Staff Software Engineer, Motion Planning

Kodiak; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Kodiak AI, Inc. is hiring a Tech Lead Manager to guide motion planning and prediction for driverless trucks. You will lead engineers, shape the roadmap, and collaborate with Product, Perception, and Controls teams to advance autonomy.

We seek a seasoned leader with 6+ years in robotics software, strong C++ skills, and a proven ability to mentor engineers while delivering complex autonomous systems at scale.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience developing production-level robotics software.
• Strong proficiency with modern C++ and code design guidance.
• Expertise in motion planning, geometry, optimization, or ML.
• Proven track record leading teams to deliver autonomous systems.
• Ability to mentor engineers and build a collaborative team culture.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a team of engineers for motion planning and prediction on driverless trucks.
• Set technical direction and long-term roadmap for motion planning.
• Define metrics to steer engineering toward product excellence.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align interfaces and requirements.
• Hire, onboard, and mentor engineers; manage performance and growth.

Skills

Robotics software

C++ expertise

Motion planning

People leadership

Job description

Kodiak AI, Inc. (Nasdaq: KDK), founded in 2018, is a leader in Physical AI, developing driverless technology that powers machines that move. Its Kodiak Driver is a vehicle-agnostic autonomous driving system that combines AI-powered software with modular hardware. Today it operates in long-haul trucking, industrial trucking, and defense. In 2024, Kodiak launched commercial Driver-as-a-Service operations with no one in the cab, and plans to launch driverless long-haul service between Dallas and Houston by the end of 2026. Kodiak has partnered with many of the biggest names in freight, including Bosch for scaled hardware production, AWS, and leading customers including Atlas Energy Solutions, IKEA, Bridgestone, Werner Enterprises, C.R. England, Roehl Transport, and General Dynamics Land Systems.

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 Tech Lead Manager to lead motion planning and prediction for Kodiak driverless trucks. The role combines technical leadership with people management, and provides scope and visibility to create the roadmap for the entire motion planning stack, including behavior planning, trajectory generation, mission commanding, and prediction.

This is an opportunity to collaborate with Product, Perception, Controls, and other cross-functional teams in order to improve overall autonomy performance. Customers interact with Kodiak trucks through mission assignments, making this a key engineering position to achieve product excellence.

The team’s responsibilities span the full range of the motion planning and prediction domain, from routing to decision-making to optimization. The planning and prediction stack utilizes both conventional and learned approaches.

In this role, you will:

• Lead and grow a team of engineers building motion planning and prediction for driverless operation on public roads
• Set the technical direction and long-term roadmap and architecture for motion planning
• Identify metrics to orient engineering teams toward product excellence
• Study the product for opportunities to delight our customers
• Manage, mentor, and develop engineers at all levels: set expectations, give regular feedback, support career growth, and raise the bar for engineering excellence
• Hire and onboard top engineering talent, and build a collaborative, inclusive team culture
• Prioritize and plan team work, balancing roadmap commitments, technical debt, and operational needs
• Integrate onboard and offboard driving logic
• Automate and expedite truck launches and landings
• Partner cross-functionally with Perception, Controls, Systems, Simulation, and Product teams to define interfaces, requirements, and system behavior
• Solve difficult real-world problems involving highways, surface streets, and open, unstructured environments!

What you’ll bring:

• Experience managing or mentoring engineers, with a record of growing and retaining strong teams
• 6+ years of experience developing production-level robotics software
• Strong facility with modern C++ and the ability to guide design and review code
• Expertise in motion planning, including one or more of: computation geometry, graph theory, numerical optimization, or machine learning
• Track record of leading teams to deliver complex autonomous systems
• Leadership to guide the team through ambiguous, real-world challenges

Bonus points if you have:

• Deployed software on autonomous vehicles
• Built a safety case for driverless autonomy
• Improved system performance (latency, throughput, reliability) in production environments
• Built on simulation frameworks

The pay range listed below reflects the base salaryin 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

$185,000 - $245,000 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.