Localization Systems Engineer

Who we are: Glydways is reimagining what public transit can be. We believe that mobility is the gateway to opportunity—connecting people to housing, education, employment, commerce, and care. By making transportation more accessible, affordable, and sustainable, we empower communities to thrive and unlock economic and social prosperity. Our mission is to revolutionize transit with a solution that delivers high capacity, exceptional user experiences, unmatched affordability, and minimal environmental impact. The Glydways system is a groundbreaking network of carbon-neutral, interconnected transit pathways powered by standardized autonomous vehicles on dedicated roadways. Operating 24/7 with on-demand access, it offers personalized and efficient mobility—without the burden of heavy upfront infrastructure costs or ongoing taxpayer subsidies. With Glydways, we’re building more than a transportation system; we’re creating a future where everyone, everywhere, has the freedom to move.

Meet the team: You will join a team that is responsible for developing software for localization, calibration, and mapping of robotic ground vehicles, which we lovingly refer to as Glydcars. The team is composed of team members with strong backgrounds in sensor fusion (LIDAR, RADAR, vision processing, UWB radios, inertial sensors, etc), SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), optimization, filtering (Kalman filters, factor graphs, etc) and calibration. Members support development and maintenance of core components of a sophisticated autonomy stack for Glydcars, which operate in a variety of environments including GPS-denied areas. Team members contribute by writing C++ onboard software, peer-reviewing each other’s contributions, developing unit, subsystem, and end-to-end tests, and conducting data analysis (often using Python) in a common software repository.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Be fluent in the localization team's designs at the source-code level, with the ability to understand and reason about C++, engaging directly with the codebase.
• Own the algorithm and test requirements capture process for the localization team, including conducting requirements reviews and revising requirements with autonomy software, systems, and safety teams.
• Write and own simulation and track test scenarios that validate the localization team's systems, including critical safety functions.
• Write and own Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing for the localization team.
• Champion strong unit test coverage across the localization team's codebase.
• Pursue systems-level solutions in service of the other developers on the localization team, unblocking algorithm and hardware work.
• Work with neighbor teams such as the safety team to fine-tune localization and safety algorithm configuration settings.
• Work closely with teammates by conducting and receiving code reviews and requirements reviews, demonstrating attention to detail and comprehension of complex systems.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Required:

• Experience with requirements management tools (e.g., Jama) and structuring test coverage across unit, simulation, track, and HIL (Hardware-In-the-Loop) levels.
• Familiarity with safety qualification standards related to localization accuracy.
• MSc in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related systems engineering field. Does not need to be highly senior, but relevant, demonstrable experience is required.
• Hands-on and flexible/adaptable — willing to get into the details and open to changing approach based on feedback.

Desired:

• Strong background in localization algorithms/estimation theory including Kalman filtering and/or pose graph optimization.
• Familiarity with LIDAR- and computer-vision-based localization, mapping, and calibration; radar experience a plus.
• Proficiency in C++ sufficient to understand and navigate the team's source code.

Glydways provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.