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# Software Engineer

- **Company:** PlusAI, Inc.
- **Location:** Santa Clara, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** C++ (Programming Language), Data Visualization, Python (Programming Language), Kinematics, Machine Learning, Motion Planning, Open Source Technology, Safety Critical Systems, Deep Learning, Git, Information Technology, C++14
- **Published:** September 4, 2026
- **Apply:** https://startup.jobs/senior-staff-machine-learning-engineer-motion-planning-plusai-8089761

## About the Role

* MS with 1-2 years of relevant experience, or PhD, in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field.
 * Strong production software development skills in C++; Python experience a plus.
 * Robotics expertise in one or more of: path planning, motion planning, trajectory generation, behavior planning, optimal control.
 * Strong math (geometry, analysis, probability) and physics (kinematics, dynamics) fundamentals.
 * Experience designing, implementing, and refining planning algorithms on a real-world robotic or vehicle platform.
 * Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams and derive solutions from cross-functional input., * PhD + 1-2 years or MS + 3-4 years of relevant experience.
 * Bonus: exposure to machine learning techniques such as deep learning, imitation learning, transformer-based models, or diffusion-based models, particularly as applied to decision-making or scenario generation.
 * Familiarity with safety frameworks for autonomy (e.g., RSS, collision avoidance/MRM logic).
 * Prior experience working on safety-critical systems.

## Description

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Planning team, you'll research, develop, and implement planning technologies that let PlusAI's trucks handle complex, real-world driving scenarios in a safe and human-like manner. You'll work across the full decision-making stack, from reasoning about what the truck should do to determining precisely how it should get there, while accounting for the many ways a scenario could unfold, * Design and implement algorithms for decision-making and trajectory generation, ensuring safety, comfort, and reliability across a wide range of driving conditions.

 * Bring novel robotics and machine learning techniques from research into a production-grade, safety-critical system.
 * Reason about complex, socially-nuanced driving situations, such as negotiating merges, junctions, and interactions with other road users, under uncertainty.
 * Utilize modern C++ numerical optimization frameworks (e.g., CasADi, Acados) and industry-standard tooling (git, ROS, etc.) to integrate new planning algorithms into the production stack.
 * Partner closely with the ML and prediction teams to integrate, refine, and act on probabilistic and multi-future representations of how a scenario might evolve, shaping how these outputs are consumed by planning decisions.
 * Perform system-level diagnostics and tuning using in-house and open-source visualization tools (e.g., webviz).
 * Collaborate cross-functionally and communicate clearly, producing system designs that are reviewed and approved at a high level before implementation begins.
*


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