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Salary: USD 120,000 - 135,000 / annual
Kodiak Robotics (Nasdaq: KDK) is a leader in Physical AI, developing autonomous driving technology for long-haul trucking, industrial trucking, and defense applications. The company operates driverless commercial services and plans to launch driverless long-haul service between Dallas and Houston by end of 2026. Kodiak partners with major names including Bosch, AWS, Atlas Energy Solutions, IKEA, Bridgestone, Werner Enterprises, and General Dynamics Land Systems.
As a Software Quality Triage Specialist, you will join the rapidly growing Software Quality team and become deeply familiar with the Kodiak Driver autonomous driving system. Your core responsibilities include:
• Study and assess performance results from autonomous trucks in real-world operations
• Perform deep root cause analysis efficiently with high quality and minimal oversight
• Identify and categorize failure modes of the autonomous system, file bugs, and track them through resolution
• Analyze vehicle logs across perception, planning, localization, controls, and other system-level behaviors
• Generate comprehensive performance reports to share with engineering and operations teams
• Collaborate with operations and engineering teams to improve workflows and processes
• Perform quality assurance on 2D/3D labels used to train and improve algorithms
• Use simulation as part of the triage process to evaluate safety-related behaviors
This role requires deep technical expertise in autonomous vehicle systems, sensor technology, and data analysis. You will work with complex datasets from cameras, lidar, and radar systems, understanding how sensor performance impacts perception and planning. Your analytical skills and ability to drive complex issues to root cause will be critical to improving the safety and efficiency of Kodiak's autonomous driving platform.
The position is based in Mountain View, CA, with a dog-friendly office offering free catered lunch, fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging.
REQUIREMENTS:
• 3+ years of experience in triage and deep root cause analysis within robotics or autonomous vehicle industry
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field
• Hands-on experience analyzing vehicle logs across perception, planning, localization, controls, and system-level behaviors
• Very solid understanding of AV sensors (cameras, lidar, radar) and how sensor performance impacts perception and planning
• Experience using simulation as part of triage process to evaluate safety-related behaviors
• Proven ability to investigate complex issues and drive them to root cause
• Critical thinking with strong analytical and root cause analysis skills
• Ability to quickly learn, adapt, and apply new concepts, tools, and workflows
• Naturally curious with diligence to investigate unexpected behaviors
• Strong communication skills and experience writing clear, concise technical documentation
• Passion for autonomous technology and improving safety and efficiency
