Software Engineer, Routing

Kodiak; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Annual bonus

Medical Insurance

Flexible PTO

Parental leave

Dog-friendly office

Free lunch

EV charging

Job summary

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. is hiring a Software Engineer to own the routing engine and contribute to motion planning. You will work with planning, perception, and infrastructure teams to advance autonomous routing on public roads, with mentorship from senior engineers and exposure to cutting‑edge algorithms.

The role emphasizes deep technical challenges in route generation, mapping, and real‑time/cloud systems, with opportunities for growth and impact in a leading robotics company.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience developing production‑level robotics software.
• Expertise in motion planning, graph theory, and related domains.
• Facility with complex autonomous systems.
• Excitement to solve ambiguous, real‑world challenges.

Responsibilities

• Implement routing for driverless operation on public roads.
• Contribute to the architecture and long‑term roadmap for motion planning.
• Integrate onboard and offboard driving logic.
• Create visualizations and tooling for route policy introspection.
• Automate and expedite map updates.
• Solve deep technical problems involving route generation, mapping, real‑time and cloud computing.

Skills

Robotics software development

Motion planning

Autonomous systems

Problem solving

Tools

C++

Job description

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Kodiak is recruiting a Software Engineer to own Kodiak’s routing engine, which traverses our coast-to-coast highway map. The role builds deep motion planning experience, focused on a core aspect of the motion planning stack. This is an opportunity to collaborate and grow with world‑class robotics engineers on Kodiak’s Motion Planning team. Senior and Staff engineers will mentor and help scope progressively larger projects and career development opportunities.

The role offers exposure to cutting‑edge routing algorithms and unsolved problems, as well as collaboration with Planning, Perception, and Infrastructure colleagues.

In this role, you will:

• Implement routing for driverless operation on public roads
• Contribute to the architecture and long‑term roadmap for motion planning
• Integrate onboard and offboard driving logic
• Create visualizations and tooling for route policy introspection
• Automate and expedite map updates
• Solve deep technical problems involving route generation, mapping, real‑time and cloud computing, and more!

What you’ll bring:

• 2+ years of experience developing production‑level robotics software
• Strong facility with modern C++
• Expertise in motion planning, graph theory, and related domains
• Facility with complex autonomous systems
• Excitement to solve ambiguous, real‑world challenges

Bonus points if you have:

• Deployed software on driverless autonomous vehicles
• Improved system performance (latency, throughput, reliability) in production environments
• Built on simulation frameworks
• Based decisions on data analysis

What we offer:

• Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
• Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
• MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance
• Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies
• Office located centrally in Mountain View, CA
• Office perks: dog‑friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging
• Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
• Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)
• Fidelity 401(k)
• Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
• Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)

The pay range listed below reflects the base salary in our SF/Silicon Valley location, across several internal levels. Actual starting pay will be based on job‑related factors including: work location, experience, relevant training, education, skill level and performance during interview. Total compensation at Kodiak includes base pay, equity, bonus and a competitive benefits package.

California Pay Range: $145,000 USD – $190,000 USD

At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility for such positions may hinge on verification of a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. Should the position require, and Kodiak determines that a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate an export license, bar the candidate from the position, or otherwise fall under national security‑related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak’s sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate’s application. If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.