Staff Software Engineer - Onboard Networking bei Aurora Innovation

Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all. 

We’re searching for a Staff Software Engineer to join our Vehicle Platforms team. As we move toward commercial scale, we are hiring this key individual to architect and build the software "nervous system" of our Class 8 trucks, specifically focusing on the security, monitoring, and performance of our onboard high-speed data networks. This is a high-impact opportunity to design the software-defined networking layers that ensure our sensors and compute units communicate with the safety and reliability required for a driverless future.

In this role you will

• Architect Onboard Network Software: Design and implement high-performance C++ services for onboard network security, including custom firewalls, deep packet inspection (DPI), and traffic-shaping logic to protect the autonomy stack.
• Build Observability & Monitoring Tooling: Develop sophisticated monitoring software to track network health, latency, and throughput in real-time, ensuring hardware performance meets rigorous safety standards during highway operations.
• Optimize Systems-Level Data Flow: Write low-level code to optimize the transport of massive sensor datasets (Lidar, Camera, Radar) across the onboard backbone, minimizing jitter and CPU overhead.
• Drive Hardware-Software Integration: Lead the software-driven "bring up" of new vehicle platforms, integrating advanced compute nodes and embedded devices into a unified, secure, and performant network architecture.
• Mentor and Set Engineering Standards: Define the architectural patterns and C++ best practices for the Vehicle Platforms team, ensuring the codebase is robust, testable, and maintainable at scale.

Required qualifications

• 10+ years of professional software development experience with a heavy focus on systems-level programming and infrastructure.
• Expert-level Modern C++: Proven ability to write high-performance, memory-safe code for complex systems.
• Advanced Linux Network Configuration: Deep understanding of mapping L2/L3 concepts to Linux internals, specifically regarding the programmatic management of VLAN interfaces, IP addressing schemes, and routing tables.
• Linux Networking Internals: Deep experience with the Linux networking stack, including socket programming, Netlink, and low-level packet processing (e.g., eBPF, XDP, or raw sockets).
• Software-Defined Security: Experience implementing network security logic via software, such as Nftables, IP tables, or custom firewall architectures.
• High-Bandwidth Data Transport: Hands-on experience with high-speed protocols (UDP, TCP, gRPC) and an understanding of OSI Layer 2/3/4 interactions within a distributed compute environment.

Desirable qualifications

• Automotive Tech Stack: Experience with Automotive Ethernet (1000Base-T1), Time-Sensitive Networking (PTP/gPTP), and automotive protocols like CAN-FD or SOME/IP.
• Kernel-Level Programming: Experience writing or debugging Linux kernel modules or interacting with network drivers.
• Safety-Critical Systems: Prior experience in aerospace, robotics, or autonomous driving where software failure has physical-world consequences.
• Fleet-Scale Monitoring: Experience building or utilizing telemetry systems (e.g., Prometheus, gNMI, or custom SNMP-based frameworks) for a large-scale distributed fleet.

The base salary range for this position is $189,000- $303,000. Aurora’s pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits.

 #LI-Mid-Senior