Staff Software Engineer, Compute Systems Software — Embedded Linux Platform

Design, implement, and maintain Linux kernel modules, device drivers, BSP components, bootloader optimizations, device-tree configurations, and low-level system services for in-vehicle compute platforms.

Analyze system behavior across kernel and user space, with a strong focus on correctness, performance, diagnosability, and long-term maintainability.

Configure and extend Yocto-based embedded Linux distributions, including layers, recipes, machine configuration, image generation, and dependency management.

Own and refine build systems to produce deterministic, reproducible, scalable images across multiple programs, boards, and software variants.

Improve build and release pipelines through automation, caching, failure isolation, actionable diagnostics, and clear ownership of pipeline health.

Partner with CI/CD and validation teams to ensure that platform changes are continuously tested and regression-resistant.

Profile and optimize CPU, memory, I/O, boot-time, power, and thermal behavior across the embedded stack.

Use low-level tools such as perf, ftrace, gdb, strace, kernel tracing, crash analysis, and custom instrumentation to diagnose issues spanning software and hardware boundaries.

Lead root-cause analysis rather than symptom mitigation, distinguishing transient failures, systemic defects, integration problems, and hardware or vendor issues.

Turn difficult-to-reproduce failures into deterministic tests, better diagnostics, or automated detection wherever possible.

Contribute to automated testing and validation strategies for platform software, including unit, integration, boot, stress, fault-injection, hardware-in-the-loop, and regression testing as appropriate.

Improve developer experience through self-service tooling, fast feedback loops, clear ownership, and well-documented platform workflows.

Use Git / GitHub and high-quality code review practices to maintain code quality, traceability, and disciplined change management across a multi-team environment.

Contribute to upstreaming and long-term reduction of downstream patches where practical.

Mentor engineers through design reviews, code reviews, hands-on pairing, and structured debugging.

Influence architecture and execution across Android Automotive OS, multimedia, connectivity, safety, systems, validation, and vehicle integration teams.

Communicate complex system behavior clearly to technical and non-technical partners, especially during high-severity issues and cross-team decisions.

Drive alignment on priorities, reliability risks, engineering standards, and ownership boundaries.

Work directly with our silicon vendors to integrate BSPs and platform deliverables, resolve defects, and improve vendor engagement and issue turnaround.

Evaluate vendor code and recommendations critically, balancing time-to-integration with maintainability, performance, reliability, security, and upstream alignment.

Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or a related field.

Experience contributing to or upstreaming changes in the Linux kernel or related open-source projects.

Familiarity with Android Automotive OS, HAL integration, and multimedia pipelines such as audio, video, camera, and graphics.

Experience with crash analysis, platform diagnostics, telemetry, fault injection, or resilience testing.

Exposure to automotive safety concepts such as ISO 26262, ASIL, safety islands, watchdog architectures, and health monitoring frameworks.

Experience with secure boot, trusted execution environments, over-the-air updates, rollback, A/B partitions, or production recovery strategies.

Deep comfort working in Linux / UNIX command-line environments and using classic tools such as shell, core utilities, gdb, perf, strace, and kernel tracing.

Demonstrated technical leadership in mentoring peers, leading cross-team debugging efforts, and driving platform-wide improvements in reliability, performance, and developer experience.

The compensation information is a good faith estimate only. It is based on what a successful applicant might be paid in accordance with applicable state laws. The compensation may not be representative for positions located outside of the California Bay Area.

The base salary range for this role is $217,000 and $275,000. The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.

Bonus Potential

An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.