--- title: 'Staff Software Engineer - Vehicle & Hardware Security at Atoms' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-vehicle-hardware-security-atoms-san-francisco-bxwxgg4p7t9x' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-12' --- # Staff Software Engineer - Vehicle & Hardware Security at Atoms - **Company:** Atoms - **Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Posted:** 2026-11-11 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-12 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/cssmerge/jobs/8938604002 ## Job description ## Who we are Atoms is building the machines that power the next era of progress. Over the last decade, software has transformed the digital world. But the physical world, where food is made, minerals are mined, goods are moved, and industries are run, remains far less intelligent, far less efficient, and far more constrained. We’re changing that. Atoms builds Physical AI— real-world robots for the industries that move civilization forward, starting with food, mining, and transport. Our systems are designed to understand, predict, and control the real world with precision, turning complex physical operations into something more reliable, more scalable, and more productive. This work requires more than robotics. It requires deep integration across hardware, software, AI, operations, manufacturing, and real estate. We don’t just build machines in a lab. We deploy them into real environments, operate them, learn from them, and improve them until they work at scale. We are roboticists, engineers, operators, and builders. We believe the next great technology companies will not only transform information, but the physical systems that shape everyday life. If you want to work on hard problems with real-world impact, join us. ## What you’ll do As a Staff Software Engineer focused on Vehicle & Hardware Security, you’ll own the security of the systems that make our vehicles operate safely, from in-vehicle networks and ECU firmware to secure boot and over-the-air updates. You’ll serve as the senior security partner to our vehicle engineering teams while helping set the technical direction and operating cadence for the broader security team. - Threat model and secure automotive Ethernet, CAN, and CAN-FD networks against message injection, spoofing, replay, and other vehicle-network attacks. - Design and review ECU security controls including secure boot, firmware code signing, and anti-rollback protections across vehicle compute systems. - Secure the OTA update pipeline, including update signing, staged and canary rollouts, rollback protection, and tamper detection. - Partner with hardware and manufacturing teams to identify and mitigate supply-chain risks, including counterfeit or tampered vehicle components. - Represent Security in vehicle architecture and engineering design reviews, identifying security requirements early in the development lifecycle. - Own incident-response strategies for compromised or potentially compromised vehicles, including safe remote isolation and quarantine procedures. - Provide technical leadership across the security organization, helping establish priorities, engineering standards, and team operating practices. - As the team grows, help lead a broader security team through technical direction, hiring, mentorship, and quarterly planning. ## What we’re looking for We’re looking for a deeply technical security engineer who understands both how modern vehicles are built and how they can be attacked. You should be comfortable moving between embedded software, vehicle networks, firmware, hardware, and security architecture while serving as a trusted technical partner to vehicle engineering leadership. ## Basic qualifications - 7+ years of experience in security engineering, including at least 3 years working in automotive, embedded systems, or industrial IoT security. - Hands-on experience with automotive communication protocols including CAN/CAN-FD and UDS. - Experience with automotive security testing tools such as SocketCAN, CANoe, Kayak, or equivalent tooling. - Production experience securing OTA firmware or software update systems. - Experience with secure boot, code signing, firmware integrity, and rollback protection. - Working knowledge of ISO/SAE 21434 and how automotive cybersecurity requirements integrate into the software and hardware development lifecycle. - Experience leading technical projects, teams, or security programs and influencing senior engineering stakeholders. - Strong communication skills and the ability to clearly communicate security risks, tradeoffs, and technical direction. ## Nice to have - Experience securing Level 4 autonomous vehicle systems. - Familiarity with UNECE WP.29, R155, and R156 cybersecurity and software-update requirements. - Red-team, penetration-testing, or offensive-security experience focused on vehicles, embedded systems, or hardware. - Experience with hardware security, component integrity, or automotive supply-chain security. - Prior people-management experience or experience leading a dedicated security engineering team. ## Why join us At Atoms, you’ll work on one of the defining challenges of our time—bringing automation into the physical world to drive real, lasting impact. We exist to uncover valuable unknown truths and turn them into progress, which means constantly pushing beyond what’s known and building what doesn’t yet exist. The work is ambitious and often challenging, but it’s grounded in a shared sense of purpose and a team committed to seeing it through together. Our work only matters if it serves others, and we know that meaningful progress depends on the trust of the people we serve and the strength of our team—so we invest in both, creating an environment where you can do your best work and grow. What else you need to know This role is based in our San Francisco office. Atoms is a company driven by invention and continuous change - we are constantly reimagining our industries, building new products, and refining how we operate. We do our best work together. That’s why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week. The base salary range for this role is $224,000 - $284,000 per year. Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications. Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for equity awards and an annual performance-based bonus. Benefits Summary (USA Full-Time Exempt Employees): - Medical, dental, and vision insurance (multiple plans, incl. HSA options). - Company-paid life and disability insurance (short- and long-term). - Voluntary insurance: accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity. - Optional supplemental life insurance for self, spouse, and children. - Pet insurance discount. - 401(k). - Health Savings Account (HSA) - Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare, Dependent Care, Commuter) - Time Off policies: - Discretionary vacation days - 8 paid holidays per year - Paid sick time - Paid Bereavement leave - Paid Parental Leave Benefits are subject to change at the company's discretion. Atoms accepts applications on an ongoing basis. Ready to join us as we serve those who serve others? #LI-Onsite ## About Atoms ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Atoms builds physical automation systems—robotics, AI, software, and infrastructure—for mining, transport, and food industries to automate the physical world. - **Entity Type**: Private (formerly City Storage Systems; rebranded from CloudKitchens/ProFood parent) - **Headquarters**: Los Angeles, California, United States - **Founded**: Rebranded as Atoms in March 2026; predecessor City Storage Systems founded earlier (~2018) - **Founders**: Travis Kalanick (CEO) ## Core Business - Primary industry: Physical AI, Robotics, Automation Machinery Manufacturing, Industrial Infrastructure - Target customers: Mining/quarry operators, transportation & logistics companies, food service brands and kitchens (B2B, heavy industrial) - Mission or purpose statement: “We build progress machines.” / “The constraint on human progress is our ability to automate the physical world.” ## Products & Services - **Atoms Mining**: Autonomous haulage systems for mines and quarries designed to improve productivity, safety, and efficiency in complex industrial environments. - **Atoms Transport**: Wheelbase for robots — autonomous delivery and logistics systems for moving goods. Includes the acquired Pronto AI technology (acquisition completed April 2026). - **Atoms Food (ProFood)**: Robotics for better food. Automated kitchen systems that deliver consistent, affordable meals at scale; kitchen infrastructure platforms (bringing orders, delivery, operations into one platform); food real estate; Lab37 (an operating system for food facilities); and a forthcoming “built” meals brand. - **Lab37**: The operating system/software layer that connects and orchestrates Atoms’ physical automation across domains. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total Funding – Not publicly disclosed; previously raised significant capital as City Storage Systems/CloudKitchens (estimated at over $1B in prior rounds); 414 employees on LinkedIn as of mid-2026 - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Travis Kalanick (founder/CEO, previously co-founded Uber); partners include mining/quarry operators, food brands (specific names not public) - **Growth Signals**: 414 employees (+13.2% monthly growth); operates in 24 countries; 26 active job postings (+160% monthly); recent acquisition of Pronto AI (April 2026); rebranding from City Storage Systems to Atoms (March 2026) signals strategic consolidation and pivot; hiring across robotics, AI, software, hardware, operations globally ## Competitive Advantages - **Cross-stack vertical integration**: Controls sensors, compute, software, manufacturing, operations, real estate, energy, and infrastructure — a rare “full-stack” approach to physical AI. - **Founder advantage**: Led by Travis Kalanick (Uber co-founder) who has deep experience scaling category-defining companies and attracting top engineering/operations talent. - **Real-world deployment**: Robots with “real jobs” — not lab demos — deployed in working mines, kitchens, and transport systems today. - **Engineering culture**: Emphasis on “cross-stack competence,” ownership, and solving problems “most companies won’t attempt.” - **Global footprint**: Presence in 24 countries allows rapid deployment and operations at scale. ## Strategic Focus - Consolidating formerly separate brands (CloudKitchens, ProFood, Pronto AI) under one unified “Atoms” identity to create a single physical AI platform - Expanding autonomous mining haulage into more quarries and mines globally - Scaling food automation from kitchen robotics to end-to-end food infrastructure (real estate, ordering, delivery, operations) - Growing AI, ML, and autonomy capabilities (hiring Senior Software Engineer - ML Infrastructure, Backend Infrastructure, Robotics Engineer) - International expansion with dedicated regional roles (APAC, LATAM, Europe) ## Why Work Here - **High ownership**: “Take ownership early, and contribute from day one” — interns and new hires work on live products, not side projects. - **Hard problems**: Solving physical-world automation challenges that most companies won’t attempt — mining, logistics, food production at scale. - **Compensation**: “Outsized rewards for outsized performance” — competitive compensation, healthcare, benefits, and PTO. - **Culture**: “Builders” and “hardcore engineers” who have scaled category-defining companies — a relentless, high-expectation environment focused on excellence. - **Work policy**: Mix of in-office roles (Mountain View, CA; Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Austin, TX) and international locations (Vilnius, LTU; Makati, PH; Bogotá, COL; São Paulo, BRA). Remote/hybrid policy not explicitly stated but many roles list specific city locations. - **Tech stack**: Modern — Python, TypeScript, Go, Java, Kubernetes, Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis, GraphQL, gRPC, Bazel, Google Cloud, NVIDIA, dbt, Looker, Airflow. - **Team composition**: 25% of employees in technical roles (154 people); strong presence of HR, legal, finance, and operations supporting global scale; talent sourced from CloudKitchens, Amazon, Uber, Google, ProFood Properties, City Storage Systems. ## Sources 1. [atoms.co](https://atoms.co/) 2. [atoms.co/careers](https://atoms.co/careers) 3. [atoms.co/openroles](https://atoms.co/openroles) 4. [LinkedIn – Atoms](https://www.linkedin.com/company/atomsco) 5. [Greenhouse – Atoms Jobs](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/cssmerge) ## Other roles at Atoms - [Light Commercial HVAC/R Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/light-commercial-hvac-r-technician-atoms-denver-822rs9ea8hnn) — Denver, CO - [Production Quality Inspector](https://feeny.ai/job/production-quality-inspector-atoms-san-francisco-wyrv1xy4w44q) — San Francisco, CA - [Senior Software Engineer - Infrastructure Security Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-infrastructure-security-platform-atoms-seattle-2288vtezrrwe) — Seattle, WA - [Physical & Facility Security Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/physical-facility-security-engineer-atoms-san-francisco-sec2pcnywc34) — San Francisco, CA - [Customer Success Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/customer-success-associate-atoms-los-angeles-k0s5xn3zjfbp) — Los Angeles, CA - [Senior Software Engineer - Cloud & Platform Security](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-cloud-platform-security-atoms-san-francisco-8bkrvz3tc5gw) — San Francisco, CA - [Kitchen Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/kitchen-manager-atoms-lawndale-76p1v6xnkmg4) — Lawndale, CA - [Corporate Counsel](https://feeny.ai/job/corporate-counsel-atoms-los-angeles-m3r4p7jetrec) — Los Angeles, CA - [Payroll Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/payroll-specialist-atoms-amman-vcc203yh69x4) — Amman, Jordan - [Global Mobility Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/global-mobility-associate-atoms-san-francisco-5m5fmayrdh3t) — San Francisco, CA