Senior Software Engineer, Collision Avoidance Testing

Senior Software Engineer, Collision Avoidance Testing

Mountain View, California (HQ)

Nuro is a self-driving technology company on a mission to make autonomy accessible to all. Founded in 2016, Nuro is building the world's most scalable driver, combining cutting-edge AI with automotive-grade hardware. Nuro licenses its core technology, the Nuro Driver™, to support a wide range of applications, from robotaxis and commercial fleets to personally owned vehicles. With technology proven over years of self-driving deployments, Nuro gives the automakers and mobility platforms a clear path to AVs at commercial scale—empowering a safer, richer, and more connected future.

About the Role

As a Senior Software Engineer, Collision Avoidance Testing, you will work closely with the onboard autonomy, evaluation infrastructure, data science, operations, and simulation teams to evaluate the performance of the autonomous vehicle in collision avoidance scenarios. You will be responsible for identifying gaps in onroad and simulation tests, designing appropriate tests to fill those gaps, reviewing test outcomes, and iterating on test design. You will analyse the results, recommend product changes, and report on residual risk both to leadership and in the safety case.

About the Work

• Identify and design realistic scenarios to drive test coverage of collision avoidance scenarios and collision detection scenarios using replay simulations of logs and synthetic simulation of third-party accident reconstructions.
• Develop validation strategies to test Automated Emergency Braking functions using simulation and structured testing.
• Identify gaps in simulation and public roads testing and design structured test scenarios to address these gaps and by leveraging appropriate standards from NHTSA or NCAP.
• Support the building of and using models to quantify risk in scenarios with non-zero probability of collision.
• Author test and residual risk reports, and make strategic recommendations based on the results for improving simulation or test realism and autonomy architecture.
• Support the safety case by identifying, documenting, and communicating collision avoidance and simulation or test realism claims.
• Communicate effectively across onboard and offboard SWE, Test Operations, and Leadership to present risks and requirements effectively.

About You

• Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree in Computer Science, Math, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Physics, or related field.
• Strong algorithmic problem solving skills and coding (preferably Python or C++) experience to implement scalable solutions.
• Experience with designing simulation-based evaluation suites and scenarios for testing autonomous vehicles using well-defined metrics to score good behavior.
• Experience developing collision-type metrics, data analytics, evaluation tooling, or CICD test pipelines to quantify robot performance in test environments.
• Highly collaborative in nature with strong abilities to think and communicate analytically and effectively, both verbal and written.
• Self-starter and fast learner - you should be passionate about picking up new skills and approaching unstructured problems from first principles while prioritizing and managing workload to meet critical project deadlines.
• 5+ years of technical work experience in a relevant area, of which 3+ years should be in robotics SW.
• Working knowledge of and ability to apply systems engineering concepts of requirements, verification and validation.

Nice to Have

• Experience with developing collision metrics for self-driving vehicles.
• Experience with structured or physical testing of robots or vehicles.
• Experience writing safety claims and system requirements for SAE L3/L4 systems to operate safely.
• Hands-on experience with STPA and ISO 21448.

At Nuro, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. For this position, the reasonably expected base pay range is between $160,360 and $291,150 for the level at which this job has been scoped. Your base pay will depend on several factors, including your experience, qualifications, education, location, and skills. In the event that you are considered for a different level, a higher or lower pay range would apply. This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus, equity, and a competitive benefits package.

At Nuro, we celebrate differences and are committed to a diverse workplace that fosters inclusion and psychological safety for all employees. Nuro is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and expressly prohibits any form of workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics.