Trajectory Optimization Engineer: Motion Planning for Autonomous Driving

Socket.dev; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Motional is seeking an engineer to advance trajectory optimization and motion planning for autonomous vehicles. You will develop robust C++ software, contribute to production-ready algorithms, and work with ML and vehicle control teams to deliver safe, efficient robotaxi behavior.

Mentorship and cross-functional collaboration are key aspects of the role. The ideal candidate has 0–3+ years in C++ software development, a strong robotics background, and a degree in Robotics, CS, CE, or EE.

Qualifications

• 0 - 3+ years of C++ software development (educational experience working on projects, internships, PhD research also counts)
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD preferred in Robotics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with Model Predictive Control (MPC), motion planning, planning under uncertainty, vehicle dynamics and control, and simulation environments.
• Understanding of numerical optimization algorithms (interior point method, sequential quadratic programming, etc)
• Experience with optimization solvers (IPOPT, Gurobi, etc)
• Past experience owning and leading technical development on features from problem formulation, algorithm design, through implementation
• Knowledge of Python is a bonus
• Strong team player with excellent communication skills

Responsibilities

• Understand and explains trade-offs, complex concepts to peers and leaders to drive decisions.
• Collaborate with teams working on (ML) decision/behavior planning, prediction, and vehicle control to build comprehensive and integrated solutions
• Create project proposals that drive long-term technical roadmaps and span multiple sub-systems.
• Mentor junior team members to develop a culture of product-focused engineering, research, and development.

Skills

C++ programming

Robotics knowledge

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor/Master/PhD in Robotics, CS, CE, or EE

Tools

IPOPT

Gurobi

Python

Simulation environments

MPC

Job description

Motional is seeking an engineer to advance trajectory optimization and motion planning for autonomous vehicles. You will develop robust C++ software, contribute to production-ready algorithms, and work with ML and vehicle control teams to deliver safe, efficient robotaxi behavior.

Mentorship and cross-functional collaboration are key aspects of the role. The ideal candidate has 0–3+ years in C++ software development, a strong robotics background, and a degree in Robotics, CS, CE, or EE.