Kodiak Robotics is an autonomous trucking company developing self-driving heavy vehicles and commercial logistics operations.
<div class="content-intro"><p>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.</p></div><p>We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer to help build and improve behavior planning and motion planning systems for autonomous driving. In this role, you will own planning features end to end, from design and implementation through validation, deployment, and analysis.</p> <p>You will work on real-world autonomy behavior and help the system make safe, comfortable, and effective decisions in complex driving scenarios. This role is ideal for someone with strong planning experience who enjoys building production-quality autonomy software and collaborating across the autonomy stack</p> <p><strong><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In this role, you will</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>Design, implement, and improve behavior planning and motion planning features.</li> <li>Own planning projects from problem definition through deployment.</li> <li>Debug autonomy behavior using logs, simulation, metrics, and real-world data.</li> <li>Improve how the autonomy system balances safety, comfort, progress, and operational constraints.</li> <li>Collaborate with teams across Prediction, Controls, Perception, ML, Simulation, Systems, and Safety.</li> <li>Define success metrics and validation plans for planning features.</li> <li>Write production-quality C++ software.</li> <li>Participate in technical design reviews, code reviews, and architecture discussions.</li> <li>Mentor junior and senior engineers.</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What you’ll bring</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>Experience in behavior planning, motion planning, decision-making, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or related areas.</li> <li>Strong software engineering skills, preferably in C++.</li> <li>Experience building autonomy software in industrial, production, or near-production environments.</li> <li>Ability to debug complex robotics or autonomy behavior using logs, metrics, and simulation.</li> <li>Strong system-level judgment around safety, comfort, and deployment readiness.</li> <li>Strong collaboration and communication skills</li> </ul> <p class="p2"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><strong>What we offer:</strong></span></p> <ul> <li>Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses</li> <li>Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)</li> <li>MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance</li> <li>Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies</li> <li>Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA</li> <li>Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging</li> <li>Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance</li> <li>Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation) </li> <li>Fidelity 401(k)</li> <li>Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA</li> <li>Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)</li> </ul><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description"><p>The pay range listed below reflects the base salary <strong data-stringify-type="bold">in our SF/Silicon Valley location, </strong>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</p></div><div class="title">California Pay Range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$240,000</span><span class="divider">—</span><span>$265,000 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><div> </div> <div>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.</div> <div> </div> <div>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 so