About ALSO.
We’re ALSO, an electric mobility company originally conceived as a part of Rivian. We’re a passionate team of builders, dreamers, doers and innovators, focused on creating entirely new (not to mention, innovative and delightful) vertically integrated, small EVs designed to meet the global mobility challenges of today and tomorrow. Our mission is to inspire everyone to ride ALSO—replacing many local car, truck and SUV miles with ones on vehicles that are more affordable, more enjoyable and 10-50x more efficient.
ALSO is looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Emerging Markets - a hands-on Software Engineering Leader to own the end-to-end software architecture and development across the vehicle and connected ecosystem.
You will remain deeply involved in software architecture, firmware design, system integration, and technical decision-making, while also coordinating development across a small internal team and several specialist external partners.
The ideal candidate combines strong embedded systems expertise with the ability to drive complex multi-team software delivery, and is comfortable leveraging AI-assisted engineering tools to accelerate development and validation.
What you will do:
1. Software Program Coordination
Coordinate delivery of the software platform across internal teams and external development partners.
Responsibilities include:
Managing the software development roadmap
Aligning software milestones with vehicle development programs
Coordinating firmware, cloud, and application development
Managing technical dependencies between teams
Supporting system integration and release planning
This aspect of the role ensures that multiple software workstreams converge into a production-ready system.
2. Software Architecture and Technical Ownership
Own and define the overall software architecture for the platform, spanning vehicle firmware, connectivity, and cloud integration.
Responsibilities include:
Defining the end-to-end software architecture
Designing key elements of the vehicle firmware stack
Establishing software interfaces between vehicle systems, cloud services, and applications
Reviewing and contributing to embedded and systems-level code
Leading architectural decisions for scalability, reliability, and security
Guiding development of critical firmware components
You will remain hands-on with technical design and system integration, particularly for the vehicle control and connectivity layers.
3. Vehicle Embedded Systems Development
Lead development of the vehicle embedded software stack, including:
Vehicle Control Module (VCM) firmware
Battery Management System (BMS) firmware
Power management and energy optimisation
Diagnostics and telemetry systems
Sensor and actuator integration
Vehicle networking (e.g. CAN)
Work closely with hardware engineers to ensure tight hardware–software co-design.
4. Connected Vehicle and IoT Platform
Define and implement the vehicle connectivity architecture, including:
Secure vehicle-to-cloud communication
Telemetry and diagnostics pipelines
Remote vehicle monitoring and control
Fleet and asset management integration
Over-the-air software updates
Charging ecosystem integration
Ensure the connected platform is secure, scalable, and reliable.
5. Software Engineering Leadership
Establish engineering standards across the platform including:
Coding standards and best practices
Development workflows
Continuous integration and testing pipelines
Simulation and validation environments
Software quality and release processes
Provide hands-on technical leadership and mentorship to engineers and partners.
6. External Partner and Supplier Integration
Work closely with external engineering partners responsible for parts of the software stack.
Responsibilities include:
Defining technical interfaces and integration requirements
Reviewing partner architecture and code deliverables
Ensuring adherence to engineering standards and security practices
Integrating externally developed modules into the platform
Supporting joint debugging and system integration
7. AI-Augmented Engineering
Drive adoption of AI-assisted software development tools across the engineering ecosystem.
Use cases include:
AI-assisted code generation
Automated test creation
Static analysis and validation
Simulation-driven verification
AI-assisted debugging and optimisation
The objective is to maximize engineering productivity while maintaining high-quality production software.
Key Deliverables of the role:
Production-ready vehicle firmware and control systems
Integrated BMS and power management software
Secure connected vehicle architecture
Reliable OTA update capability
Integrated vehicle + cloud ecosystem
Robust software development and validation pipeline
Degree qualified with 5+ years in embedded software, vehicle systems, robotics, or connected devices
Strong experience with embedded firmware development
Experience designing complex hardware-integrated software systems
Experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering programs
Strong experience with:
Embedded C/C++
Real-time embedded systems / RTOS
CAN or vehicle network architectures
Firmware–hardware integration
Cloud-connected device platforms (AWS / Azure / GCP)
System integration and debugging
Electric vehicle platforms
Battery Management Systems
IoT connectivity platforms
OTA update systems
Cybersecurity for connected devices
Mobile or user-facing applications
Leadership Qualities
Be deeply technical and comfortable contributing to architecture and code
Balance hands-on engineering with delivery leadership
Thrive in startup-scale engineering environments
Build strong relationships with external engineering partners
Drive rapid but disciplined product development
Why ALSO.
We’re passionate about helping the world find a better way to get there—wherever it is you’re headed.
We’re located in the heart of Silicon Valley and have brought together a world-class team from some of the biggest brands in the technology, automotive, cycling, outdoor recreation and retail spaces.
Together we’re working hands-on to imagine, design and build an entirely new solution to a global set of transportation challenges.
Perks and Benefits
Robust health coverage. Excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by ALSO with FSA & HSA options.
One Medical membership and dedicated insurance advocates.
Rich fertility and family building benefits with Progyny.
Flexible time off.
401(k) match.


