Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Motion Planning

Santa Clara, CA (Hybrid)

$130K/yr – $220K/yrSenior Level1+ years expFull time

Posted 2 weeks ago

Job Summary

Own the end-to-end planning stack for autonomous driving, designing and implementing decision-making and trajectory generation algorithms, and integrating probabilistic scenario representations with ML/prediction teams to drive safe, efficient planning in real-world driving. Lead cross-functional collaboration, diagnostics, and production-grade deployment of planning components in a safety-critical system.

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement algorithms for decision-making and trajectory generation, ensuring safety, comfort, and reliability across a wide range of driving conditions.
  • Bring novel robotics and machine learning techniques from research into a production-grade, safety-critical system.
  • Reason about complex, socially-nuanced driving situations, such as negotiating merges, junctions, and interactions with other road users, under uncertainty.
  • Utilize modern C++ numerical optimization frameworks (e.g., CasADi, Acados) and industry-standard tooling (git, ROS, etc.) to integrate new planning algorithms into the production stack.
  • Partner closely with the ML and prediction teams to integrate, refine, and act on probabilistic and multi-future representations of how a scenario might evolve, shaping how these outputs are consumed by planning decisions.
  • Perform system-level diagnostics and tuning using in-house and open-source visualization tools (e.g., webviz).
  • Collaborate cross-functionally and communicate clearly, producing system designs that are reviewed and approved at a high level before implementation begins.

Requirements

  • MS with 1-2 years of relevant experience, or PhD, in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field.
  • Strong production software development skills in C++; Python experience a plus.
  • Robotics expertise in one or more of: path planning, motion planning, trajectory generation, behavior planning, optimal control.
  • Strong math (geometry, analysis, probability) and physics (kinematics, dynamics) fundamentals.
  • Experience designing, implementing, and refining planning algorithms on a real-world robotic or vehicle platform.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams and derive solutions from cross-functional input

Preferred

  • PhD + 1-2 years or MS + 3-4 years of relevant experience.
  • Bonus: exposure to machine learning techniques such as deep learning, imitation learning, transformer-based models, or diffusion-based models, particularly as applied to decision-making or scenario generation.
  • Familiarity with safety frameworks for autonomy (e.g., RSS, collision avoidance/MRM logic).
  • Prior experience working on safety-critical systems.

Benefits

  • Catered free lunch, unlimited snacks and beverages.
  • Highly competitive salary and benefits package, including 401(k) plan.
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PlusAI

4.0 Glassdoor

PlusAI is an artificial intelligence company pioneering AI-based virtual driver software for factory-built autonomous trucks. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with operations in the United States and Europe, PlusAI was named by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Partners including TRATON GROUP’s Scania, MAN, and International brands, Hyundai Motor Company, Iveco Group, Bosch, and DSV are working with PlusAI to accelerate the deployment of next-generation autonomous trucks. PlusAI announced in June 2025 that it plans to go public via a merger with Churchill Capital Corp IX (NASDAQ: CCIX).

Founded in 2016
Santa Clara, California, USA
89% recommend to a friend
100% CEO approval

Salaries

Posted range

$130K/yr – $220K/yr

Taken straight from the job posting.

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Marketing Roles Posted (Last 30 Days)
1

Funding

Total Funding
$520M
Last Raise
$100.2M
Series C, 5 years ago

Funding History

  • Mar 2021
    Series C • $100.2M
  • Nov 2020
    Series B • $286.2M
  • Nov 2018
    Series A • $32M

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Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Motion Planning

PlusAI · Santa Clara, CA · Hybrid