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.

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense. In 2025, Kodiak listed publicly on the NASDAQ.

Kodiak is recruiting an experienced Software Engineer who is passionate about motion control and simulation to join our Controls team. The role offers the opportunity to work on both vehicle modeling and control theory, including deep mathematical modeling.

This is an opportunity to model linear and nonlinear vehicle dynamics, in order to establish high fidelity between simulation results and on-road data. Kodiak operates multiple vehicle platforms in a wide range of operating domains, which surface many interesting modeling and simulation problems.

This role combines both mathematical innovation and software engineering expertise to expand the frontier in autonomy simulation.

In this role, you will:

Simulate articulated truck motion in response to steering, accelerator, and brake inputs
Model vehicular motion, including the interaction between coupled tractor and trailers
Incorporate environmental effects, such as incline, road bank, rolling resistance, and wind
Characterize non-linear effects, such as gear shifting and electronic stability control
Analyze simulation fidelity by comparing simulated and real-world performance
Evaluate controller performance across multi-dimensional assessments
Build a safety case for driverless operation

What you’ll bring:

4+ years controls development experience for automotive robots
Strong C++ programming skill
Interest in theoretical and empirical vehicle modeling
Facility with mechanical physics
Enthusiasm for increasing the scope and fidelity of vehicular simulation
A focus on vehicle safety

Bonus points if you have:

Simulated automotive robots, especially controls and the robotic platform
Experience with driverless autonomous vehicles
Strength in statistical analysis and evaluation
Familiarity with automotive safety cases, processes, and standards

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)