Cariad, Inc.

Tech / AI / Software

StaffEngineer,AutonomyEvaluation(VLA)

$191–269k mountain view, california, united states
The Brief

“Staff Engineer, Autonomy Evaluation (VLA) at Cariad, Inc.. Skills: Autonomy Evaluation, ADAS/AD, Robotics, Embodied AI, Performance Metrics, Benchmarking, Regression Analysis, Scenario-based Validation, Evaluation Pipelines, Simulation, Large-scale Driving Data, Model-in-the-loop Evaluation. Lead the development of evaluation methods, metrics, and tooling for VLA / VLAM-based automated driving. Turn model behavior into clear performance evidence across route-level, scenario-level, and regression”

What You'll Achieve.

make the automotive experience safer, more sustainable, more comfortable, more digital, and more fun; creating a leading tech stack for the automotive industry; creating a unified software platform for over 10 million new vehicles per year; build outstanding digital experiences and products for all Volkswagen Group brands that will transform mobility; shape the future of the car and everyone around it; improve driving quality quickly; make confident technical decisions

Industry & Context.

Tech / AI / Software
Eligibility Requirements

Occasional travel as needed for vehicle testing, integration workshops, or demos, Employment with CARIAD Inc. is subject to export control and sanctions compliance., Some positions may involve access to technology and/or software source code subject to U. S. legal restrictions on release to certain foreign persons based on citizenship or permanent residence., To ensure compliance, applicants will be required to provide information for screening., Employment may be contingent on the outcome, including verification of U. S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status, or confirmation that a license, exemption, or exception applies.

What They're Looking For.

Must Have

Master’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related field, 8+ years of experience in autonomy, robotics, machine learning, or evaluation for complex technical systems, 3+ years of experience building metrics, validation frameworks, or evaluation pipelines for ML-based systems, Deep understanding of autonomy evaluation for ADAS / AD, robotics, or embodied AI systems, experience with performance metrics, benchmarking, regression analysis, and scenario-based validation, software engineering skills in experience building robust evaluation or data pipelines, Experience working with simulation, large-scale driving data, or model-in-the-loop evaluation

Nice to Have

PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related field, Experience with foundation models, VLMs / VLAMs, or end-to-end driving models, Familiarity with learned evaluators, LLM/VLM-assisted evaluation, or agentic workflows for analysis and triage, Experience in autonomous driving, robotics, or other safety-critical systems

What You'll Do.

Lead the development of evaluation methods

and tooling for VLA / VLAM-based automated driving

Turn model behavior into clear performance evidence across route-level

and regression testing

Build the evaluation loop that connects data

and in-vehicle performance

Help the team improve driving quality quickly and make confident technical decisions

Define how progress is measured for both demo performance and future productization

How You'll Work.

Team & Collaboration

comfortable working across teams and time zones; Collaborate across time; occasional early/late meetings to align with global partners; Work closely with ML, systems, and integration engineers

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