# Staff, Software Engineer - Motion Planning (Unstructured Environments)

Hiring organization: [Torc Robotics](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/torc-robotics)

Canonical page: https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/10adee5f-23e3-41c0-98d3-97c56b4d41ad

Listed on Torc Robotics's own careers site. Applications go to them directly.

- Employment type: full time
- Seniority: Staff
- Location: Blacksburg, VA
- Remote: yes
- Salary: 186200 – 223400 USD per year

## Summary

This Staff-level role leads motion planning and trajectory optimization systems for autonomous trucks, requiring deep expertise in robotics algorithms, C++ development, and real-time system design. It suits experienced engineers who have led cross-functional technical initiatives and want to shape autonomous vehicle architecture at scale.

_Our summary, not Torc Robotics's wording._

## Skills named

C++, Git, Linear Algebra, Linux, Pytest, Robot Framework

## Required

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field plus 10+ years industry experience, or Master's degree plus 7+ years, or PhD plus 5+ years
- Proven Staff or Principal-level technical leadership across multiple engineering teams
- Deep expertise in robotics, autonomous vehicle, ADAS, or complex real-time software systems
- Deep expertise in modern C++ within Linux environments
- Motion planning, trajectory generation, trajectory optimization, behavior planning, or decision-making experience for robotics or autonomous systems
- Strong understanding of vehicle dynamics, kinematics, and planning architecture
- Foundation in linear algebra, numerical optimization, geometry, and robotics algorithms
- Hands-on experience analyzing and optimizing metrics in resource-constrained environments
- Troubleshooting skills for real-time diagnostics and post-analysis
- Mastery of software engineering fundamentals and scalable development practices
- Version control with Git, build systems, and package management
- Test automation principles and proficiency with unit testing frameworks
- Strong problem-solving and complex system-level debugging
- Excellent communication and collaboration within cross-functional teams
- U.S. citizenship

## Nice to have

- Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI)
- Model Predictive Control (MPC)
- Nonlinear optimization
- Machine learning techniques such as imitation learning or reinforcement learning
- Hybrid planning architectures
- Machine learning model integration into production systems
- Experience with simulation platforms and large-scale autonomy validation
- Robotics frameworks such as ROS, ROS2, Autoware, or Apollo
- CUDA, GPU acceleration, TensorRT, or high-performance compute
- On-vehicle testing, debugging, and deployment support
- Open-source contributions related to embedded Linux, robotics, or deployment automation

Apply on Torc Robotics's site: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/torcrobotics/jobs/8613575002