Software Engineer - Motion Planning (Fallback Stack)

Responsibilities

• Design and implement classical or ML motion planners for fallback and minimal-risk maneuvers
• Build planners that operate reliably under degraded perception, partial observability, and system faults
• Define and execute safe, deterministic vehicle motions such as controlled slow-downs, pull-overs, and safe stops
• Use large-scale simulation and real-world data to evaluate planner behavior and guide parameter tuning
• Develop metrics, analysis tools, and dashboards to understand planner performance at scale
• Collaborate closely with behavior prediction, perception, controls, safety, and remote assistance teams
• Contribute to a reusable fallback platform used across trucking and other autonomy programs

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in motion planning for autonomous vehicles or robotics
• Strong foundation in robotic motion planning algorithms and trajectory generation (optimization-, search-, or rule-based)
• Experience building deterministic, safety-critical planning systems
• A data-driven mindset for large-scale evaluation, debugging, and tuning of planning behavior
• Proficiency in C++ and experience working in real-time systems
• Strong systems thinking and cross-functional collaboration skills

Nice to Have

• Experience designing minimal-risk maneuvers (MRM) or emergency handling behaviors
• Familiarity with AV safety concepts, ODD constraints, or safety-case-driven development
• Experience using ML techniques for parameter tuning, calibration, or offline optimization
• Experience working with degraded sensors, uncertainty, or human-in-the-loop systems
• Background in simulation frameworks or large-scale log analysis

Compensation

Base salary range: $151,000 - $240,000 USD annually. Includes equity, comprehensive health/dental/vision insurance, 401k with employer match, learning/wellness stipends, and paid time off.