Senior Motion Planning Engineer — Autonomous Vehicles

MRINetwork

San Francisco (CA)

On-site

USD 176,000 - 240,000

Full time

4 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Life and disability insurance

401(k)

Unlimited PTO and paid parental leave

Pre-tax commuter benefits

Flexible daily hours (on-site)

Visa transfers and sponsorships

Job summary

MRINetwork in San Francisco, CA is seeking a Senior Motion Planning Engineer to design algorithms for path and trajectory planning and coordinate fleets on-site. You will own planning solutions that enable heavy autonomous ground vehicles to navigate obstacles, manage intersections, and deploy in live environments.

Requirements include 5+ years in robotics/autonomy, strong Python/NumPy, and hands-on experience with motion planning and deployment from research to real-world systems.

Qualifications

5+ years of robotics or autonomy engineering experience.
Hands-on experience building path planning or trajectory optimization for robots or autonomous vehicles.
Strong understanding of motion planning algorithms including non-holonomic planning.
Strong Python and NumPy skills for numerical computing and algorithm development.
Experience taking autonomy software beyond research or simulation into real-world deployment.
A BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field.
Comfort working with ambiguity and taking technical ownership.
Availability to work on-site in San Francisco five days per week.

Responsibilities

Develop path and trajectory planning: build algorithms to navigate obstacles safely while reducing unnecessary stops.
Improve intersection management: determine vehicle crossing sequences to reduce congestion and wait time.
Coordinate multiple vehicles: plan around intersecting trajectories to prevent conflicts and deadlocks.
Build fleet planning algorithms: translate changing site conditions into vehicle assignments and coordinated activity.
Support live deployments: work with controls and systems engineers to evaluate behavior, diagnose issues, and improve performance.
Help shape the planning team: contribute to architecture and development of new planning capabilities.

Skills

Motion planning

Python

Non-holonomic planning

Trajectory optimization

Ambiguity tolerance

Robotics

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, or related field

Tools

C++

Shapely

Computational geometry

Job description

Senior Motion Planning Engineer — Autonomous Vehicles

Motion Planning & Fleet Coordination

Location: San Francisco, CA — on-site, five days per week
Compensation: $176,000–$240,000 base + competitive equity + annual bonus
Visa Support: Transfers and new sponsorships welcome

About the Opportunity

Our client develops autonomous systems for demanding industrial environments. Its technology operates in commercial deployments, giving engineers the opportunity to solve planning problems that directly affect real-world productivity and safety.

The company is expanding its planning team and seeking a Senior Robotics Planning Engineer to develop the algorithms that guide individual vehicles and coordinate entire fleets. You’ll work in an engineering-led environment with substantial ownership over technical decisions and implementation.

The Role

You’ll build planning systems for heavy autonomous ground vehicles, from generating feasible paths and trajectories to coordinating traffic and assigning work across a site.

This role requires direct experience developing motion planning algorithms. Your work will help vehicles navigate obstacles, negotiate shared spaces, avoid deadlocks, and operate efficiently as a fleet.

Requirements

5+ years of robotics or autonomy engineering experience.
Hands-on experience building path planning or trajectory optimization for robots or autonomous vehicles. This is a core requirement. Experience in perception, sensors, or systems integration alone does not meet it.
Strong understanding of motion planning algorithms, including non-holonomic planning and the movement constraints of ground vehicles.
Strong Python and NumPy skills for numerical computing and algorithm development.
Experience taking autonomy software beyond research or simulation into real-world deployment.
A BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field.
Comfort working with ambiguity, taking technical ownership, and establishing approaches where processes are still developing.
Availability to work on-site in San Francisco five days per week, including relocation if needed.

What You’ll Do

Develop path and trajectory planning: Build algorithms that help autonomous vehicles navigate obstacles safely while reducing unnecessary stops.
Improve intersection management: Determine vehicle crossing sequences that reduce congestion and total wait time.
Coordinate multiple vehicles: Plan around intersecting trajectories to prevent conflicts, collisions, and deadlocks.
Build fleet planning algorithms: Translate changing site conditions into vehicle assignments and coordinated activity.
Support live deployments: Work with controls and systems engineers to evaluate behavior, diagnose issues, and improve performance in the field.
Help shape the planning team: Contribute to architecture, technical practices, and the development of new planning capabilities.

Some schedule flexibility is required during live testing and deployment phases.

Preferred Qualifications

Motion planning experience with trucks or other non-holonomic ground vehicles.
Experience with multi-vehicle coordination, traffic management, or fleet planning.
Production engineering experience at a robotics or autonomous vehicle company.
C++ programming experience.
Familiarity with computational geometry, Shapely, or collision detection.
A master’s degree or PhD focused on robotics or motion planning.

Compensation & Benefits