Software Engineer, Mission Planning

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense. We are looking for an experienced Software Engineer to join our Behavior & Motion Planning team and lead the development of core planning capabilities that directly shape how the Kodiak Driver behaves on the road. This is a senior technical role for engineers who thrive on ambiguous, high-leverage problems at the intersection of robotics, optimization, and real-time systems. You will own complex planning challenges end-to-end: framing the problem, aligning stakeholders, designing the technical approach, driving implementation, and validating on-road impact. Your work will influence not only individual algorithms, but also the architecture, interfaces, and evaluation strategies that enable the planning stack to scale. You will work across Planning, Perception, Simulation, Systems, and related teams to create cross-functional solutions to some of the hardest problems in autonomous trucking. You should be excited to combine deep technical judgment with hands-on execution, using data from real-world operation to improve safety, driving quality, and system performance. In this role, you will Lead the design and deployment of behavior and motion-planning capabilities for complex real-world driving scenarios Own ambiguous technical problems from concept through production rollout and iterative refinement Shape the architecture, interfaces, and requirements across planning-related systems Translate high-level driving goals into robust algorithms, cost functions, and performance-critical production code Drive improvements in planning quality, prediction integration, latency, and overall system reliability Build and influence evaluation frameworks, tooling, and workflows that turn real-world logs into measurable autonomy improvements Provide technical leadership across cross-functional efforts and raise engineering quality through strong design and code reviews Mentor other engineers and help guide technical direction within the team What you’ll bring Deep background in robotics, motion planning, optimization, controls, or related fields MS, PhD, or equivalent experience in a technically rigorous domain 4+ years of experience building production software, including substantial experience in C++ Proven track record of owning and delivering complex technical projects with real-world impact Strong systems thinking and the ability to work effectively across software boundaries and organizational interfaces Excellent technical judgment, communication, and collaboration skills Ability to balance long-term design quality with fast, pragmatic iteration in a production environment Bonus points if you have Experience shipping autonomy or robotics software on real vehicles or robotic platforms Strong knowledge of motion planning, trajectory optimization, prediction, optimal control, or related areas in the autonomous systems Experience working on real-time, performance-critical systems Experience building evaluation, debugging, and data-analysis tools for autonomy or robotics stacks Track record of mentoring engineers and leading technical direction across projects What we offer: Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and  MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits) MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)  Fidelity 401(k) Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.) 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 $185,000 — $235,000 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,