Senior/Staff Software Engineer - Motion Planning

Zoox

Foster City, CA hybrid Until 8/22/2026 8+ years exp H-1B sponsor history First posted November 6, 2025 Last posted November 6, 2025

Job description

On the Motion Planning team at Zoox, you’ll be dedicated to improving the driving behaviors of the robot on public roads. The Planner's job is to figure out where the robot is going and how to get there safely in situations as complex as those found in Downtown San Francisco or on the Las Vegas Strip.

This is a cutting-edge problem, which requires teamwork and collaboration across a broad set of experts spanning Planner, Perception, Prediction, Operations, and more. Together, you will create the next generation of algorithmic improvements to expand our robot’s ability to drive in some of the most complex situations found on public roads.

Safety is foundational at Zoox, so you will take a measured approach – develop a principled modification to the Planner, test in simulation and on closed courses, and team up with our safety drivers for on-road testing.

In this role, you will:

Create principled algorithmic improvements to specific areas of driving behavior and implement those changes in our code base.
Use our extensive backend tooling to test your changes across many different driving situations at the press of a button.
Lead on-vehicle drive reviews to generate actionable feedback on driving performance. Use this experience to help the team learn and make improvements.
Attend conferences and survey literature to stay informed on the most recent developments in the fields of Robotics and Motion Planning.
Write and file patents for novel technologies you develop.

Qualifications

Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field and 8+ years of experience
Fluency in C++
Understanding of configuration spaces and a variety of planning techniques (A*, RRTs, PRMs, etc.)
Demonstrated ability to create real-time motion planning algorithms

Bonus Qualifications

Significant contributions to geometric- and/or sampling-based planning algorithms
Experience with autonomous robots and machine learning or data-driven development processes
Experience with ROS, pose estimation, SLAM, probabilistic filtering, 3D data, or CUDA

About Zoox

Zoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility-as-a-service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team.

Accommodations

If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to [email protected] or your assigned recruiter.

A Final Note:

You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.

Compensation (from employer):
229000–331000 USD per year

About this role

Summary

Develop real-time motion planning algorithms for autonomous robots in complex urban environments.

Job title

Senior/Staff Software Engineer - Motion Planning

Experience level

8+ years

Minimum experience

8+ years exp

Industry

automotive

Location requirements

Foster City, CA; remote work not specified

Salary

$229k–$331k

Visa sponsorship

H-1B sponsor history

Management role

Skills & keywords

Required skills

C++configuration spacesplanning techniquesreal-time algorithms

Preferred skills

geometric planningsampling-based algorithmsautonomous robotsmachine learningROSpose estimationSLAMprobabilistic filteringCUDA

Specializations

motion planningroboticsautonomous vehiclesalgorithm development

Locations

Structured locations inferred from the posting.

Foster City, CA, USA

Hybrid City