Software Engineer Intern, Software Systems [Summer 2027]

About Our Internship Program

Zoox's internship program offers hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology, mentorship from some of the industry's brightest minds, and the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to real projects. We seek interns who demonstrate strong academic performance, engagement beyond the classroom, intellectual curiosity, and a genuine interest in Zoox's mission.

Job Description

The Software Systems organization builds the foundations that the autonomy and product software run on, and the systems that verify that software. Interns gain an end-to-end view of the Zoox software stack while solving a focused problem on one of the teams below. Interns in this pipeline may be considered for opportunities across a range of teams, including:

• Systems Engineering: Builds simulation-based and model-based checks that catch software defects early in the development pipeline.
• Software Performance: Profiles and optimizes runtime latency and resource use across the stack.
• Software Core: Develops the middleware, networking and sensor tooling that connect vehicle software components.
• Product Security: Strengthens the security of the vehicle and its software, including remote attestation.
• Simulation: Builds machine learning-based sensor simulation, reconstruction and world models used to test the driving software.

In this Role, You Will...

• Design and implement software for a defined project, such as a profiling tool, a network scheduler, an automated checker or a simulation component
• Evaluate design options through experiments, benchmarks or literature review
• Test and document your work so the team can adopt it
• Present results to engineering stakeholders at the end of the summer

Requirements

• Currently working towards a B.S., M.S., Ph.D., or advanced degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or a related engineering program
• Expected to graduate between Fall 2027 and Summer 2028, and enrolled at an accredited college or university throughout the internship
• Able to commit to a full-time, 12-week internship beginning in May/June 2027
• Ability to relocate to the Bay Area, California, for the duration of the internship
• Interns at Zoox may not use any proprietary information they are working on as part of their thesis, any published work with their university, or to be distributed to anyone outside of Zoox

Qualifications

• Experience programming in C++ or Python
• Understanding of operating systems, networking or computer architecture fundamentals
• Familiarity with modern software development practices (Git, unit testing, CI)
• Enthusiasm for automotive technologies and robotics
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with simulation frameworks used in robotics
• Experience with performance profiling, low-level systems programming or network protocols
• Machine learning, security or 3D graphics experience, depending on team