RAE Software Engineer

Senior Software Engineer

Ford is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to lead development of core software infrastructure for next-generation Augmented Reality (AR) Head-Up Display (HUD) systems. This role focuses on low-level systems engineering, platform architecture, hardware and software integration, vehicle data ingestion, and real-time AR rendering pipelines. The engineer will work across the stack from vehicle interfaces and sensor inputs to rendering integration and system validation to help transition advanced prototypes toward production-intent systems.

• Design and develop low-level, high-performance C++ software supporting AR HUD pipelines, building and maintaining modular platform infrastructure enabling.
• Rendering pipelines, sensor/camera ingestion, and vehicle signal integration while debugging and optimizing memory for threading, and real-time performance constraints.
• Integrate platform software with real-time AR rendering stacks (e.g., Qt / OpenGL / Vulkan), supporting multi-view / autostereoscopic rendering pipelines while ensuring synchronization between rendering outputs and sensor inputs (eye tracking, cameras).
• Interface with vehicle data pipelines (CAN / Ethernet) to ingest ADAS signals, navigation / localization data, vehicle state information with LiDAR.
• Translate vehicle signals into real-time AR visualization inputs and support integration and debugging in vehicle and bench environments.
• Collaborate with lab and prototype teams to stabilize demo and test systems.
• Define and execute validation strategies for latency and timing behavior, sensor-to-render synchronization.
• Maintain stability under real-world conditions (thermal, vibration, sunlight) and identify and resolve system-level bottlenecks.
• Act as a technical owner across software + hardware boundaries working closely with Optics experts, the ADAS team, & Suppliers (e.g., display or camera vendors) to drive technical decisions, tradeoffs, and mitigate risk mitigation
• Leverage AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Git Hub Copilot, LLM-based code assistants) to accelerate C++ development, refactoring, and unit test generation for performance-critical systems.
• Leverage 3D rendering engine coding experience (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine, or custom rendering engines) to inform shader development, scene composition, and real-time rendering optimizations within the Qt/OpenGL/Vulkan AR HUD pipeline.

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• 7+ years of experience in software engineering or equivalent demonstrable impact
• 7+ years of experience Strong expertise in C++ development for performance-critical systems
• 7+ years of experience with system-level programming (multi-threading, memory, IPC, etc.)
• 7+ years of experience integrating software with hardware systems or devices
• 7+ years of experience with end-to-end ownership of a complex software subsystem, including architectural definition and implementation.
• 7+ years of experience integrating software with hardware, sensors, cameras, vehicle systems, or embedded platforms.
• 7+ years of experience in work on latency-sensitive or real-time applications with an understanding of performance tradeoffs and constraints.

Even better, you may have...

• PhD in Computer Science or related field
• Experience with graphics or rendering systems (Qt, OpenGL, Vulkan)
• Exposure to AR/VR, HUDs, or display systems
• Experience with vehicle networks (CAN, Ethernet)
• Familiarity with ADAS data pipelines or perception systems
• Experience in prototype-to-production technology development environments
• Linux or UNIX system experience.
• Experience with real-time rendering pipelines, shader development, and GPU performance optimization in a shipped game or interactive entertainment product
• Experience shipping performance-critical, latency-sensitive software in consumer hardware environments (console, PC, or mobile), demonstrating comfort with hardware constraints similar to automotive embedded systems

You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring…