Staff Software Engineer, Motion Planning

We are looking for an experienced Technical Lead who can architect and lead the development of best-in-class planning systems for autonomous driving in structured, low-speed environments.

In this role, you'll lead the planning team, own the planning module roadmap, and ensure the delivery of high-quality planning systems. Leveraging your experience in building production-grade planners, you'll drive the development of the mission planner, behavior planner, and motion planner, achieving category-defining vehicle autonomy for the airside.

This opportunity offers a seasoned leader the chance to develop a market-defining enterprise product that combines autonomous vehicle technology with a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) business model. This role reports to our Head of Autonomy and works closely with the autonomy engineering team.

What You'll Do

• Lead the planning team, set clear goals, and foster a collaborative environment to deliver high-quality planning systems.
• Set the short and long-term technical direction for the planning stack and balance leadership responsibilities with hands-on technical work.
• Develop and maintain the planning module roadmap, ensuring timely delivery of milestones by directing schedules and removing obstacles for your team.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with other teams to create an integrated autonomous driving system, contributing to strategic decision-making in the planning system architecture.
• Establish and promote best practices in software development, functional safety, and systems engineering within the planning team.

Do you have experience in Team management?, Do you have a Master's degree?, * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Math, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Physics, or a related field.

• Extensive experience in developing planning modules for autonomous systems, with prior leadership or team management experience.
• Proven ability to manage and deliver complex engineering projects.
• Strong programming skills in C++ (preferred) or Python, and experience with Linux-based operating systems.
• Excellent communication skills, proactiveness, and a strong sense of ownership.

Desired Qualifications

• MS or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field.
• Mastery of Modern C++ (14 and beyond) and safety-critical coding practices (e.g., MISRA, ISO 26262).
• 5+ years of industry experience in planning for robotic ground vehicles.
• In-depth understanding of DDS frameworks like ROS/ROS2 or other networking middleware.
• Experience in startup environments, demonstrating adaptability to rapidly changing priorities.

AeroVect is transforming ground handling with autonomy, redefining how airlines and ground service providers around the globe run day-to-day operations. We are a Series A company backed by top-tier venture capital investors in aviation and autonomous driving. Our customers include some of the world's largest airlines and ground handling providers. For more information, visit www.aerovect.com.