Senior Staff Software Engineer, Motion Planning

Agility Robotics; California City (CA); Remote; USD 216,000 - 337,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Equity

Company-paid health/dental/vision

Benefits from day one

EAP

Unlimited PTO

12 holidays

Catered lunches (Salem/Pittsburgh)

Parental leave

Flexible work arrangements

Tuition reimbursement

Relocation assistance

Annual discretionary bonus

Job summary

Agility Robotics is hiring a senior technical leader to direct motion planning for humanoid robots. You will own the roadmap for collision-free, whole-body motion, manipulation, and loco-manipulation, working with perception, estimation, and control teams.

You will design and deploy planning algorithms, ensure modular, observable systems, and push robust solutions for uncertain environments, reporting to the autonomy leadership.

Qualifications

• Experience developing and deploying manipulation algorithms on high-DOF robots.
• Industry experience deploying mobile manipulation robots in real-world commercial applications.
• Proven expertise in sample-based motion planning, trajectory optimization, and MPC with a track record of shipping these algorithms to production.
• Expertise in planning and optimization under geometric and kinodynamic constraints, including contact, friction, and collision.
• Deep mathematical fundamentals in search and numerical optimization (convex and non-convex).
• Expertise in modern C++ (C++17/20) and Python for high-performance real-time robotics.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive the technical roadmap for collision-free motion planning across whole-body motion, manipulation, grasping, and loco-manipulation.
• Design, implement, test, and deploy motion planning and trajectory optimization algorithms for humanoid robots.
• Architect motion planning systems for modularity, observability, and clean integration with perception, state estimation, and control.
• Develop algorithms robust to environmental uncertainty and imperfect state estimation.
• Lead cross-team architectural decisions and collaborate with autonomy, controls, and behaviors teams to solve complex system-level problems.

Skills

Motion planning

Trajectory optimization

MPC (model predictive control)

High-DOF robotics

Python

C++ (C++17/20)

Leadership

Cross-team collaboration

Robustness to uncertainty

Real-time robotics

Tools

C++17/20

Python

Job description

Agility's commercially deployed humanoids operate alongside teams in warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers—tackling physically demanding and repetitive tasks while enabling workers to focus on higher-value work. With industry-leading safety standards and years of proven deployment data, we're pioneering a new era of automation that enhances human potential.

About The Role

Our autonomy team is growing, and we are looking for an experienced technical leader to set the direction for motion planning on our humanoid robots. In this role you will own the technical roadmap for collision-free motion planning across whole-body motion, manipulation, grasping, and loco-manipulation. You will partner closely with our state estimation, navigation, controls, and behaviors teams to architect a planning stack that solves the hardest problems in real-world deployment: high degrees of freedom, dynamic constraints, environmental uncertainty, and reliability at scale.

About The Work

• Own and drive the technical roadmap for collision-free motion planning across whole-body motion, manipulation, grasping, and loco-manipulation
• Design, implement, test, and deploy motion planning and trajectory optimization algorithms for humanoid robots
• Architect motion planning systems for modularity, observability, and clean integration with perception, state estimation, and control
• Develop algorithms robust to environmental uncertainty and imperfect state estimation
• Lead cross-team architectural decisions and collaborate with autonomy, controls, and behaviors teams to solve complex system-level problems

About You

• Experience developing and deploying manipulation algorithms on high-DOF robots
• Industry experience deploying mobile manipulation robots in real-world commercial applications
• Proven expertise in sample-based motion planning, trajectory optimization, and model predictive control (MPC) with a track record of shipping these algorithms to production
• Expertise developing planning and optimization algorithms subject to geometric and kinodynamic constraints, including contact, friction, and collision
• Deep mathematical fundamentals in search and numerical optimization, including convex and non-convex problem formulation
• Expertise in modern C++ (C++17/20) and Python for high-performance, multithreaded, real-time robotics applications
• Track record architecting large-scale autonomy systems and defining clean interfaces across perception, estimation, planning, and control
• Demonstrated technical leadership: setting direction for complex robotics systems, owning architecture, and mentoring senior engineers

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience working with humanoid (or similar) robots
• Experience with loco-manipulation: combined planning of locomotion and manipulation
• Experience with whole-body model predictive control or whole-body trajectory optimization
• Experience with task and motion planning (TAMP) under uncertainty
• Experience leveraging machine learning or offline trajectory optimization to accelerate online planning
• Experience with perception and scene understanding as it pertains to motion planning
• Publications in top robotics venues (RSS, ICRA, IROS, etc. )

This is a fully remote role with the option to work hybrid if a commutable distance from our Salem, OR, Pittsburgh, PA, or Fremont, CA offices.

The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to: market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. This range may change based on geographical location and may be modified in the future.

Anticipated Base Salary Range $216,000—$337,000 USD

In addition to base pay, our competitive total rewards package consists of the following for full-time employees:

• 401(k) Plan: Includes a 6% company match.
• Equity: Company stock options.
• Insurance Coverage: 100% company-paid medical, dental, vision, and short/long-term disability insurance for employees.
• Benefit Start Date: Eligible for benefits on your first day of employment.
• Well-Being Support: Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Time Off:
  • Exempt Employees: Flexible, unlimited PTO and 12 company holidays, including a winter shutdown.
  • Non-Exempt Employees: 10 vacation days, paid sick leave, and 12 company holidays, including a winter shutdown, annually.
• On-Site Perks: Catered lunches four times a week and a variety of healthy snacks and refreshments at our Salem and Pittsburgh locations.
• Parental Leave: Generous paid parental leave programs.
• Work Environment: A culture that supports flexible work arrangements.
• Growth Opportunities: Professional development and tuition reimbursement programs.
• Relocation Assistance: Provided for eligible roles.
• Annual Discretionary Bonus: Provided for eligible roles.
  

All of our roles are U.S.-based. Applicants must have current authorization to work in the United States. Agility Robotics is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and prohibits unlawful discriminatory practices, including harassment. Therefore, it is the policy of Agility Robotics to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Agility Robotics prohibits any such discrimination or harassment.