Staff Software Engineer Jobs in Palo Alto, CA
Staff Software Engineer jobs in Palo Alto are concentrated along University Avenue, the Stanford Research Park corridor, and the downtown Palo Alto tech cluster, with strong demand from companies in enterprise software, AI infrastructure, and semiconductor design. Employers hiring right now include Rivian, Nubank, and Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Showing 5 of 868+ Staff Software Engineer jobs
Overview
At Ford, you’ll work on ideas that matter, alongside passionate people who want to make a global impact. Together, we’re shaping the next era of transportation—grounded in purpose, driven by progress. Make your move.
- Job Type: Full time
- Work Type: Hybrid
Ford’s Electric Vehicles, Digital and Design (EVDD) team is charged with delivering the company’s vision of a fully electric transportation future. EVDD is customer-obsessed, entrepreneurial, and data-driven and is dedicated to delivering industry-leading customer experience for electric vehicle buyers and owners. You’ll join an agile team of doers pioneering our EV future by working collaboratively, staying focused on only what matters, and delivering excellence day in and day out. Join us to make positive change by helping build a better world where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.
What you'll do...
- Drive end-to-end integration, validation, and release readiness for IVI software across embedded platforms, middleware, multimedia, connectivity, and customer-facing applications.
- Support vehicle integration and powermoding efforts by increasing test coverage and integration support across vehicle programs.
- Partner with system engineers and development teams to integrate and validate assigned IVI features, including power-state transitions, sleep-wake behavior, recovery scenarios, and other system-level functionality.
- Develop and maintain automated test coverage for owned features, enabling repeatable validation across bench and vehicle environments.
- Design, build, and maintain test benches, vehicle instrumentation, diagnostics, logging tools, and supporting test infrastructure.
- Diagnose complex issues across software, hardware, ECUs, vehicle networks, and power states; perform root-cause analysis and work cross-functionally to drive resolution.
You'll have...
- 5+ years of experience integrating and testing complex software systems
- A strong grasp of software testing methodologies, different types of testing, and quality assurance processes.
- Experience working with version control systems, like Git.
- Familiarity with the concepts and tools used in CI/CD pipelines such as Jenkins, GitLab CI
- A track record of successfully debugging complex software and system problems.
- Excellent problem-solving abilities and a sharp eye for detail.
- Strong communication, interpersonal, and collaboration skills – you can clearly explain technical concepts and work effectively across teams.
- Bachelor’s degree or better in software engineering, computer science or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
Even better, you may have...
- Experience testing automotive infotainment systems or other complex embedded systems.
- Experience with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing or testing directly on physical automotive hardware or vehicles.
- Experience working with specific infotainment operating systems (like Android Automotive, Linux) or graphical user interface toolkits.
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 value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!
- Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
- Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
- Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
- Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
- Tuition assistance
- Established and active employee resource groups
- Paid time off for individual and team community service
- A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
- Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.
Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility and competitive market value.
For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/LL6
Visa sponsorship is available for this position.
Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.
This position is hybrid. Candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location may be required to be onsite four or more days per week. #LI-Hybrid
#LI-SL1 #UEV
Overview
At Ford, you’ll work on ideas that matter, alongside passionate people who want to make a global impact. Together, we’re shaping the next era of transportation—grounded in purpose, driven by progress. Make your move.
- Job Type: Full time
- Work Type: Hybrid
Ford’s Electric Vehicles, Digital and Design (EVDD) team is charged with delivering the company’s vision of a fully electric transportation future. EVDD is customer-obsessed, entrepreneurial, and data-driven and is dedicated to delivering industry-leading customer experience for electric vehicle buyers and owners. You’ll join an agile team of doers pioneering our EV future by working collaboratively, staying focused on only what matters, and delivering excellence day in and day out. Join us to make positive change by helping build a better world where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.
What you'll do...
- Drive end-to-end integration, validation, and release readiness for IVI software across embedded platforms, middleware, multimedia, connectivity, and customer-facing applications.
- Support vehicle integration and powermoding efforts by increasing test coverage and integration support across vehicle programs.
- Partner with system engineers and development teams to integrate and validate assigned IVI features, including power-state transitions, sleep-wake behavior, recovery scenarios, and other system-level functionality.
- Develop and maintain automated test coverage for owned features, enabling repeatable validation across bench and vehicle environments.
- Design, build, and maintain test benches, vehicle instrumentation, diagnostics, logging tools, and supporting test infrastructure.
- Diagnose complex issues across software, hardware, ECUs, vehicle networks, and power states; perform root-cause analysis and work cross-functionally to drive resolution.
You'll have...
- 5+ years of experience integrating and testing complex software systems
- A strong grasp of software testing methodologies, different types of testing, and quality assurance processes.
- Experience working with version control systems, like Git.
- Familiarity with the concepts and tools used in CI/CD pipelines such as Jenkins, GitLab CI
- A track record of successfully debugging complex software and system problems.
- Excellent problem-solving abilities and a sharp eye for detail.
- Strong communication, interpersonal, and collaboration skills – you can clearly explain technical concepts and work effectively across teams.
- Bachelor’s degree or better in software engineering, computer science or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
Even better, you may have...
- Experience testing automotive infotainment systems or other complex embedded systems.
- Experience with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing or testing directly on physical automotive hardware or vehicles.
- Experience working with specific infotainment operating systems (like Android Automotive, Linux) or graphical user interface toolkits.
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 value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!
- Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
- Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
- Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
- Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
- Tuition assistance
- Established and active employee resource groups
- Paid time off for individual and team community service
- A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
- Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.
Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility and competitive market value.
For more information on salary and benefits, click here: https://fordcareers.co/LL6
Visa sponsorship is available for this position.
Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.
This position is hybrid. Candidates who are in commuting distance to a Ford hub location may be required to be onsite four or more days per week. #LI-Hybrid
#LI-SL1 #UEV
See All 868+ Staff Software Engineer Jobs in Palo Alto
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Find Staff Software Engineer JobsStaff Software Engineer Job Market in Palo Alto
Who's Hiring
- Rivian200
- Nubank167
- Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies100
- GEICO67
- Tesla67
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software167
- Automotive67
- Energy33
- Insurance33
- Manufacturing17
Staff Software Engineer Jobs in Palo Alto: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a staff software engineer job in Palo Alto?
The most direct path into a staff software engineer role in Palo Alto is through the city's dense cluster of enterprise software, AI, and semiconductor companies concentrated in the Stanford Research Park and downtown tech corridor. Candidates who stand out typically bring a combination of distributed systems experience, a strong open-source portfolio, or domain depth in areas like ML infrastructure or chip design, which are particularly valued by Palo Alto-based employers. Networking through Stanford-affiliated events and local tech meetups also gives candidates a measurable edge in this tight-knit market.
Which companies hire staff software engineers in Palo Alto?
Employers hiring staff software engineers in Palo Alto right now include Rivian, Nubank, and Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Palo Alto's employer base skews toward established technology firms, AI-focused startups, and semiconductor companies with deep ties to Stanford University's research ecosystem.
Are there remote staff software engineer jobs in Palo Alto?
Yes, though staff software engineering roles at this seniority level are often tied to on-site collaboration, given the cross-functional leadership responsibilities involved. About 75% of staff software engineer openings tied to Palo Alto are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting that flexibility is most common in platform, backend infrastructure, and tooling roles where deep in-person coordination is less critical.
How can I get a staff software engineer job in Palo Alto with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in Palo Alto for candidates with limited experience is targeting software engineering internships or associate engineer roles at the city's mid-stage startups and research-adjacent tech firms, which tend to take more developmental bets than large established players. Building experience in areas like distributed systems or machine learning, contributing to open-source projects, and connecting with Stanford's engineering community through public talks and hackathons all strengthen a local candidacy. Entry-level engineers who demonstrate ownership mentality and system design fundamentals move into staff-track roles faster in Palo Alto's competitive ecosystem.
Which industries hire the most staff software engineers in Palo Alto?
Most staff software engineer openings in Palo Alto sit in Technology & Software, Automotive, and Energy, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Palo Alto's proximity to Stanford University and its role as a founding hub for enterprise and AI technology means these sectors have sustained hiring depth that outlasts broader market cycles.
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