Staff Software Engineer, Motion Planning

In our Motion Planning team, you'll apply your passion for robotics and software development for production-ready autonomous vehicles. In this role, you'll perform groundbreaking research, conduct design processes, and implement performance-critical algorithms to generate safe, comfortable, and intuitive autonomous vehicle behaviors across Motional’s fleet of robotaxis.

Technical Scope:

• Develop state-of-the-art motion planning algorithms to ensure the vehicle autonomously navigates safely and smoothly. 


• Design and build robust and scalable software that enables rapid exploration and evaluation of different motion planning approaches and algorithms. 


• Collaborate with upstream decision/behavior planning, prediction, and downstream motion tracking algorithms.


• Leverage modern development toolchains to enable rapid development cycles, including testing, simulation, and continuous integration. 

Role responsibilities:

• As a staff engineer, you will be expected to define and execute multi-quarter technical roadmaps and OKRs that span across multiple sub-systems and influence partner teams' technical directions


• Lead technical discussions and establish team-level processes for system-level design, review, and the implementation of advanced features and formulation improvements


• Own system-level architecture for core products, driving org-wide incident response and severity reviews to proactively optimize on-road performance and overall system reliability.


• Mentor junior and senior team members to cultivate a department-wide culture of product-focused engineering, robust documentation, and continuous technical learning.

What we're looking for:

• 7+ years of professional software development experience, preferably in C++.


• Bachelor's required, Masters or PhD degree preferred in Robotics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.


• Experience with algorithm development in motion planning, navigation, or any robotics or safety-critical systems.


• Experience owning and leading technical development on features from problem formulation through algorithm design and implementation to delivery with impact.

Motional is a driverless technology company making autonomous vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality. We’re driven by something more.

Our journey is always people first.

We aren't just developing driverless cars; we're creating safer roadways, more equitable transportation options, and making our communities better places to live, work, and connect. Our team is made up of engineers, researchers, innovators, dreamers and doers, who are creating a technology with the potential to transform the way we move.

Higher purpose, greater impact.

We’re creating first-of-its-kind technology that will transform transportation. To do so successfully, we must design for everyone in our cities and on our roads. We believe in building a great place to work through a progressive, global culture that is diverse, inclusive, and ensures people feel valued at every level of the organization. Diversity helps us to see the world differently; it’s not only good for our business, it’s the right thing to do.  

Scale up, not starting up.

Our team is behind some of the industry's largest leaps forward, including the first fully-autonomous cross-country drive in the U.S, the launch of the world's first robotaxi pilot, and operation of the world's longest-standing public robotaxi fleet. We’re driven to scale; we’re moving towards commercialization of our technology, and we need team members who are ready to embrace change and challenges.

Formed as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, Motional is fundamentally changing how people move through their lives. Headquartered in Boston, Motional has operations in the U.S and Asia. For more information, visit  www.Motional.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Motional AD Inc. is an EOE. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. To comply with Federal Law, we participate in E-Verify. All newly-hired employees are queried through this electronic system established by the DHS and the SSA to verify their identity and employment eligibility.