Principal Engineer, Homologation & Cert Mountain View, CA

We are CARIAD, an automotive software development team with the Volkswagen Group. Our mission is to make the automotive experience safer, more sustainable, more comfortable, more digital, and more fun. To achieve that we are building the leading tech stack for the automotive industry and creating a unified software platform for over 10 million new vehicles per year. We’re looking for talented, digital minds like you to help us create code that moves the world.

Together you’ll build outstanding digital experiences and products for all Volkswagen Group brands that will transform mobility. Join us as we shape the future of the car and everyone around it.

The Principal Engineer, Homologation & Certification leads global regulatory compliance strategy, certification planning, and homologation execution for CARIAD’s software-defined vehicle platforms. This role serves as a subject-matter expert, guiding teams through complex global regulatory landscapes, ensuring that all ECU hardware, software, and system integrations meet automotive compliance requirements for successful market launch. The Principal Engineer partners with engineering, safety, and VW Group homologation teams to embed compliance into product development, anticipate regulatory trends, mitigate certification risks, and maintain approval validity throughout the vehicle lifecycle, enabling CARIAD to deliver globally compliant and innovative mobility solutions.

• Lead and manage all regulatory testing activities, including EMC/EMI, RF compliance, environmental testing, safety, cybersecurity requirements (e.g., UNECE R155/R156), and software‑update‑related approval processes.
• Coordinate testing at third‑party labs and ensure technical documentation is complete and accurate.
• Review and approve supplier test plans, compliance matrices, and technical design files.
• Support the creation and validation of regulatory labels, declarations of conformity, and country‑specific approvals.

• Prepare or review type approval documentation packages, including technical descriptions, test reports, safety statements, and regulatory dossiers.
• Ensure accuracy, completeness, and traceability of all certification deliverables before submission to authorities.
• Ensure homologation deliverables are completed in accordance with CARIAD quality and process standards.
• Manage interactions with technical services (e.g., TÜV, UTAC, KBA) during review cycles, test report validation, and corrective action follow‑up.
• Develop standardized documentation templates and best practices for certification across CARIAD programs.
• Lead internal audits and pre‑assessment reviews to confirm readiness for formal type approval.
• Maintain records of all regulatory approvals and ensure appropriate documentation is maintained for VW Group governance.

• Conduct ongoing monitoring of global regulatory changes and assess implications for in‑market vehicles and future releases.
• Support investigation and resolution of field issues related to compliance, safety, or regulatory deviations.
• Ensure traceability and documentation of corrective actions to maintain certification validity across deployment lifecycle.
• Oversee re‑certification efforts triggered by product updates, new feature rollouts, or regulatory amendments.
• Provide compliance insights for defect triage, early warning systems, and market incident reviews.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive homologation roadmap covering global markets like U.S., EU, China, and emerging market regulatory pathways.
• Own the end‑to‑end homologation strategy for the Infotainment ECU and Connectivity ECU programs.
• Identify applicable global regulatory standards (e.g., UNECE, FCC, CE, ISED, ANATEL, CCC, UKCA, KBA).
• Define certification entry criteria, readiness checkpoints, and approval gates.
• Partner with VW Group homologation teams to align CARIAD product releases with Group‑wide certification strategies.
• Build and maintain the detailed homologation schedule aligned with the overall ECU launch plan.
• Lead risk assessments and…