Senior Electrical Hardware Engineer - Defense

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. We are seeking a skilled Senior Hardware Electrical Engineer to join our team. The successful candidate will have a strong background in electrical design and be responsible for the full design cycle of electrical components in our autonomous vehicles. The role will work collaboratively with the hardware, mechanical, and software engineering teams to ensure our electrical system meets compliance and functional safety requirements for building safe and reliable autonomous trucks at scale. In this role, you will: Design circuits at the schematic level using a variety of capture tools Design, influence, and collaborate with partners on power conditioning, regulation circuits and low frequency analog circuits to meet requirements Design and test standard vehicle communication harnessing, CAN, LIN, Automotive Ethernet Design and validate harnessing for low and high speed components Validation testing for EMI/EMC at the whole truck level down to subcomponents Collaborate with electrical and firmware engineering teams to validate circuits Lead root cause analysis and resolve issues in electrical systems Define stress test routines required to validate functional sections Interface closely with other teams such as Software, Mechanical, Manufacturing, and with external component suppliers What you’ll bring: BS, MS, or equivalent experience in Electrical, Mechanical, or Computer Engineering 5+ years of hardware development experience, ideally within the automotive, aerospace or a related industry 5+ years of experience designing PCBAs Deep understanding of mixed analog and digital circuits Experience with implementation of low - level hardware buses such as I2C, CAN, SPI, UART Experience with high - speed hardware communication interfaces such as PCIe, GMSL/GMSL2, Ethernet Hands on. You are just as comfortable getting your hands dirty analyzing a subsystem in the shop as when using a keyboard. Great communicator. You have experience writing clear, concise, and detailed documentation Passion. You are passionate about autonomous vehicles and their potential impact on humanity Must be a US person What we offer: Competitive compensation package including equity and biannual bonuses Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Anthem, and Guardian (including a medical plan with infertility benefits) Flexible PTO 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, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health 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 $195,000—$225,000 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](https://endorsed.com/local-law-144). 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.