Senior Software Engineer - Robot Software Infrastructure
Zoox
Listing collected from Zoox's career site. NextChapter is independent of Zoox.
Foster City, CA · $219k–$315k a year · Posted September 8, 2026
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Where Foster City, CA ranks
Where Foster City, CA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Best cities for pay after cost of living$209k · of 100
- #1Best cities for pay after cost of living in the West Coast$209k · of 39
- #1Best cities for pay after cost of living in California$209k · of 32
- #1Best cities for director and executive jobs in the West Coast38% · of 71
- #1Best cities for data and analytics pay after cost of living$232k · of 28
- #1Best cities for technology pay after cost of living$209k · of 80
Rankings about engineering jobs
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs #1 San Francisco (3,412 openings)
- Best cities for engineering pay after cost of living #1 San Mateo ($216k)
- Most requested AI skills in engineering jobs #1 AI tools in daily work (6.1%)
- AI tools named most often in engineering jobs #1 Claude (1.7%)
- Employers with the most engineering jobs #1 Amazon (2,992 roles)
Pay compared with the market
This listing pays about $267,000 a year. Across 615 open senior software engineer listings that state pay, the middle half runs $170,500 to $222,000 and the median is $199,000. That is 34% above the median, above the middle half of those listings.
Listed pay is what employers advertise, not what people are paid.
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How AI is used in this kind of work
Among software developers, AI is already used for some of the tasks. Measured exposure for software developers: 29% (some).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Skills this job asks for
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About the job
Zoox's Robot Software Infrastructure team is seeking a passionate software engineer to help develop Robot software and infrastructure to advance the common performant operating system that powers several devices on our vehicle including Autonomy systems. This team develops platform-level software and services, including operating systems that enable complex, hardware-accelerated workloads critical for autonomous driving on automotive-grade hardware. We work closely with cross-functional teams—including application software engineering, release management, hardware engineering, manufacturing and operations—to support vehicle development and deployment at scale. If you are excited to explore a wide problem space and are mindful of how components fit within a larger system, you may be a great fit!
In this role, you will:
Design, develop, and maintain end-to-end continuous integration and validation toolchains for the operating system platform that powers various on-bot devices and applications on the Robotaxi
Architect and implement platform-level software to support robust and scalable robot software infrastructure
Configure and manage embedded Linux build systems (e.g., Yocto) and bootloader processes (e.g., U-Boot) to ensure reliable system startup and maintenance
Develop and optimize device drivers and kernel-space components using C, C++, or Rust to meet performance and reliability requirements
Collaborate cross-functionally to support seamless integration and delivery of the OS platform, triage issues, support new hardware bring-up and manufacturing functions
Qualifications:
8+ years delivering production systems and software applications
Designed and deployed end-to-end continuous integration and validation toolchains to verify Linux/OS images for production software releases supporting different hardware platforms
Proficiency in Linux internals, including init systems, containerization, filesystems, kernel-space development, device drivers, and systems programming in C/C++ and scripting languages (Python/Bash).
Strong written and verbal communication skills along with a bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience
Bonus Qualifications
Experience with embedded Linux in a robotics application
Familiarity with security software: PKI, secure boot, OTA software update, hardware key storage, etc.
Familiarity with Nvidia GPUs, Nvidia Thor/Orin, Cuda, TRT, etc.
Graduate degree with a focus on networking, operating systems, or firmware
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.
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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.