Software Engineer - Simulation - Performance Optimization

Simulation is a core technology in creating safe, capable, and comfortable autonomous vehicles. At Zoox, simulation is integrated into the development process, and its use is projected to increase even more rapidly in the coming years. We expect at such a scale, every bit of performance improvement will have a major impact on our ability to deliver a safe and more complete product.
We are looking for an experienced engineer to optimize our simulation framework. You will work with the Zoox AI code being simulated, the simulator client itself, and associated infrastructure and tooling to get simulation work done as efficiently as possible.

Responsibilities

• Identify performance opportunities in the simulator and autonomous driving AI code, and implement the improvement, or drive the optimization through collaboration with code owners.
• Develop and roll out tooling to instrument various layers of performance, including native clients, networking latency, IO bottlenecks, or inefficiencies in compute node usage.
• Implement performance monitoring mechanisms to prevent regression or catch spikes/degradations in production.
• Work with simulation infrastructure teams to make the most use of computing resources, e.g., by more effectively distributing CPU/GPU workloads.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 7+ years of experience working with production C++ code.
• 3+ years of experience profiling and optimizing production C++ code.
• Strong grasp of asynchronous programming and networking.
• Strong communication skills -- e.g., clearly demonstrating the potential value and the work required for particular optimization opportunities.

Bonus Qualifications

• Knowledge of industry performance profiling tools and methodologies, and the ability to introduce them to the right domains.
• Experience optimizing GPU code.
• Experience defining and driving adoption of performance budget.
• Experience coordinating or leading performance optimization work across multiple teams.
• Experience with Python and backend infrastructure systems is a plus.
• Experience using workload orchestration solutions such as Airflow, Ray, and AWS Batch.

Vaccine Mandate
Employees working in this position will be required to have received a single dose of the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine OR have completed the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine series. In addition, employees will be required to receive a COVID-19 booster vaccine by the earlier of (1) April 15 or (2) within two months of becoming eligible for the booster vaccine.
Employees will be required to show proof of vaccination status upon receipt of a conditional offer of employment. That offer of employment will be conditioned upon, among other things, an Applicant’s ability to show proof of vaccination status. Please note the Company provides reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable state, federal, and local laws.
About Zoox
Zoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility-as-a-service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team.
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A Final Note:You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.