> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/3431385-senior-software-engineer-motion-planning-autonomy](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/3431385-senior-software-engineer-motion-planning-autonomy). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md).

---

# Senior Software Engineer, Motion Planning, Autonomy

- **Company:** Rivian
- **Location:** Palo Alto, CA, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Software Quality, Code Review, Data Distribution Service, Data Infrastructure, Data Mining, Distributed Computing Environment, Experimental Data, Python (Programming Language), Machine Learning, Motion Planning, SQL Databases, Apache Spark, Model Validation, Information Technology, Data Analytics, Data Pipelines
- **Published:** September 16, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=640fc9799deec109

## About the Role

* B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Data Science, Robotics, Engineering, or a related field.
 * 3+ years of experience as a Software Engineer, Data Analytics Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, or Motion Planning Engineer.
 * Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL is required, with a proven track record of building production-grade data products.
 * Hands-on experience with distributed data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark, Ray) and cloud infrastructure.
 * Solid understanding of data-centric AI, dataset curation strategies, and model evaluation methodologies.
 * Experience handling large-scale sensor data or complex robotics telemetry.
 * Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, taking projects from a vague concept to a verified, high performing product.
 * Strong ability to communicate technical trade-offs and collaborate effectively within a fast-paced team environment.

## Description

* Develop and maintain scalable data mining pipelines to extract rare and critical driving
scenarios from massive fleet datasets.

 * Lead the curation and analysis of large-scale training sets to improve the robustness and
generalization of the LDM.

 * Design and implement rigorous evaluation frameworks to measure model performance against real-world baselines.
 * Provide technical guidance and code reviews for junior and mid-level engineers,
ensuring high standards for code quality and system design.

 * Partner closely with modeling engineers to define data requirements and iterate on rapid experimental loops.
 * Identify trends, anomalies, and data distribution shifts that impact model training and validation.
 * Contribute to the design of data infrastructure, making informed decisions on tradeoffs between data quality, scale, and compute efficiency.
 * Transition experimental data strategies


## Related Videos

- [How to develop an autonomous car end-to-end: Robotic Drive and the mobility revolution](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/22-how-to-develop-an-autonomous-car-end-to-end-robotic-drive-and-the-mobility-revolution)
- [PySpark - Combining Machine Learning & Big Data](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/44-pyspark-combining-machine-learning-big-data)
- [Data Science on Software Data](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/162-data-science-on-software-data)
- [Are Code Reviews Worth It? Insights from 16 Years of Review Data](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1135-are-code-reviews-worth-it-insights-from-16-years-of-review-data)
- [Software stack under and over the hood of the fastest accelerating car in the world](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/221-software-stack-under-and-over-the-hood-of-the-fastest-accelerating-car-in-the-world)
- [Let's Get Aggregated: Custom UDAFs in Spark  ](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1649-let-s-get-aggregated-custom-udafs-in-spark)

## Related Articles

- [How software is steering vehicle technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/515-how-software-is-steering-vehicle-technology)
- [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers)
- [How to Become an AI Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/331-how-to-become-an-ai-engineer)
- [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift)
- [ I Gave a Video Editor More Autonomy Than a Trading Bot. On Purpose.](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/773-i-gave-a-video-editor-more-autonomy-than-a-trading-bot-on-purpose)
- [Dev Digest 137 - AI'm not sure about this](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/485-dev-digest-137-ai-m-not-sure-about-this)