Vehicle Software Engineering Intern

### Who you are
- Currently pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Robotics, or a related field (rising junior, senior, or graduate student)
- Hands-on experience with real-world embedded systems such as robotics platforms, ground or air vehicle projects, or other sensing and actuating systems
- Programming experience on microcontrollers with a demonstrated ability to work at the hardware/software interface
- Track record of successfully working with embedded hardware in real-world settings, whether through coursework, personal projects, clubs, or prior internships
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to debug across hardware and software boundaries
- Experience with Rust programming language (strongly preferred)
- Familiarity with communication protocols such as CAN bus, SPI, I2C, UART, or Ethernet in embedded contexts
- Experience with embedded Linux or RTOS environments
- Exposure to hardware-in-the-loop testing, devkit bring-up, or prototype vehicle integration
- Experience gained through hands-on extracurricular engineering teams (e.g., FSAE, RoboCup, autonomous vehicle clubs, or similar)

### What the job involves
- Vehicle Software Engineering Intern - Summer 2026 Internship
- Parallel Systems is building the future of freight transportation with autonomous, electric rail vehicles. Our technology reimagines how goods move across the country, combining cutting-edge robotics, vehicle engineering, and software to create a cleaner, more efficient rail network
- The Vehicle Software Engineering Intern will contribute directly to the development and bring-up of software for the Mk3 vehicle platform
- Working in Rust, you will write device drivers, communications interfaces, and business logic that runs on the vehicle's embedded computers
- Your work will move from devkits and testbed setups to real prototype hardware, helping the team accelerate Mk3 prototype bring-up and drive toward production-ready code
- You will own a specific Mk3 vehicle subsystem end-to-end, carrying it from system design through integrated testing on prototype hardware. Your subsystem assignment will be scoped based on team priorities, but examples include:
- Braking system software: developing and validating the control logic, sensor interfaces, and safety-critical communication protocols for the Mk3 pneumatic and electronic braking subsystem
- Drivetrain control: writing device drivers and control algorithms for powertrain components including motor controllers, inverters, and gearbox sensor integration
- Fast charging system: implementing the software interface between the vehicle computers and the DC fast charging hardware, including protocol handling, state machine design, and fault management
- Vehicle communications: building and testing inter-node communication interfaces (CAN, Ethernet, serial) that connect the Mk3's distributed computing architecture
- Sensor integration and diagnostics: developing drivers and data pipelines for onboard sensors used in vehicle health monitoring, telemetry, and operational decision-making
- Regardless of subsystem, you will follow a structured engineering lifecycle: requirements gathering, concept review, critical design review, implementation, test plan development, and full-up integrated testing on prototype hardware
- Weeks 1-2: Onboarding, Mk3 vehicle architecture deep-dive, codebase orientation, development environment setup (devkits, testbeds), and pairing with a VSW engineer on an initial integration task
- Weeks 3-4: Subsystem assignment, requirements gathering, system design documentation, and concept review with the engineering team
- Weeks 5-7: Critical design review, implementation in Rust, unit testing on devkits and testbed hardware, and iterative code review with the team
- Weeks 8-10: Integration onto Mk3 prototype hardware, system-level testing, debugging, and performance validation against requirements
- Weeks 11-12: Final integrated test on prototype vehicle, documentation of results and recommended next steps, and presentation of outcomes to the broader engineering team
- Progress will be tracked through weekly check-ins, design reviews, field testing w