Kodiak Staff Software Engineer at Kodiak AI to design and improve behavior and motion planning systems for autonomous driving. Own planning features end to end including design, implementation, validation, deployment, and analysis.
Responsibilities
Design, implement, and improve behavior planning and motion planning features.
Own planning projects from problem definition through deployment.
Debug autonomy behavior using logs, simulation, metrics, and real-world data.
Improve how the autonomy system balances safety, comfort, progress, and operational constraints.
Collaborate with teams across Prediction, Controls, Perception, ML, Simulation, Systems, and Safety.
Define success metrics and validation plans for planning features.
Write production-quality C++ software.
Participate in technical design reviews, code reviews, and architecture discussions.
Mentor junior and senior engineers.
What you’ll bring
Experience in behavior planning, motion planning, decision-making, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or related areas.
Strong software engineering skills, preferably in C++.
Qualification
Ability to reason about safetyCalifornia Pay Range$240At Kodiak
Required
Strong experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or a related autonomy domain.
Deep technical background in behavior planning, decision-making, or motion planning.
Strong software engineering skills with proficiency in C++. Python proficiency is a plus.
Experience working with heuristic or classical planning systems.
Experience integrating or developing learned behavior policies, behavior classification, trajectory prediction, or actor intent models.
Ability to reason about safety, system behavior, evaluation, and deployment risk.
Excellent cross-functional communication and technical leadership skills.
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
$240,000—$265,000 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.
