---
title: 'Senior / Staff Software Engineer - Learned Trajectory Machine Learning Engineer at Zoox'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-software-engineer-learned-trajectory-machine-learning-engineer-ern37na2q175'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Senior / Staff Software Engineer - Learned Trajectory Machine Learning Engineer at Zoox

- **Company:** Zoox
- **Location:** Foster City, CA
- **Compensation:** $242k–$349k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2024-11-07
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/zoox/24acfe86-aa1b-4aa6-903b-99b4596e42cf

## Job description

The Prediction & Behavior ML team is responsible for developing machine learning (ML) algorithms that learn and predict behaviors from data, applying them both on-vehicle to influence driving behavior and off-vehicle to provide ML capabilities to simulation and validation. Given the tight integration of behavior forecasting and motion planning, our team collaborates closely with the Planner team to advance overall vehicle behavior. We also work closely with our Perception, Simulation, and Systems Engineering teams to accelerate our ability to validate our driving performance.

As a Learned Trajectory Machine Learning Engineer you will be responsible for developing deep learned models that produce trajectories for our vehicles to drive. Given the tight integration of behavior prediction and motion planning, you will closely collaborate with the Planner and Perception teams in the advancement of our overall vehicle behavior.

In this role, you will:

- You will develop new deep learning models that use imitation learning and reinforcement learning to generate driving plans for our autonomous vehicle. You will also work on techniques to estimate the quality of those driving plans along the dimensions of safety, progress, comfort etc.
- You will leverage our large-scale machine learning infrastructure to discover new solutions and push the boundaries of the field
- You will develop metrics and tools to analyze errors and understand improvements of our systems
- You will collaborate with engineers on Perception, Planning, and Simulation to solve the overall Autonomous Driving problem in complex urban environments

## Qualifications

- BS, MS, or PhD degree in computer science or related field
- Experience with training and deploying transformer-based model architectures and reinforcement learning
- Experience with production Machine Learning pipelines: dataset creation, training frameworks, metrics pipelines
- Fluency in Python with a basic understanding of C++
- Extensive experience with programming, algorithm design, and strong mathematics skills

Bonus Qualifications

- Conference or Journal publications in Machine Learning or Robotics related venues
- Prior experience with Prediction and/or autonomous vehicles or robotics in general

## 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

- [Sensing and Perception System Safety Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/sensing-and-perception-system-safety-engineer-zoox-foster-city-9b41z224ntq6) — Foster City, CA
- [Lead Data Platform Engineer - Enterprise, Data & AI](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-data-platform-engineer-enterprise-data-ai-zoox-foster-city-61c1tdms6spr) — Foster City, CA
- [Software Engineer - Collision Avoidance System Metrics](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-collision-avoidance-system-metrics-zoox-foster-city-9xfh2gw0nayv) — Foster City, CA
- [Contract Student Worker - Autonomy Safety Data Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/contract-student-worker-autonomy-safety-data-engineer-zoox-foster-city-vb29ss0k5hgs) — Foster City, CA
- [Software Engineer, Operational Tools](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-operational-tools-zoox-foster-city-mmfc9jxj9vgs) — Foster City, CA
- [Diagnostics Serviceability Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/diagnostics-serviceability-engineer-zoox-foster-city-zpp032643x45) — Foster City, CA
- [Manager, Fleet Operations Training](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-fleet-operations-training-zoox-foster-city-8vfyx98j41fz) — Foster City, CA
- [Embedded Software Engineer - Drive Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/embedded-software-engineer-drive-systems-zoox-foster-city-whvhzqychegb) — Foster City, CA
- [Senior Staff / Principal Software Engineer - Freeway Autonomy](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-principal-software-engineer-freeway-autonomy-zoox-foster-city-y93sb485dj53) — Foster City, CA
- [Senior Supplier Quality Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-supplier-quality-engineer-zoox-foster-city-d9gmdemvwa6b) — Foster City, CA