Contract Student Worker – Firmware Engineer (FW Thermal/Body)

Zoox is hiring a Contract Student Worker – Firmware Engineer (FW Thermal/Body) in Foster City, United States. Level rates it ; you can apply on Zoox.

Level's read on this job

Level rates this role Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
Zoox has 228 other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

About Zoox

Zoox is transforming mobility with fully autonomous, electric vehicles designed from the ground up for a driverless future. Our mission is to make transportation safer, more sustainable, and accessible to everyone. At Zoox, innovation, collaboration, and a bold vision for the future drive everything we do.

About Our Part Time Student Worker Program

Zoox’s 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 part time student workers who demonstrate strong academic performance, engagement beyond the classroom, intellectual curiosity, and a genuine interest in Zoox’s mission.

Project Overview

Zoox is seeking a motivated Firmware Engineer student worker to join our team, focusing on diagnostic services for the thermal and body systems. This is an opportunity to own highly-visible, foundational projects where you will extend our existing diagnostic infrastructure. You will work on the full development cycle of robot firmware development.

In this role, you will:

Work on the development of diagnostics for autonomous vehicle software, ensuring robust fault detection, reactions, and serviceability
Design, develop, and test embedded software for body, thermal, lighting, and door functions of the Zoox vehicle
Contribute to all phases of the software development cycle including prototyping, requirements capture, design, implementation, and validation
Collaborate with system, software, hardware, and test engineers to define, implement, and validate diagnostic requirements

Qualifications:

Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's program in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering or equivalent experience
Proficiency in modern C++ for firmware development
Experience with Python programming
Experience with embedded micro-controllers and/or microprocessors (ARM, PowerPC)
Basic knowledge of control systems for electromechanical systems

Bonus Qualifications:

Familiarity with C++ unit testing principles and framework such as gtest
Hands-on experience with hardware bring-up and system debugging
Understanding of sensors and actuators and automotive communication protocols (CAN, LIN)

Program Requirements:

Currently pursuing a B.S. or M.S., in a relevant engineering field
Available for a 6 month project
Able to commit to at least 20 hours per week
Ability to commute on-site to one of our offices
Student Worker may not use proprietary Zoox information in university theses, publications, or share it outside

$30 per hour. This is a contract position and employment for this position will be through a vendor contracted with Zoox. The hourly pay range is posted and you will be eligible for a benefits package as offered by the vendor.

How we rate this

Contract Student Worker – Firmware Engineer (FW Thermal/Body) at Zoox rates 35 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Contract Student Worker – Firmware Engineer (FW Thermal/Body) is an open job at Zoox.
Level rates this role AI Level 1 of 4: Little AI.
The role is based in Foster City, CA.
The job was posted on April 15, 2026.
Applications are handled by Zoox. Apply on Zoox