Software Engineer

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 with you, we’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.

Role Summary:

The HMI Software Engineer is responsible for designing and optimizing the software for user interfaces that drivers and passengers interact with, ensuring a seamless, intuitive, and safe experience.  

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and Development: Contribute to the design and implementation of HMI software solutions for vehicle infotainment systems, ensuring a responsive and intuitive user experience.
• User Interface (UI) Design: Collaborate with UX/UI designers to translate wireframes and visual designs into functional HMI applications. Ensure interfaces are aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly.
• Software Development: Develop HMI software using 2D/3D gaming engine tools. Write efficient, maintainable, and scalable code.
• System Integration: Integrate the HMI system onto the target embedded systems platform, ensuring compatibility with services and components in the tech stack.
• Testing and Validation: Conduct performance tests, analyze memory usage, and optimize the HMI for safety and user satisfaction. Ensure compliance with automotive safety standards and regulations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams including product management, hardware engineers, and human factors specialists to ensure the HMI aligns with overall product requirements.
• Innovation and Trends: Stay updated with the latest trends in HMI technologies, infotainment solutions, and automotive industry standards. Propose new ideas to improve user experience.

Role Responsibilities:

• Coding & Development 
  • Assist in developing, testing, releasing and maintaining embedded HMI software for Cariad Infotainment.
  • Develop an event-driven programming architecture, mapping real time vehicle signals into modular UI components.
  • Work with custom shaders and visual effects to create high performance aesthetic effects for in-vehicle infotainment displays.
  • Manage complex scenes efficiently, using rendering and memory optimization techniques.
  • Use state machines to efficiently manage different states of the HMI.
  • Manage assets (textures, 3D models) efficiently to reduce memory usage and load times.
  • Write clean, testable, and maintainable code following provided specifications and peer feedback. 
  • Learn to identify and address simple system bottlenecks by optimizing basic code and reducing complexity through mentorship and code reviews. 

• Integration & System Testing 
  • Optimize both CPU and GPU usage to ensure smooth performance, especially in a resource-constrained environment.
  • Profile HMI performance to identify bottlenecks such as frame drops or high memory consumption.
  • Cross compile and deploy HMI for various embedded platform targets.
  • Help develop a test and automation framework for the HMI tech stack.
• UI/UX Design 
  • Translate HMI designs into code.
  • Work with UI/UX designers to ensure animations and tweening match expectations.

General Skills:

• Analytical and debugging skills. 
• Effective written and oral communication skills. 
• Experience in project and technical leadership. 
• Ability to lead technical meetings and provide feedback. 

Collaborate and work with multiple teams across geographies and time zones. 

Required Specialized Skills:

• Experience with 2D/3D game engines such as Godot, Unreal, or Unity.
• Proficiency in programming languages like C++, C#, or Python.
• Knowledge of UX/UI design tools, such as Adobe Photoshop, Figma, Blender, or Sketch.
• Understanding of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) principles.
• Familiarity with embedded systems development and real-time operating systems (RTOS).
• Familiarity with popular software development too