Software Engineer, Motion Planning

About the role

The Software Engineer will lead the development of core planning capabilities that directly shape how the Kodiak Driver behaves on the road. This is a senior technical role for engineers who thrive on ambiguous, high-leverage problems at the intersection of robotics, optimization, and real-time systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and deployment of behavior and motion-planning capabilities for complex real-world driving scenarios
• Own ambiguous technical problems from concept through production rollout and iterative refinement
• Shape the architecture, interfaces, and requirements across planning-related systems
• Translate high-level driving goals into robust algorithms, cost functions, and performance-critical production code
• Drive improvements in planning quality, prediction integration, latency, and overall system reliability
• Build and influence evaluation frameworks, tooling, and workflows that turn real-world logs into measurable autonomy improvements
• Provide technical leadership across cross-functional efforts and raise engineering quality through strong design and code reviews
• Mentor other engineers and help guide technical direction within the team

Requirements

• Deep background in robotics, motion planning, optimization, controls, or related fields
• MS, PhD, or equivalent experience in a technically rigorous domain
• 4+ years of experience building production software, including substantial experience in C++
• Proven track record of owning and delivering complex technical projects with real-world impact
• Strong systems thinking and the ability to work effectively across software boundaries and organizational interfaces
• Excellent technical judgment, communication, and collaboration skills
• Ability to balance long-term design quality with fast, pragmatic iteration in a production environment

Bonus points if you have

• Experience shipping autonomy or robotics software on real vehicles or robotic platforms
• Strong knowledge of motion planning, trajectory optimization, prediction, optimal control, or related areas in the autonomous systems
• Experience working on real-time, performance-critical systems
• Experience building evaluation, debugging, and data-analysis tools for autonomy or robotics stacks
• Track record of mentoring engineers and leading technical direction across projects

What we offer

• Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
• Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
• MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance
• Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies
• Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA
• Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging
• Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
• Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)
• Fidelity 401(k)
• Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
• Variety of incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)