Staff Motion Planning Engineer - Trajectory Generation

Motional; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 205,000 - 272,500; Full time

Job summary

Motional is seeking a senior technical leader to drive motion planning and trajectory optimization for production‑ready autonomous vehicles. You will architect scalable software, own critical design decisions, and guide cross‑functional teams in safety‑critical vehicle behavior.

Hybrid work is encouraged with in‑office time at Boston, Pittsburgh, or Las Vegas locations; remote options may be considered. Salary range reflects the US market and a base compensation package.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of production‑grade C++ software development in real‑time or safety‑critical contexts.
• Solid background in robotics, computer science, or related field.
• Proven ownership of large‑scale technical initiatives from problem framing to on‑vehicle deployment.
• Deep experience with motion planning, MPC, and planning under uncertainty.

Responsibilities

• Define long‑term technical strategy for motion planning and trajectory optimization.
• Lead architectural reviews and drive cross‑functional alignment on safety‑critical solutions.
• Develop roadmaps and proposals spanning multiple subsystems.
• Mentor senior and junior engineers to foster product‑focused engineering.

Skills

C++ production

MPC

Motion planning

Real-time

Python

Algorithm design

Education

Robotics/CS/CE degree

Tools

IPOPT

Gurobi

CasADi

OSQP

Job description

On our Motion team, you will serve as a technical leader, leveraging your deep expertise in motion planning, robotics, and software development to architect and advance the capabilities of production-ready autonomous vehicles. In this role, you will drive innovative research, own systemic design processes, and spearhead the implementation of performance-critical algorithms that enable safe, comfortable, and intuitive autonomous vehicle behaviors across Motional's fleet of robotaxis.

If you are passionate about autonomous driving, thrive on solving challenging motion planning problems, and are eager to make a significant impact in a rapidly evolving field, we want to hear from you.

Technical Scope

• Architect State-of-the‑Art Solutions: Drive the long‑term technical strategy and framework for motion planning and trajectory optimization algorithms to guarantee safe, smooth, and comfortable vehicle motion.
• Scalable Core Software Architecture: Own the structural design of robust and scalable software that enables real on‑road impact by evaluating, benchmarking, and integrating diverse optimal control techniques and motion planning algorithms.
• Systemic Code Quality & Governance: Establish code quality benchmarks and lead high‑impact architectural code and design reviews (C++) based on an exhaustive understanding of the cross‑functional teams' services and technologies.
• Advanced Engineering Infrastructure: Champion and define modern development toolchains, including next‑generation testing frameworks, high‑fidelity simulation, and continuous integration, to enable rapid development cycles across the organization.

Role Responsibilities

• Strategic Technical Leadership: Define, justify, and navigate complex system trade‑offs and highly technical concepts to engineering peers and executive leadership to drive critical platform‑level decisions.
• Cross‑Functional Orchestration: Lead architectural co‑design and alignment with adjacent teams working on decision/behavior planning, prediction, and vehicle control to build comprehensive, integrated, and safety‑critical solutions.
• Subsystem Roadmapping: Author high‑impact project proposals that anchor long‑term technical roadmaps and span multiple safety‑critical vehicle subsystems.
• Engineering Mentorship: Cultivate the technical growth of senior and junior team members alike, fostering an organizational culture of product‑focused engineering, rigorous research, and cutting‑edge development.

What we're looking for

• Extensive Production Experience: 5+ years (or equivalent expert level) of production‑grade C++ software development, with a proven track record in real‑time, low‑latency, or safety‑critical applications.
• Educational Background: Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree preferred in Robotics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven Technical Ownership: A distinct track record of defining, scaling, and leading large‑scale technical development initiatives from initial problem formulation through algorithm design, validation, and on‑vehicle production implementation.
• Motion Planning & Control: Deep, domain‑expert experience with Model Predictive Control (MPC), motion planning architectures, planning under uncertainty, vehicle dynamics/control, and closed‑loop simulation environments.
• Theoretical Excellence: Thorough, first‑principles mathematical understanding of non‑linear and numerical optimization algorithms (including interior point methods, sequential quadratic programming, and convex/non‑convex optimization formulations).
• Solver Optimization Expertise: Extensive experience deploying, customizing, and scaling numerical optimization solvers (e.g., IPOPT, Gurobi, OSQP, CasADi) within real‑time embedded environments.
• Strong knowledge of Python for simulation, data analysis, or rapid prototyping is considered a bonus.

We encourage a hybrid schedule with in‑office time at one of our locations in Boston, Pittsburgh, or Las Vegas to support collaboration, or this role can be fully remote.

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors including but not limited to specific skills, experience and expertise, role location, certifications, licenses, and business needs. The estimated compensation range listed in this job posting reflects base salary only. This role may include additional forms of compensation such as a bonus or company equity. The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process. Candidates for certain positions are eligible to participate in Motional’s benefits program. Motional’s benefits include but are not limited to medical, dental, vision, 401k with a company match, health saving accounts, life insurance, pet insurance, and more.

Salary Range: $205,000 USD - $272,500 USD

Motional AD Inc. is an EOE. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. To comply with Federal Law, we participate in E‑Verify. All newly‑hired employees are queried through this electronic system established by the DHS and the SSA to verify their identity and employment eligibility.