Cariadinc

Sr Principal Software Engineer

Mountain View, CA · Principal · Contract

Sponsorship not specified$209k-$303kDetected 71 days ago

PythonJavaC++HTMLCI/CDCybersecurityEmbedded SystemsSystems EngineeringLeadershipCommunicationMentoring

About the role

In the city of Mountain View, California, the salary range for this position is $209,090 - $303,335.
We also offer a unique vehicle lease program that covers registration and insurance fees.
CARIAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Own the BSW platform architecture across multiple ECUs/programs; define the target architecture, key interfaces, and reusable patterns.
Drive multi-year BSW roadmap (boot chain, OS services, diagnostics, update/flash, HW abstraction, safety/security enablers) aligned to product and hardware roadmaps.
Establish engineering standards, design review governance, and reference implementations adopted across CARIAD and Volkswagen Group partners.
Set technical strategy for vendor/third-party stack integration (e.g., OS, hypervisor, MCAL/BSW suppliers), including build-vs-buy decisions and performance targets.
Lead resolution of the most complex, cross-domain issues (hardware/software/system), including critical escalations and program-level tradeoffs.
Represent CARIAD in cross-brand technical working groups and strategic partner engagements to drive alignment and accelerate delivery.
Architect, design, and implement core base software components (BSP, MCAL integration, bootloaders, OS services, diagnostics) for high-performance ECUs.
Lead board bring-up, low-level driver development, and root-cause debug using advanced instrumentation, fault injection, and performance profiling.
Mentor and develop Principal/Staff engineers; grow technical communities of practice and raise engineering quality through coaching and review.
Support manufacturing, validation, and operations teams for production test workflows, flashing/update processes, and field issue triage.

13+ Years of software development experience with BSW (embedded/low-level), including platform architecture and cross-program technical leadership
Master's Degree in Engineering
To ensure compliance, applicants will be required to provide information for screening.
CARIAD retains the discretion to decline to obtain a required license in any case.

Recognized technical authority with strong systems thinking and ability to simplify complex platform decisions for diverse audiences
Executive-ready verbal and written communication; able to influence outcomes across organizations without direct authority
Deep expertise in embedded/BSW architecture, platform scaling, and long-term maintainability for safety- and security-critical systems
Proven ability to define engineering standards, governance models, and reusable patterns adopted across multiple programs
Strong integration skills - joining people, processes, or systems across domains (HW/SW/System/Safety/Security/Manufacturing)
Excellent prioritization and decision-making in ambiguous, multi-stakeholder environments; balances time-to-market with platform health
Deep expertise in embedded software platform development and integration for high-performance automotive systems
Strong knowledge of vehicle EE architectures and automotive development processes
In-depth understanding of functional safety (ISO 26262) and proven experience implementing them in software
Mastery of embedded system software architecture, real-time operating systems, and web framework components and their interfaces
Strong knowledge of connected HPC software components, peripherals, and infotainment systems
Knowledge of connected navigation, ADAS, and infotainment technologies, with practical experience in system-level integration

Salary range is dependent on factors such as geographical differentials, credentials or certifications, industry-based experience, qualification and training.
In the city of Mountain View, California, the salary range for this position is $209,090 - $303,335.
CARIAD, Inc. provides performance based merits and annual bonus along with a competitive benefits package.
We are CARIAD, an automotive software development team with the Volkswagen Group.
Our mission is to make the automotive experience safer, more sustainable, more comfortable, more digital, and more fun.
To achieve that we are building the leading tech stack for the automotive industry and creating a unified software platform for over 10 million new vehicles per year.

Define metrics and continuous-improvement initiatives (quality, reliability, build stability, test coverage) to improve delivery predictability.

This listing is sourced directly from Cariadinc's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.