Job description

Kodiak AI, Inc. (Nasdaq: KDK), founded in 2018, is a leader in Physical AI, developing driverless technology that powers machines that move. Its Kodiak Driver is a vehicle-agnostic autonomous driving system that combines AI-powered software with modular hardware. Today it operates in long-haul trucking, industrial trucking, and defense. In 2024, Kodiak launched commercial Driver-as-a-Service operations with no one in the cab, and plans to launch driverless long-haul service between Dallas and Houston by the end of 2026. Kodiak has partnered with many of the biggest names in freight, including Bosch for scaled hardware production, AWS, and leading customers including Atlas Energy Solutions, IKEA, Bridgestone, Werner Enterprises, C.R. England, Roehl Transport, and General Dynamics Land Systems. We are looking for a Senior Engineer to join our Calibration, Localization and Mapping (CLAM) team. Someone with deep expertise in multi-sensor calibration for autonomous systems who can ensure our trucks' cameras, lidars, radars, and IMUs are precisely characterized and fused with confidence. In this role, you will: Develop and maintain intrinsic and extrinsic calibration algorithms for cameras, lidar, radar, and IMU sensors, and set the technical strategy for these systems. Build online/self-calibration systems that detect and correct sensor drift or misalignment over the life of the vehicle. Characterize sensor uncertainty and noise models to support downstream localization and perception fusion, anticipating failure modes before they arise in the field. Design and maintain tooling for factory calibration, field recalibration, and post-maintenance verification. Develop and evangelize metrics and automated checks to validate calibration quality and flag degraded sensors. Troubleshoot calibration issues found in the field or in simulation, driving root-cause fixes and serving as a technical escalation point for complex or ambiguous calibration problems. Collaborate closely with Localization, Mapping, Perception, and Hardware teams, and guide sensor selection strategy in partnership with Hardware and Sensors teams. Mentor other engineers and represent CLAM in cross-functional design reviews. What you'll bring: Strong technical background. BS, MS, or PhD with academic or industry experience in sensor calibration, computer vision, or robotics. Skilled in C++ with strong software engineering fundamentals, and experience building high-reliability deployed applications. Code is your craft. Experience with intrinsic and extrinsic calibration techniques (e.g., camera-lidar calibration, hand-eye calibration, target-based and targetless methods). Experience with optimization techniques used in calibration (e.g., bundle adjustment, nonlinear least squares, factor graphs). Solid understanding of sensor uncertainty modeling and how calibration errors propagate into localization and perception. Solid understanding of metrics, data analysis, and scientific evaluation. A team player. You take ownership and are interested in the performance of the entire system across engineering disciplines. Ability to build and iterate quickly, and comfortable defining and building lasting infrastructure components from scratch. Hands on. Curious. Flexible. Interested in new domains to expand your horizons. Great communicator. Experience writing clear, concise design documentation to gather feedback across the team. (Staff-level candidates) Demonstrated ability to set technical direction, influence without direct authority, mentor engineers, and align multiple teams around a shared approach. Bonus points if you have: Experience building automated calibration pipelines or in-field self-calibration systems. Hands-on experience calibrating sensors on a real vehicle fleet. Experience with point cloud registration or multi-modal sensor fusion. What we offer: Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits) MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation) Fidelity 401(k) Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.) The pay range listed below reflects the base salary in our SF/Silicon Valley location, across several internal levels. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors including: work location, experience, relevant training, education, skill level and performance during interview. Total compensation at Kodiak includes base pay, equity, bonus and a competitive benefits package California Pay Range $190,000 — $220,000 USD At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law. In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility for such positions may hinge on verification of a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. Should the position require, and Kodiak determines that a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate an export license, bar the candidate from the position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak’s sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate’s application. If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates. We use a third-party AI tool (Endorsed) to assist in the initial screening of applications. As part of the evaluation process, we provide Endorsed with job requirements and candidate-submitted applications. Final hiring decisions are made by our human recruitment team, and no automated system makes the ultimate decision regarding hiring. Certain features of the platform may qualify it as an Automated Employment Decision Tool (AEDT) under applicable regulations. We began using Endorsed on January 1, 2026. You can review the independent bias audit report covering our use of Endorsed [here]( endorsed.com ). By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your application may be processed by AI systems as part of the screening and selection process. If you have any questions or would like to request a separate review of your application, please contact careers@kodiak.ai with "Separate Review Request" in the email subject line.

Requirements

Must-haves

Develop and maintain intrinsic and extrinsic calibration algorithms for cameras, lidar, radar, and IMU sensors, and set the technical strategy for these systems.
Build online/self-calibration systems that detect and correct sensor drift or misalignment over the life of the vehicle.
Characterize sensor uncertainty and noise models to support downstream localization and perception fusion, anticipating failure modes before they arise in the field.
Design and maintain tooling for factory calibration, field recalibration, and post-maintenance verification.
Develop and evangelize metrics and automated checks to validate calibration quality and flag degraded sensors.
Troubleshoot calibration issues found in the field or in simulation, driving root-cause fixes and serving as a technical escalation point for complex or ambiguous calibration problems.
Collaborate closely with Localization, Mapping, Perception, and Hardware teams, and guide sensor selection strategy in partnership with Hardware and Sensors teams.
Mentor other engineers and represent CLAM in cross-functional design reviews.
Strong technical background. BS, MS, or PhD with academic or industry experience in sensor calibration, computer vision, or robotics.
Skilled in C++ with strong software engineering fundamentals, and experience building high-reliability deployed applications. Code is your craft.
Experience with intrinsic and extrinsic calibration techniques (e.g., camera-lidar calibration, hand-eye calibration, target-based and targetless methods).
Experience with optimization techniques used in calibration (e.g., bundle adjustment, nonlinear least squares, factor graphs).
Solid understanding of sensor uncertainty modeling and how calibration errors propagate into localization and perception.
Solid understanding of metrics, data analysis, and scientific evaluation.
A team player. You take ownership and are interested in the performance of the entire system across engineering disciplines.
Ability to build and iterate quickly, and comfortable defining and building lasting infrastructure components from scratch.
Hands on. Curious. Flexible. Interested in new domains to expand your horizons.
Great communicator. Experience writing clear, concise design documentation to gather feedback across the team.
(Staff-level candidates) Demonstrated ability to set technical direction, influence without direct authority, mentor engineers, and align multiple teams around a shared approach.
Experience building automated calibration pipelines or in-field self-calibration systems.
Hands-on experience calibrating sensors on a real vehicle fleet.
Experience with point cloud registration or multi-modal sensor fusion.

Nice-to-haves

None flagged.

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

aiaws

Platform: greenhouse
Effort: quick

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Dental

Vision

401(K)

Pto

Parental Leave