Lead Motion Planning Architect for Autonomous Driving

Motional

Pittsburgh (Allegheny County)

On-site

USD 212,000 - 284,000

Full time

14 days+
Application generator

A complete application in a minute — tailored resume and cover letter, ready to send.

Get past ATS filters

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits
401k with company match
Health Savings Account
Life insurance
Pet insurance

Job summary

Motional is seeking a technical expert for its Planning team to define motion planning and control systems for secure, effective, and comfortable fleet operation in complex environments. This role requires expertise in cutting-edge research, advanced algorithm development, and robust software building to generate safe, intuitive routes and motions.

You will lead research, collaborate across teams, and build a scalable codebase while mentoring others.

Qualifications

  • PhD preferred in Robotics, CS, CE, ME, or related field, or MS with 7+ years in robotics.
  • 10+ years of robotics/motion planning research with leadership.
  • 5+ years of C++ development for high-performance systems.
  • Experience leading complex features from concept to deployment.
  • Strong drive for innovation and technical leadership.

Responsibilities

  • Lead R&D of novel motion planning algorithms and subsystems.
  • Lead cross-functional projects to define interfaces.
  • Monitor system performance and craft improvement strategies.
  • Guide teams to deliver end-to-end planning solutions.
  • Architect and integrate planning, prediction, and control modules.
  • Build a robust, scalable codebase for rapid exploration and evaluation.
  • Collaborate with perception, prediction, trajectory optimization upstream/downstream.
  • Mentor junior and senior engineers to foster engineering excellence.

Skills

Robotics research
Motion planning
C++ development
Technical leadership
Problem formulation

Education

PhD preferred
MS + 7+ years experience

Tools

Bazel

Job description

Motional is seeking a technical expert for its Planning team to define motion planning and control systems for secure, effective, and comfortable fleet operation in complex environments. This role requires expertise in cutting-edge research, advanced algorithm development, and robust software building to generate safe, intuitive routes and motions.

You will lead research, collaborate across teams, and build a scalable codebase while mentoring others.

Get your free, confidential resume review.

or drag and drop your file here.

Similar jobs

Similar jobs worth comparing

Senior Motion Planning Architect for Autonomous Driving
Senior Motion Planning Architect for Autonomous Driving

Motional AD Inc. • Boston (MA), Northern (KY)

Hybrid
USD 240,000 - 330,000
Benefits program
Motion Planning Tech Lead — Autonomous Vehicles
Motion Planning Tech Lead — Autonomous Vehicles

Motional • Northern (KY)

Hybrid
USD 240,000 - 330,000
Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
+4
Lead Motion Planning Architect for Autonomous Driving
Lead Motion Planning Architect for Autonomous Driving

Fruition Group US • San Francisco (CA)

On-site
USD 200,000 - 270,000
Autonomous Motion Planning Engineer
Autonomous Motion Planning Engineer

Motional • Pittsburgh

On-site
USD 142,000 - 190,000
Senior Motion Planning Tech Lead for Autonomous Driving
Senior Motion Planning Tech Lead for Autonomous Driving

Applied Intuition Inc. • Sunnyvale (CA)

Hybrid
USD 231,000 - 301,000
Principal Motion Planning Architect for Autonomous Driving
Principal Motion Planning Architect for Autonomous Driving

Fruition Group US • California (MO)

On-site
USD 180,000 - 240,000
Senior Motion Planning Engineer for Autonomous Driving
Senior Motion Planning Engineer for Autonomous Driving

Motional • Boston (MA)

On-site
USD 110,000 - 150,000
Medical, dental, vision benefits
401k with company match
Health saving accounts
+1
Senior Motion Planning Engineer for Autonomous Driving
Senior Motion Planning Engineer for Autonomous Driving

Motional • Boston (MA)

Hybrid
USD 172,000 - 229,000
Hybrid schedule in Boston/Pittsburgh/​
Fully remote option
Benefits package
Principal Motion Planning Engineer
Principal Motion Planning Engineer

Fruition Group US • California (MO)

On-site
USD 180,000 - 240,000
Senior Principal ML & Motion Planning Engineer - Remote
Senior Principal ML & Motion Planning Engineer - Remote

Motional AD Inc. • Boston (MA)

On-site
USD 240,000 - 330,000
Medical benefits
Dental benefits
Vision benefits
+4