — Foster City, CA
- [Senior/Staff Technical Product Manager, Operational Design Domain (ODD) Tools](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-technical-product-manager-operational-design-domain-odd-tools-zoox-ssjgcn6rpzze) — Foster City, CA
- [Head of Contingent Workforce & Travel](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-contingent-workforce-travel-zoox-foster-city-rkcgbt6b81v8) — Foster City, CA
- [Mechatronics Engineer - Closures](https://feeny.ai/job/mechatronics-engineer-closures-zoox-foster-city-68m3dz5tmx0t) — Foster City, CA
- [Contract Student Worker - Software Engineer (40 hrs/wk)](https://feeny.ai/job/contract-student-worker-software-engineer-40-hrs-wk-zoox-foster-city-3zs433c2yzqp) — Foster City, CA
- [Contract Student Worker - Autonomy and Geofence Expansion (20 hrs/wk)](https://feeny.ai/job/contract-student-worker-autonomy-and-geofence-expansion-20-hrs-wk-zoox-foster-gj2hfad4jjx0) — Foster City, CA