Senior Software Engineer, Behavior Planning

Kindredventures; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 167,200 - 250,800; Full time

Job summary

Kindredventures is seeking a strong software engineer at Nuro to develop and implement cutting-edge robotics and machine learning technologies for the Nuro Driver. The role involves designing novel algorithms and collaborating across various engineering teams to advance autonomous driving capabilities.

Candidates should possess a PhD or Master's in a relevant field, significant expertise in robotics, and strong software development skills, particularly in Python and C++. The base pay ranges from $167,200 to $250,800 annually, alongside potential bonuses and equity.

Qualifications

• PhD or Masters Degree in robotics, computer science, mechanical/aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mathematics, or related field.
• Robotics expertise in areas such as path planning, motion planning, trajectory generation, behavior planning, optimal control.
• Machine learning experience with techniques such as deep learning, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, transformers, and diffusion models.
• Strong software development skills and Python/C++ coding proficiency (C++ preferred).
• Ability to collaborate within and across teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement novel robotics and machine learning technologies for the Nuro Driver.
• Work cross‑functionally with engineers across behavior, perception, mapping, and ML research.
• Implement practical solutions with production‑ready software to deploy new technologies.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior members of the behavior team.

Skills

Robotics expertise

Machine learning techniques

Software development skills

Python/C++ coding proficiency

Education

PhD or Master's Degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Engineering or related field

Job description

Who We Are

Nuro exists to better everyday life through robotics. Founded in 2016, Nuro has spent eight years developing autonomous driving (AD) technology and commercializing AD applications. The Nuro Driver™ is our world‑class autonomous driving system that combines AD hardware with our generalized AI‑first self‑driving software. Built to learn and improve through data, the Nuro Driver™ is one of the few driverless autonomous technologies on public roads today.

Nuro has raised over $2B in capital from Fidelity, Bailie Gifford, T. Rowe Price, Google, and other leading investors. We’ve partnered with some of the world’s most respected brands including Uber, FedEx, Domino’s, Walmart, Kroger, and 7‑Eleven.

About the Role

The behavior team at Nuro develops the Nuro Driver’s prediction and planning systems to enable safe, driverless autonomy. We are looking for strong software engineers to research, develop, and implement technologies for Nuro’s planning stack to empower all rides on all roads. This encompasses building a generalizable and scalable ML planner that can power L4 driving for robotaxi applications as well as serve as an L2 solution for the largest auto manufacturers in the world. Operating domains of the Nuro Driver™ vary from structured surface streets and highways to more unstructured areas such as parking lot driving, parking and multi‑point turns in busy traffic situations.

You’ll be developing state‑of‑the‑art algorithms to enable the Nuro Driver to safely and reliably plan and navigate complex situations in a human‑like manner. You will work on intelligent strategies on how to leverage diverse data to have the biggest impact in our learned behavior stack. If you want to implement cutting‑edge robotics and machine learning technologies in a collaborative environment with immediate impact, come and join us!

About the Work

• Design and implement novel robotics and machine learning technologies for the Nuro Driver.
• Work cross‑functionally with engineers across behavior, perception, mapping, and ML research to advance the state‑of‑the‑art in autonomous driving.
• Implement practical solutions with production‑ready software, to deploy new technologies on real vehicle platforms in a safe, perform­ant, and scalable way.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior members of the behavior team.

About You

• PhD or Masters Degree in robotics, computer science, mechanical/aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mathematics, or related field.
• Robotics expertise in areas such as path planning, motion planning, trajectory generation, behavior planning, optimal control.
• Machine learning experience with techniques such as deep learning, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, transformers, and diffusion models.
• Experience in optimizing model performance through efficient processing, visualization, and analysis of large datasets.
• Strong software development skills and Python/C++ coding proficiency (C++ preferred).
• Ability to collaborate within and across teams and derive best solutions from cross‑functional interactions.
• Desire to work at the edge of research and development, bringing algorithms from research into production.
• Bonus: hands‑on experience developing software for safety‑critical systems, distributed training, or inference optimization.

Equal‑Opportunity Employment Statement

At Nuro, we celebrate differences and are committed to a diverse workplace that fosters inclusion and psychological safety for all employees. Nuro is proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer and expressly prohibits any form of workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics.

At Nuro, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. For this position, the reasonably expected pay range is between $167,200.00 and $250,800.00 per year for the level at which this job has been scoped. Your base pay will depend on several factors, including your experience, qualifications, education, location, and skills. In the event that you are considered for a different level, a higher or lower pay range would apply. This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus, equity, and a competitive benefits package.