Staff Engineer, ADAS Software Integration

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 Staff Engineer, ADAS Software Integration is part of the ADAS business unit and serves as a senior technical contributor responsible for accelerating software integration through hands-on embedded software development. This role makes incremental C++ changes in low-level software, middleware, and application software to help engineering and integration teams overcome compile, deployment, and integration issues. 

The role combines embedded software adaptation, technical root-cause analysis, deployment tooling, and vehicle/bench integration support. It requires close collaboration with Germany-based engineering teams and local ADAS integration teams to analyze issues, implement fixes, validate changes, and improve the speed and reliability of software delivery to benches and vehicles. 

Role Responsibilities:

Embedded Software Adaptation

• Lead and implement incremental C++ changes in low-level software, middleware, and application software to resolve ADAS integration blockers. 
• Analyze compile, link, runtime, and integration failures and drive fixes from root cause through validation. 
• Review, refine, and land software changes using established code-review, branching, and release processes. 
• Identify recurring integration pain points and propose software-level adaptations that reduce future integration effort 

Build, Compile & Integration Issue Resolution

• Reproduce and debug build, compile, and integration failures across local, bench, and CI environments. 
• Partner with engineering teams to resolve dependency, configuration, toolchain, and interface issues affecting ADAS software integration. 
• Provide technical leadership during integration events by triaging failures, prioritizing fixes, and coordinating validation activities. 
• Document root cause, fix approach, validation evidence, and lessons learned to improve future integration cycles. 

Deployment Tooling, Automation & Vehicle Flashing Support

• Develop and maintain deployment tooling to package, validate, and deliver ADAS software to bench and vehicle targets. 
• Build reproducible deployment environments and toolchains, including local, CI, and cloud environments, to support consistent outcomes. 
• Implement automation that connects build artifacts, release candidates, deployment consumers, and vehicle/bench flashing workflows. 
• Support vehicle flashing and provisioning workflows, including troubleshooting installation, recovery, and configuration issues on bench and vehicle targets 

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Engineering Alignment

• Work closely with Germany-based ADAS engineering teams to understand software changes, integration constraints, and release expectations. 
• Translate integration findings into actionable software fixes, technical recommendations, and clear escalation paths. 
• Lead technical discussions with software, embedded, integration, test, and release teams to align implementation and validation plans. 
• Mentor engineers on debugging methods, code-quality expectations, and practical approaches for accelerating integration. 

Test Bench Vehicle Validation, and Diagnostics  

• Support ADAS bench and vehicle validation activities by enabling software updates, diagnostic access, logging, and trace capture 
• Use diagnostic and communication tools across CAN, CAN-FD, LIN, Ethernet, UDS, DoIP, and related technologies to support software issue analysis. 
• Validate software adaptations on benches, lab systems, and vehicles to confirm readiness for downstream testing and release activities. 

Documentation & Continuous Improvement

• Create and maintain technical documentation including build notes, deployment procedures, troubleshooting guides, root-cause summaries, and release-support notes. 
• Contribute to continuous improvement of integration workflows, deployment quality, and engineering efficiency. 
• Share best practices that improve reproducibility, traceability, and reliability across ADAS integration activities. 

​General Skills:

• ​ Intentional Team Builder: Shapes culture, roles & responsibilities with care & empathy to create engaged, empowered & high-performing interdisciplinary teams.   
• Thoughtful Problem Solver & Communicator: Thinks analytically, critically & creatively and communicates with clarity, direction & purpose.  
• Attentive Listener: Listens actively while withholding judgment and advice. Clarifies intentions & motivations to anticipate and address potential conflicts & avoid misunderstanding.  
• Drives Diversity: Acts from a deep-rooted belief that we build better teams & products when we empower & learn from the broadest spectrum of humanity.  
• Leads with Integrity: Speaks-up with compassion & empathy to firmly stand by our values, principles, rules & regulations.  
• Thrives in Ambiguity: Approaches challenges with an open and curious mindset and a strong bias towards action. Zooms out to systematically map out the situation and is comfortable making high impact decisions based on limited or conflicting information.  
• Creates Clarity & Momentum: Aligns people, processes and systems to create forward momentum. Anticipates and removes impediments. Motivates teams to joint action to achieve common goals across organizational boundaries & cultural differences.  
• Highly Accountable: Assumes personal responsibility for making and keeping realistic agreements. Openly owns mistakes and consequences. Demonstrates strong commitment and consideration for the larger interests of society, the environment, the company and the team.  
• Develops Strategy, Partnerships & Business: Strong empathy, influencing and negotiation skills that help create alignment around product vision, budgets, resources, program planning, etc.  

​Required Specialized Skills:

• ​Expert C++ development experience in embedded or automotive software environments 
• Experience making incremental low-level software, middleware, and application software changes to unblock integration issues 
• Strong ability to analyze, fix, compile, test, and validate software changes across vehicle, bench, and CI environments 
• Experience with embedded Linux and/or RTOS environments, including system-level debugging, logs, tracing, and performance analysis 
• Experience with automotive diagnostics and communication protocols such as CAN, CAN-FD, LIN, Ethernet, UDS, and/or DoIP 
• Experience developing or maintaining deployment tooling to package, validate, and deliver ADAS software to bench and vehicle targets 
• Experience building reproducible deployment environments and toolchains, including local, CI, and cloud environments, to support consistent outcomes 
• Experience implementing automation that connects build artifacts, release candidates, deployment consumers, and vehicle/bench flashing workflows 

​Desired Skills:

• Experience in automated driving development, ADAS integration, or vehicle-level software integration 
• Experience with vehicle flashing workflows, provisioning, recovery, or release-candidate installation on bench and vehicle targets 
• Experience with image signing, software packaging, artifact promotion, and release-readiness workflows 
• Experience with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Artifactory, or similar 
• Experience with Python, Bash, YAML, or Groovy for build, deployment, and integration automation 
• Experience using Generative AI or Large Language Models (LLM) to improve engineering productivity and software quality 
• Knowledge of Vehicle retrofit in steering/braking and infotainment system.  
• Understanding of complete vehicle wiring harness  
• Debugging in-vehicle measurement systems 
• Experiences in automated driving development 
• Familiarity with ISO 26262, ISO/SAE 21434, or other automotive safety and cybersecurity expectations 

​Workplace Flexibility:

• ​Calls, (virtual) meetings & workshops (overlapping with German/US business hours as needed) to align with leadership, development teams and partners
• Occasional international and domestic travel to provide on-site support and planning/integration workshops with internal and external stakeholders
• Occasional in-vehicle work to validate deployment flows and support integration events

​Years of Relevant Experience:

• ​ 8+ years combined experience in embedded software development, software integration, or automotive software engineering 
• 5+ years of hands-on C/C++ development in low-level software, embedded Linux/RTOS, middleware, or application software 
• 3+ years of supporting vehicle, bench, or ECU-level integration, including build, compile, deployment, and issue triage workflows 

​Required Education:

• ​BS in Computer Science or Computer/Electrical Engineering

​Desired Education: 

• MS 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, CA, the salary range for this position is $161,710.00 - $234,325.00. 

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 contingent upon the successful completion of this screening process. We emphasize the importance of compliance with export control and sanctions laws as a fundamental aspect of our operations. Our company is dedicated to adhering to these regulations to ensure the lawful and ethical conduct of our business activities. Employment with our company is contingent on either verifying U.S. citizenship or U.S. lawful permanent resident status or obtaining any necessary license or confirming the availability of an applicable exemption or license exception. You, the applicant, will be required to answer certain questions for export control purposes, and that information will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law. Cariad Inc. may choose not to apply for a license or use an applicable license exception (if available) for such individuals whose access to export-controlled technology or software source code may require authorization and may decline to proceed with an applicant on that basis alone.

 By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree to participate in the export control and sanctions compliance screening process. Your cooperation in this matter is essential to our shared success and the integrity of our operations. Thank you for your understanding and commitment to upholding these important standards.