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Transportation equipment engineers

How to become an Autonomous Driving Engineer

Designs, develops and tests self-driving systems for cars that drive on public roads.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university or high school is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualifications are needed, but most new graduates entering the job have a master's degree in engineering, science or a similar field. Mid-career hires often come from electronics makers and telecommunications companies with technology the car company lacks, and some move from other car makers or tier 1 suppliers. New graduates are hired as development engineers by car makers or tier 1 suppliers, train for a few months to half a year, and some of that year's intake of engineers are placed in the self-driving development department. Mid-career hires are expected to contribute straight away. With experience you are given larger development work and eventually a whole development project. You are expected to master design software, simulation software, AI development software and so on, but you learn these through training and on the job after joining. There is a lot of joint work with overseas suppliers, so you need to read and speak English. Documents in Chinese or German are sometimes needed for development too. You must be able to read and understand reports, manuals, design standards, specifications and laws. Mistakes can lead to development delays or accidents, so development is organised to prevent errors, but you also need to be careful yourself. Development is done in teams of several to dozens of people and involves working with suppliers, so above all you need communication skills. The knowledge and skills needed can be learned later. Research and development on self-driving is very active around the world, so it is important to gather the latest information and take a strong interest in new technology and equipment.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become an Autonomous Driving Engineer?

No particular education or qualifications are needed, but most new graduates entering the job have a master's degree in engineering, science or a similar field. Mid-career hires often come from electronics makers and telecommunications companies with technology the car company lacks, and some move from other car makers or tier 1 suppliers. New graduates are hired as development engineers by car makers or tier 1 suppliers, train for a few months to half a year, and some of that year's intake of engineers are placed in the self-driving development department. Mid-career hires are expected to contribute straight away. With experience you are given larger development work and eventually a whole development project. You are expected to master design software, simulation software, AI development software and so on, but you learn these through training and on the job after joining. There is a lot of joint work with overseas suppliers, so you need to read and speak English. Documents in Chinese or German are sometimes needed for development too. You must be able to read and understand reports, manuals, design standards, specifications and laws. Mistakes can lead to development delays or accidents, so development is organised to prevent errors, but you also need to be careful yourself. Development is done in teams of several to dozens of people and involves working with suppliers, so above all you need communication skills. The knowledge and skills needed can be learned later. Research and development on self-driving is very active around the world, so it is important to gather the latest information and take a strong interest in new technology and equipment.

How much does an Autonomous Driving Engineer earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥7,253,500 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Transportation equipment engineers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become an Autonomous Driving Engineer?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 70% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of an Autonomous Driving Engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026