Senior Motion Planning & Controls Software Engineer

Onward Robotics; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Onward Robotics is seeking a Senior Motion Planning & Controls Software Engineer to design and implement motion planning and controls for autonomous mobile robots in a fast-paced Agile environment. You will help advance cobots operating near humans, focusing on safety, reliability, and performance.

The role requires strong C++ skills, robotics experience, and collaboration with mechanical, electrical, and design engineers to push features from concept to deployment on real robots.

Qualifications

• 2-3 years of experience creating classical motion planning algorithms for autonomous mobile robots.
• Experience with source code management systems (e.g. git) and Linux.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain the motion planning and controls subsystem of autonomous robots.
• Participate in requirements-driven, object-oriented software design.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to test localization on real robots and iterate.

Skills

Modern C++

Robotics

Linux

Git

Motion planning

Trajectory tracking

Hardware/systems integration

Linear algebra

A*

RRT/RRT*

DWA

Safety principles

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Robotics/Engineering/CS

Master’s Degree in Robotics/Engineering/CS

Tools

ROS

CUDA

Job description

Join Our TeamAt Onward Robotics, we are a bold, gritty, and purposeful team with an ambitious mission to revolutionize fulfillment. Our team is driven by a client-first mentality: we aim to solve hard problems and fuel our clients’ growth with innovation. We are seeking talented individuals who will have a huge impact on both our business and our team. Join us on our mission as we move fast, think big, and have fun!About UsOnward Robotics delivers innovative automation technology that coordinates humans and robots as a cohesive system to revolutionize fulfillment. Our Meet Me solution combines proprietary software with person-to-goods mobile robots to increase efficiency in warehousing, distribution, and e-commerce operations. Onward Robotics provides the boost in productivity, flexibility, and speed that companies need to remain competitive and grow. Learn more at onwardrobotics.com.Job SummaryAs a Senior Motion Planning & Controls Software Engineer in our Robot Software Department, you will focus on the design and implementation of motion planning and controls software for our autonomous mobile robots, including cobots that operate directly alongside human workers. As a core team member, you will work in an Agile software development environment to improve the existing motion planning and controls software. These improvements will help make our autonomous robots more effective, reliable, and safe in uncertain and dynamic environments shared with people.Duties and Responsibilities:Design, implement, and maintain the motion planning and controls subsystem of autonomous robotsParticipate in requirements-driven, object-oriented software designImplement & deploy software in both simulation and physical targetsParticipate in an Agile development environmentDesign and tune motion planning and control behaviors for robots operating safely in close proximity to human workers, balancing throughput with safety marginsCore Competencies:Ability to be flexible and adaptable in a startup environmentGood team player with great communication skillsTypical Day:Participate in daily stand-ups to align on priorities, blockers, and progress with the team.Design, refine, and implement path-planning, trajectory-generation, and feedback-control algorithms primarily in C++.Collaborate with cross-functional teams (mechanical, electrical, and design engineers) to test localization systems on real robots, collecting sensor data and iterating quickly on solutions.Take ownership of assigned features or subsystems, gathering requirements, reviewing designs, and pushing updates through development, testing, and deployment.Review code from peers, contribute to technical discussions, and champion best practices to ensure high-quality, maintainable software.Troubleshoot issues uncovered during robot testing, from localization drift to real-time optimization challenges, working hands-on with hardware as needed.Mentor junior engineers, offering guidance on design choices, coding practices, and debugging approaches.Document work, update the team, and plan next steps to maintain team alignment and project momentum.Required Skills:Modern C++ programming fluency and design patternsExperience working with physical robots and the flow of information through its primary sub-systemsExperience with source code management systems (e.g. git) and performing detailed code reviewsExperience with Linux systemsMinimum Experience Requirements:2-3 years of work experience creating classical motion planning algorithms for autonomous mobile robotsStrong foundation in practical mathematical skills (e.g. linear algebra)Strong foundation in motion planning concepts and basic planning algorithms such as A*, RRT, RRT*, DWA, Potential Field, etc.Ability to evaluate existing upstream outputs and understand the impact to trajectory tracking & control needs when implementing a planning solutionUnderstanding of collaborative robot (cobot) safety principles for systems operating alongside human workers, including speed and separation monitoring, power/force limiting, and relevant safety standards (e.g., ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066)Preferred Experience Requirements:5+ years of work experience in end-to-end system development & deployment of production level motion planning algorithms for autonomous mobile robotsExperience with different types of planners such as Lattice planners, modeling behaviors for heuristics-based plannersFusion of multi-stage planners (e.g. local, global, mission)Working with GPU based embedded systems (e.g. CUDA)Minimum Education Requirements:Bachelor’s Degree in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or Computer SciencePreferred Education Requirements:Master’s Degree in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or Computer Science