Senior V&V Engineer – Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) & Simulation

Job description

### Who we are Gatik, the leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics, is revolutionizing the B2B supply chain with its autonomous transportation-as-a-service (ATaaS) solution and prioritizing safe, consistent deliveries while streamlining freight movement by reducing congestion. The company focuses on short-haul, B2B logistics for Fortune 500 retailers and in 2021 launched the world’s first fully driverless commercial transportation service with Walmart. Gatik's Class 3-7 autonomous trucks are commercially deployed across major markets, including Texas, Arkansas, and Ontario, Canada, driving innovation in freight transportation. The company's proprietary Level 4 autonomous technology, Gatik Carrier™, is custom-built to transport freight safely and efficiently between pick-up and drop-off locations on the middle mile. With robust capabilities in both highway and urban environments, Gatik Carrier™ serves as an all-encompassing solution that integrates advanced software and hardware powering the fleet, facilitating effortless integration into customers' logistics operations. ### About the role At Gatik, simulation is the primary engine for scaling validation across millions of virtual miles. As a Senior V&V Engineer for SIL & Simulation, you will leverage Gatik's state-of-the-art simulation platform (Gatik Arena™) and SIL pipelines to stress-test autonomy software against synthetic scenarios, edge-case variations, and log-replays. You will construct automated verification suites that quantify software readiness before every production driverless release. This role is onsite 5 days a week at our Santa Clara, CA office! ### What you'll do ### **Key Responsibilities** - **SIL Test Strategy & Automation:** Design and scale automated SIL testing pipelines integrated into cloud-based CI/CD workflows for daily regression and release gate evaluation. - **Scenario Creation & Parameter Variation:** Generate complex, high-fidelity synthetic scenarios (urban/suburban middle-mile routes, edge cases, adverse weather, severe traffic interactions) using scenario definition standards (OpenSCENARIO, ASAM). - **Log Replay & Permutation Testing:** Build automated workflows to extract disengagements or interesting events from fleet logs and transform them into parametric simulation suites. - **Autonomy Stack Verification:** Validate stack performance across perception, planning, controls, and map execution against safety metrics and behavioral assertions. - **Simulation Fidelity Assessment:** Collaborate with simulator platform teams to validate simulator realism, sensor physics models, and vehicle dynamic fidelity against real-world data. - **Metrics & Release Dashboards:** Develop automated verification dashboards (Grafana, SQL, Python) tracking pass/fail rates, safety violations, and coverage metrics across thousands of daily simulation runs. ### **Minimum Qualifications** - **Education:** B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or Data Science. - **Experience:** 5+ years in software-in-the-loop (SIL) testing, virtual simulation validation, or automated software QA for AVs or complex robotics. - **Software Mastery:** - Exceptional proficiency in C++ and Python. - Deep experience with Linux environments, Docker containerization, Kubernetes, and cloud compute clusters (AWS/GCP). - Strong working knowledge of simulation tools. - Experience with continuous integration pipelines. ### **Preferred Qualifications** - Experience validating middle-mile or commercial vehicle autonomous planning and control algorithms. - Background in dynamic scene generation, procedural generation, or synthetic data validation. - Proficiency in statistical safety verification and coverage-based testing methodologies. Salary Range - $160,000- $260,000 ### More about Gatik Founded in 2017 by experts in autonomous vehicle technology, Gatik has rapidly expanded its presence to Mountain View, Dallas-Fort Worth, Arkansas, and Toronto. As the *first and only* company to achieve fully driverless middle-mile commercial deliveries, Gatik holds a unique and defensible position in the AV industry, with a clear trajectory toward sustainable growth and profitability. We have delivered complete, proprietary AV technology - an integration of software and hardware - to enable earlier successes for our clients in constrained Level 4 autonomy. By choosing the middle mile – with defined point-to-point delivery, we have simplified some of the more complex AV challenges, enabling us to achieve full autonomy ahead of competitors. Given extensive knowledge of Gatik’s well-defined, fixed route ODDs and hybrid architecture, we are able to hyper-optimize our models with exponentially less data, establish gate-keeping mechanisms to maintain explainability, and ensure continued safety of the system for unmanned operations. Visit us at [Gatik](http://gatik.ai/) for more company information and [Careers at Gatik](https://gatik.ai/careers/) for more open roles. ### Notable News - Forbes: [Forget robotaxis. Upstart Gatik sees middle-mile deliveries as the path to profitable AVs](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2023/09/05/forget-robotaxis-upstart-gatik-sees-middle-mile-deliveries-as-the-path-to-profitable-avs/?sh=52b7a7866e61) - Tech Brew: [Gatik AI exec unpacks the regulations that could shape the AV industry](https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2024/09/06/gatik-ai-richard-steiner-regulations-av-industry) - Business Wire: [Gatik Paves the Way for Safe Driverless Operations (‘Freight-Only’) at Scale with Industry-First Third-Party Safety Assessment Framework](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241008155613/en/Gatik-Paves-the-Way-for-Safe-Driverless-Operations-%E2%80%98Freight-Only%E2%80%99-at-Scale-with-Industry-First-Third-Party-Safety-Assessment-Framework) - Auto Futures: [Autonomous Trucking Group Gatik Secures Investment From NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS](https://www.autofutures.tv/news-features/autonomous-trucking-group-gatik-secures-investment-from-nippon-express-holdings/s/e125e5df-220b-42b6-b2df-754f54d602a9) - Automotive News: [Gatik foresees hundreds of self-driving trucks on road soon, and that's just the beginning](https://www.autonews.com/mobility-report/gatik-prepares-launch-self-driving-trucks-scale) - Forbes: [Isuzu And Gatik Go All In To Scale Up Driverless Freight Services](https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardbishop1/2024/05/30/isuzu-and-gatik-go-all-in-to-scale-up-driverless-freight-services/) - Bloomberg: [Autonomous Vehicle Startup Takes Off by Picking Off Easier Routes](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-05-24/autonomous-vehicle-startup-takes-off-by-picking-off-easier-routes) - Reuters: [Driverless vehicles on limited routes bump along despite US robotaxi scrutiny](https://www.reuters.com/technology/driverless-vehicles-limited-routes-bump-along-despite-us-robotaxi-scrutiny-2023-12-13/) ### Taking care of our team At Gatik, we connect people of extraordinary talent and experience to an opportunity to create a more resilient supply chain and contribute to our environment’s sustainability. We are diverse in our backgrounds and perspectives yet united by a bold vision and shared commitment to our values. Our culture emphasizes the importance of collaboration, respect and agility. We at Gatik strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels they have opportunities to succeed and grow because we know that together we can do great things. We are committed to an inclusive and diverse team. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any legally protected status.