C++ Software Engineer – Motion Planning

Avride; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Avride is seeking a highly skilled C++ Software Engineer to join our core Motion Planning team in Austin. You will help develop the decision‑making logic that enables our autonomous vehicles to navigate real‑world scenarios safely and efficiently.

You will design, implement, and optimize motion planning algorithms, trajectory generation, and behavioral decision‑making, collaborating with Perception, Prediction, and Control teams to build a cohesive self‑driving system.

Qualifications

• Exceptional proficiency in modern C++ and OO design.
• Strong knowledge of robotics-related algorithms and data structures.
• Experience with Git, CI/CD, and code reviews.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement motion planning algorithms in modern C++.
• Develop trajectory generation, pathfinding, and decision‑making modules.
• Analyze performance with simulation, logs, and on‑vehicle data.
• Collaborate with Perception, Prediction, and Control teams for a cohesive system.
• Write clean, maintainable production‑quality code.
• Profile and optimize algorithms to meet real‑time constraints.

Skills

Modern C++

Robotics algorithms

Multithreading

Tools

Git

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

About The Team

Our team develops the core software and data processing systems that power motion planning and decision‑making in autonomous vehicles. We work at the intersection of machine learning, large‑scale data infrastructure, and real‑time vehicle control, collaborating across engineering, analytics, and product teams to deliver safe and intelligent driving capabilities.

About The Role

We are seeking a highly skilled C++ Software Engineer to join our core Motion Planning team. You will be at the forefront of developing the decision‑making logic that enables our autonomous vehicles to navigate the complexities of the real world safely and efficiently. If you have a passion for solving hard algorithmic problems and writing high‑performance code, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

What you’ll do

• Design, implement, and optimize cutting‑edge motion planning algorithms in modern C++ (C++17/20)
• Develop robust solutions for trajectory generation, pathfinding, and behavioral decision‑making in dynamic environments
• Analyze and debug system performance using simulation, log playback, and on‑vehicle testing data
• Collaborate closely with engineers from Perception, Prediction, and Control teams to build a cohesive and reliable self‑driving system
• Write clean, maintainable, and optimized production‑quality code
• Profile and optimize algorithms to meet real‑time performance constraints

What you’ll need

• Exceptional proficiency in modern C++ and a deep understanding of object‑oriented design principles
• Strong foundational knowledge of algorithms and data structures, particularly those relevant to robotics (e.g., graph search, computational geometry, optimization techniques)
• Experience with software development tools and practices, including Git, CI/CD, and code reviews

Nice to have

• Proven success in competitive programming contests such as Google Code Jam, Hash Code, Topcoder Open, ICPC, or similar events
• Professional or academic experience in robotics, specifically with motion planning
• Experience with performance‑critical software development, including multi‑threading and memory optimization
• Knowledge of machine learning techniques (e.g., reinforcement learning, imitation learning) applied to planning or decision‑making problems
• Solid mathematical background, including linear algebra and probability theory
• Knowledge of GPU programming (e.g., CUDA, OpenCL) for accelerating algorithms

Candidates are required to be authorized to work in the U.S. The employer is not offering relocation sponsorship, and remote work options are not available.

Avride is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities to ensure they have equal access to employment opportunities. Avride complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with the application or hiring process, or to perform the essential functions of a job, please email [e-mail].