Back to jobs
New

Sr Staff Software Engineer, Embedded

Mountain View, CA

We are CARIAD, an automotive software development team with the Volkswagen Group. Our mission is to make the automotive experience safer, more sustainable, more comfortable, more digital, and more fun. To achieve that we are building the leading tech stack for the automotive industry and creating a unified software platform for over 10 million new vehicles per year. We’re looking for talented, digital minds like you to help us create code that moves the world. Together with you, we’ll build outstanding digital experiences and products for all Volkswagen Group brands that will transform mobility. Join us as we shape the future of the car and everyone around it.

Role Summary:          

The Sr. Staff Embedded Software Engineer, designs and delivers embedded base software for high-performance computing platforms at CARIAD and the Volkswagen Group, focusing on QNX and/or Android-based Automotive IVI and Connectivity ECUs. This role leads platform enablement, board bring-up, device driver development for multimedia and connectivity subsystems, and complex HW/SW debugging. The engineer ensures production readiness through DV and EOL phases, drives software quality improvements, and provides hands-on technical leadership and mentorship to strengthen in-house capabilities.

Role Responsibilities:

Platform Bring-Up & Device Driver Development

  • Lead board bring-up activities on Qualcomm SoC-based IVI / connectivity platforms
  • Develop and debug kernel/device drivers and BSP components (QNX or Android/Linux)
  • Enable core subsystems (boot chain, clocks/resets, storage, power sequencing) needed for platform readiness
  • Collaborate with HW teams on schematic/DT review and interface validation

Hardware–Software Integration & Debugging

  • Debug complex HW/SW interaction issues across drivers, firmware, and peripherals
  • Perform root-cause analysis using tracing/logging and lab instrumentation; drive issues to closure
  • Partner with suppliers and cross-functional teams to resolve platform defects and unblock integration

Cross-ECU Coordination & Platform Services

  • Support integration topics spanning IVI ECU and connectivity/MCU components (e.g., power and wake coordination)
  • Define and document low-level interfaces, assumptions, and bring-up checklists to improve repeatability

Production Readiness & Validation Support

  • Support DV/PV and manufacturing readiness (flashing, diagnostics hooks, stability fixes, performance tuning)
  • Improve observability and robustness (error handling, watchdogs, recovery paths) for production deployments
  • Provide on-site/remote support during critical integration builds and validation events as needed

Technical Leadership & Best Practices

  • Mentor engineers and contribute to design/code reviews with an emphasis on quality and maintainability
  • Drive best practices for driver architecture, testing strategies, and documentation
  • Continuously improve bring-up workflows, tooling, and automation where applicable

General Skills:

  • Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills for complex embedded systems
  • Clear written and verbal communication; able to align across hardware, software, and validation teams
  • Collaborative mindset; effective in cross-functional and cross-company environments
  • Ownership-driven execution with a high bar for code quality, documentation, and reviews
  • Ability to mentor engineers and establish best practices for bring-up and debugging

Required Specialized Skills:

  • Strong experience in QNX (7.1/8.0) or Android BSP / Linux kernel development
  • Hands-on experience with Qualcomm automotive SoCs (e.g., SA8155P, SA8255P, or similar)
  • Experience developing and debugging kernel drivers and/or HAL layers (C/C++)
  • Board bring-up experience including bootloaders, device trees, and low-level initialization
  • Deep understanding of interrupts, DMA, memory mapping, clocks/resets, and power management
  • Strong hardware debug skills using logs, tracing, and lab tools (e.g., JTAG)

Desired Skills:

  • Experience in automotive IVI / digital cockpit systems
  • Experience with multimedia subsystems (audio, display, camera) and/or connectivity (USB, Ethernet, BT/Wi‑Fi)
  • Experience supporting DV, PV, and EOL / manufacturing phases
  • Familiarity with NXP S32K microcontrollers and cross-ECU power coordination
  • Experience with FreeRTOS or microcontrollers
  • Safety awareness: familiarity with ISO 26262 concepts

Workplace Flexibility:

  • Hybrid work model; occasional domestic/international travel as needed, up to 15%. May require some off-hours support during board bring-up, integration builds, or critical validation events.

Years of Relevant Experience:

  • 10+ years of embedded software development experience

Required Education:

  •   Bachelor’s degree in computer/electrical engineering, Computer Science, or related field. 

Desired Education: 

  •  Master’s degree or PhD in Computer/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.

Compensation

Salary range is dependent on factors such as geographical differentials, credentials or certifications, industry-based experience, qualification and training. In the city of Mountain View, California, the salary range for this position is $182,310 - 264,195.

CARIAD, Inc. provides performance based merits and annual bonus along with a competitive benefits package. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, 401k with employer match and defined contribution plan, short and long term disability, basic life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment plans, maternity and non-primary caregiver leave, adoption assistance, employee referral program and vacation and paid holidays. We also offer a unique vehicle lease program that covers registration and insurance fees. 

CARIAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds, and do not discriminate based on race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, color, gender identity/expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable laws. 

Employment with CARIAD Inc. is subject to export control and sanctions compliance. Some positions may involve access to technology and/or software source code subject to U.S. legal restrictions on release to certain foreign persons based on citizenship or permanent residence. To ensure compliance, applicants will be required to provide information for screening. Employment may be contingent on the outcome, including verification of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status, or confirmation that a license, exemption, or exception applies. CARIAD retains the discretion to decline to obtain a required license in any case. By applying, you acknowledge and agree to participate in this process.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Cariad, Inc.? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

U.S. Standard Demographic Questions

We invite applicants to share their demographic background. If you choose to complete this survey, your responses may be used to identify areas of improvement in our hiring process.
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Cariad, Inc.’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.