Senior Motion Planning Engineer

Summary

Join Motional's Motion Planning team and contribute to the development of safe, comfortable, and intuitive autonomous vehicle navigation. Lead research and development of novel motion planning algorithms, architect and integrate complex algorithm combinations, and design a robust, scalable codebase. Collaborate with other teams, leverage software development expertise to mentor others, and guide junior team members. The ideal candidate possesses a PhD or Master's degree with relevant experience, extensive research experience in robotics and motion planning, and strong C++ software development skills. Motional offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

Requirements

• PhD preferred in Robotics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field; or a Master's degree with 2+ years of experience in the robotics (preferably AV industry)
• 5+ years of research experience in robotics / motion planning, with a proven track record of contributing to state-of-the-art solutions
• 3+ years of C++ software development, with an emphasis on developing high-performance and reliable systems
• Past experience owning and leading technical development on complex features from problem formulation through research, implementation, and deployment in a production environment
• Thirst for knowledge, continuous innovation, and a drive to push the boundaries of autonomous driving technology

Responsibilities

• Lead the research and development of novel algorithms for motion planning in autonomous driving, including but not limited to advanced search-based methods, sophisticated geometry-based methods, and decision making under uncertainty with a strong emphasis on probabilistic approaches
• Architect and integrate complex combinations of motion planning and prediction algorithms, driving their evaluation and refinement for real-world deployment
• Design and build a robust, scalable, and high-performance codebase that facilitates rapid exploration, prototyping, and rigorous evaluation of innovative motion planning approaches and algorithms
• Drive technical collaboration and interface seamlessly with perception and prediction components upstream and trajectory optimization, tracking and control components downstream, ensuring end-to-end system performance
• Leverage your deep software development and research expertise to teach others better software practices and principles, fostering a culture of technical excellence
• Guide and mentor junior team members, cultivating a culture of product-focused engineering, rigorous research, and advanced development

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with probabilistic models, including but not limited to Gaussian mixture models, Hidden Markov Models, and Particle Filters
• Experience with Bayesian modeling and inference techniques for decision making under uncertainty
• Experience with the Bazel build framework

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k with a company match
• Health saving accounts
• Life insurance
• Pet insurance