Staff Software Engineer, Behavior 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 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. 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 In this role, you will Design, implement, and improve behavior planning and motion planning features. Own planning projects from problem definition through deployment. Debug autonomy behavior using logs, simulation, metrics, and real-world data. Improve how the autonomy system balances safety, comfort, progress, and operational constraints. Collaborate with teams across Prediction, Controls, Perception, ML, Simulation, Systems, and Safety. Define success metrics and validation plans for planning features. Write production-quality C++ software. Participate in technical design reviews, code reviews, and architecture discussions. Mentor junior and senior engineers. What you’ll bring Experience in behavior planning, motion planning, decision-making, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or related areas. Strong software engineering skills, preferably in C++. Experience building autonomy software in industrial, production, or near-production environments. Ability to debug complex robotics or autonomy behavior using logs, metrics, and simulation. Strong system-level judgment around safety, comfort, and deployment readiness. Strong collaboration and communication skills 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 $240,000 — $265,000 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 equa