Software Engineer, Behavior & Motion 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 Planning team and take a key role in improving the Kodiak Driver's ability to safely and gracefully handle challenging road conditions.

In this role, you will :

• Design and implement new approaches to help our trucks plan through challenging situations.
• Translate desired driving behaviors into algorithms, code, and cost functions that make the Kodiak Driver a safe, smooth, and polite road participant
• Predict the behavior of other actors in a way that's both accurate and improves driving performance
• Improve the end-to-end latency of the motion planning and prediction algorithms
• Build tools that enable us to leverage real-world logs to improve our algorithms
• Work closely with other teams to establish interfaces and requirements
• Invent cross-functional solutions to cutting-edge problems in autonomous-driving

What you'll bring :

Bonus points if you have :

What we offer :

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

$150,000-$220,000 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, U.S. person status, and / or citizenship status. Should the position require, and Kodiak determines that a candidate's residence, U.S. person status, and / or citizenship status necessitate an export license, bar the candidate from the position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak's sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate's application. If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.