Tech Lead Manager, Motion Planning & Autonomy

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

Job summary

Kodiak Robotics, based in California, seeks a Tech Lead Manager to guide motion planning and prediction for driverless trucks. You will lead a growing engineering team, set long-term roadmaps, and define system interfaces with cross‑functional partners to advance autonomy.

You will mentor engineers, establish metrics for product excellence, and drive impactful technical decisions in a collaborative environment focused on safety and reliability.

Qualifications

• Experience leading or mentoring engineers to grow teams.
• 6+ years developing production-level robotics software.
• Strong C++ proficiency with ability to guide design and review code.
• Expertise in motion planning, e.g., geometry, graph theory, optimization, or ML.
• Track record of delivering complex autonomous systems.
• Leadership to navigate ambiguous, real-world challenges.

Responsibilities

• 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-functional 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!

Skills

Motion planning

C++

Robotics software

Leadership

Job description

Kodiak Robotics, based in California, seeks a Tech Lead Manager to guide motion planning and prediction for driverless trucks. You will lead a growing engineering team, set long-term roadmaps, and define system interfaces with cross‑functional partners to advance autonomy.

You will mentor engineers, establish metrics for product excellence, and drive impactful technical decisions in a collaborative environment focused on safety and reliability.