Sr. Staff Engineer, Motion Planning and Controls, Autonomous Driving

About the role

At Lucid, we are creating exceptional mobility experiences through innovation to drive the world forward. Built on Lucid’s proprietary technology and software-defined vehicle architecture, our award-winning vehicles bring our “Compromise Nothing™” approach to the global automotive market. That means refusing to choose between performance and sustainability, design and engineering, ambition and integrity. In Lucid Air and Lucid Gravity, we have designed and built vehicles that have redefined their segments, combining exceptional range, performance, design, and expansive space in a single experience. We achieve this through deep vertical integration, with design, engineering, and production happening in-house across our global offices and manufacturing facilities. Our teams come from industries around the world, united by a shared commitment to excellence. By refusing to settle, you can help redefine what’s possible and shape the future of mobility.

Role Overview: We are seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer to support the auto-parking and low-speed autonomy stack. This role focuses on trajectory optimization, path smoothing, and local planning, with direct impact on parking features such as Auto Park, Summon, and Park-to-Park. The ideal candidate will combine strong algorithmic foundations with production-grade software execution, driving both system performance and scalability. This role is based in Newark, CA. and requires employees to be onsite five days a week.

Responsibilities

• Motion Planning & Trajectory Optimization: Develop and enhance trajectory optimization algorithms (e.g., iLQR / MPC-based approaches) for low-speed scenarios; Design and implement constraint-aware optimization; Improve local planners to generate control-friendly trajectories
• System Architecture & Performance Optimization: Refactor and scale planning stack architecture for maintainability and extensibility; Optimize CPU usage and explore parallel/GPU acceleration opportunities; Improve system-level behaviors such as stability under dynamic constraints, scalability across scenarios and vehicle platforms
• Debugging, Validation, and Production Integration: Investigate and resolve real-world issues such as curvature discontinuities, velocity/trajectory mismatches, and edge-case steering behavior; Validate solutions using simulation and vehicle logs, multi-scenario testing and benchmarking
• Research, Prototyping, and Innovation: Evaluate and prototype new approaches (e.g., learned models, barrier functions, ML-based planning); Benchmark and compare planning algorithms for production viability; Contribute to next-gen planning initiatives, including ML-driven planning
• Cross-Team Collaboration & Knowledge Transfer: Drive technical discussions and share algorithm insights across teams; Maintain high-quality documentation and support knowledge transfer; Track work via Jira with clear metrics and reproducible results

Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Robotics, Control, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• 10+ years of software development experience in autonomous driving, ADAS, or robotics, with a focus on large-scale data and real-time systems
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ with solid understanding of software engineering design principles and best practices
• Proven track record of delivering ADAS/AD features through the full production lifecycle: requirements analysis, architecture/design, implementation, unit testing, feature tuning, SIL/HIL validation, and in-vehicle deployment
• Hands-on experience with software integration on embedded platforms (e.g., NVIDIA Xavier/Orin, Infineon Aurix)
• Demonstrated ability to build reliable production-grade systems, including large-scale architectures, evaluation pipelines, and performance-optimized models
• Leadership experience

Skills

• ML-based planning approaches
• GPU or parallel computing for planning
• Track record of production deployment in real vehicles

Benefits

Lucid offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance; life and disability coverage; paid time off; paid holidays, paid sick leave; and a 401(k) retirement plan. Hourly/non-exempt employees accrue up to 120 hours paid time off, and salaried/exempt employee accrue up to 160 hours paid time off. Eligible employees may also participate in Lucid’s equity program and/or a discretionary annual cash incentive program. Incentive and equity awards, if applicable, are determined based on individual performance, role scope, market considerations, and overall company results, in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

Pay

Base Pay Range (Annual) $216,600—$317,680 USD

Schedule

This role is based in Newark, CA and requires employees to be onsite five days a week.