Software Engineer, Controls (MATLAB)

Kodiak•Mountain View, CA

16h•Onsite

About The Position

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. is a leader in autonomous ground transportation, founded in 2018 with a mission for a safer and more efficient future. The company has developed an AI-powered technology stack for commercial trucking and the public sector, delivering freight daily across the southern United States. Kodiak was the first to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer in 2024 and is also developing autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense. In 2025, Kodiak became a publicly listed company on the NASDAQ. We are seeking a Controls Software Engineer passionate about safety-critical motion control to join our Motion Planning & Controls team. This role involves designing and implementing feedback, control, and actuation strategies, developing reliable and safety-critical software for autonomous trucks, and creating models for precise motion planning and simulation by engaging with vehicle platforms like steering, braking, and throttle management. The engineer will also work on fundamental problems in redundant actuation, degraded operation, and fail-safe control, collaborating with hardware, embedded systems, and systems engineering teams to deliver a robust vehicle control architecture, including creating requirement specifications, implementing features, planning testing, and documenting results.

Requirements

Software development experience writing production-level MATLAB & Simulink
Experience with automatic code generation from MATLAB / Simulink to embedded C / C++
Development, testing, and tuning of controllers for mobile autonomous robots, ideally trucks, cars, or flying vehicles
System identification, modeling, simulation, and characterization of systems with complex dynamics
A strong theoretical foundation paired with practical experience in controls, system modeling, and redundant architectures
A focus on end-to-end vehicle safety
2-4 years of professional, post University experience

Nice To Haves

Familiarity in development of production C++
Understanding of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing
Understanding of software design and implementation in safety-critical domains (e.g. automotive, aerospace, medical, etc)
Written low-level drivers for software/hardware interfacing using protocols such as CAN or ethernet
Written efficient code running on resource-constrained embedded systems with a real-time operating system
Experience with formal verification methods, writing requirements, and systems engineering processes
Drafted safety goals and requirements with traceability, following the ISO26262 process

Responsibilities

Participate in designing and implementing our feedback, control, and actuation strategies using both established & novel techniques
Develop, and test reliable, redundant, and safety-critical software that controls fully-loaded trucks driving on the road
Engage with vehicle platform (e.g., steering, braking, throttle/engine management, dynamics) to develop models that can be used for precise motion planning, simulation, and controls
Work on fundamental problems in redundant actuation, degraded operation, and fail-safe control
Collaborate with other teams at Kodiak (e.g. hardware, embedded systems, and systems engineering) to deliver a robust vehicle control architecture
Create requirement specifications, implement features, plan testing, and document results

Benefits

Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance
Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies
Dog-friendly office
Free catered lunch
Fully stocked kitchen
Free EV charging
Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)
Fidelity 401(k)
Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)