Software Engineer - Motion Planning (Fallback Stack)

Applied Intuition; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 151,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Comprehensive health insurance

401k retirement benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

A leading technology firm in Sunnyvale is hiring a Motion Planning Engineer. You will design deterministic, safety-critical planning systems for autonomous vehicles, focusing on classical motion planning. The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience, strong C++ skills, and expertise in robotic motion planning. The role includes significant collaboration and a data-driven approach to evaluating planner performance. Compensation ranges from $151,000 to $240,000 annually, with equity and benefits included.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in motion planning for autonomous vehicles or robotics.
• Strong foundation in robotic motion planning algorithms and trajectory generation.
• Experience building deterministic, safety-critical planning systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement classical or ML motion planners.
• Build planners that operate reliably under degraded perception.
• Develop metrics and analysis tools for planner performance.

Skills

Motion planning algorithms

C++

Real-time systems experience

Data-driven evaluation

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

About the role

As a Motion Planning Engineer on the Fallback Stack team, you will design and ship deterministic, safety-critical planning systems that ensure autonomous vehicles behave safely when autonomy degrades or operates under uncertainty. This role emphasizes classical motion planning, predictable behavior, and large-scale evaluation, rather than deep learning–driven planning.

In addition to your engineering contributions, by working in our dynamic and customer-focused team culture, you will contribute to and learn from best practices in the nascent autonomy industry. We move fast and we focus on excellence, for our products and for our business. If you are hands-on and looking for a place to have a multiplying effect on making autonomous systems a reality, Applied is the place for you!

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Design and implement classical or ML motion planners for fallback and minimal-risk maneuvers

• Build planners that operate reliably under degraded perception, partial observability, and system faults
  Define and execute safe, deterministic vehicle motions such as controlled slow-downs, pull-overs, and safe stops

• Use large-scale simulation and real-world data to evaluate planner behavior and guide parameter tuning
  Develop metrics, analysis tools, and dashboards to understand planner performance at scale

• Collaborate closely with behavior prediction, perception, controls, safety, and remote assistance teams

• Contribute to a reusable fallback platform used across trucking and other autonomy programs

We're looking for someone who has:

• 5+ years of experience in motion planning for autonomous vehicles or robotics

• Strong foundation in robotic motion planning algorithms and trajectory generation (optimization-, search-, or rule-based)

• Experience building deterministic, safety-critical planning systems

• A data-driven mindset for large-scale evaluation, debugging, and tuning of planning behavior

• Proficiency in C++ and experience working in real-time systems

• Strong systems thinking and cross-functional collaboration skills

Nice to have:

• Experience designing minimal-risk maneuvers (MRM) or emergency handling behaviors

• Familiarity with AV safety concepts, ODD constraints, or safety-case-driven development

• Experience using ML techniques for parameter tuning, calibration, or offline optimization

• Experience working with degraded sensors, uncertainty, or human-in-the-loop systemsBackground in simulation frameworks or large-scale log analysis

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Please reference the job posting’s subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the location listed is:$151,000 - $240,000 USD annually.