Senior Software Engineer - Behaviors

Role Description

Join Torc's Behaviors Team, where we develop the planning, prediction, and decision-making systems that determine how our autonomous trucks navigate the world safely, efficiently, and predictably. We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer who is passionate about solving challenging autonomy problems and building production-quality software for real-world autonomous systems. In this role, you will contribute directly to the design, development, validation, and deployment of planning and prediction capabilities that enable safe and reliable autonomous driving.

• Design, develop, and maintain planning and prediction systems, including trajectory generation, behavior prediction, decision-making, and motion planning algorithms for autonomous trucks.
• Contribute to the evaluation and development of planning approaches, including optimization-based, learning-based, and hybrid architectures.
• Develop production-quality software using modern C++ within a Linux environment while adhering to quality, safety, testing, and deployment best practices.
• Participate in software architecture discussions and contribute to technical designs that support scalable and maintainable autonomy systems.
• Develop and execute validation strategies across Software-in-the-Loop (SiL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL), and Vehicle-in-the-Loop (ViL) environments.
• Collaborate closely with Safety, Controls, Perception, Validation, and Simulation teams to develop safe and reliable autonomous driving behaviors.
• Investigate and debug vehicle behavior by reproducing issues in simulation, analyzing system performance, and implementing software improvements.
• Support vehicle integration, deployment activities, and post-deployment investigations to ensure reliable autonomy performance.
• Participate in technical design reviews, code reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives across the Behaviors organization.
• Mentor junior engineers through collaboration, technical guidance, and knowledge sharing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field with 5+ years of industry experience; OR Master's degree with 3+ years of experience; OR PhD with 1+ years of experience.
• Strong proficiency in modern C++ development within Linux-based environments.
• Experience developing robotics, autonomous vehicle, ADAS, or other complex real-time software systems.
• Experience designing and developing motion planning, behavior planning, prediction, decision-making, or related autonomy capabilities.
• Strong understanding of software engineering fundamentals, system design principles, and scalable development practices.
• Experience working across the full software development lifecycle, from design and implementation through validation, deployment, and operational support.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to debug complex system-level issues.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills within cross-functional engineering teams.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a highly collaborative environment.

Requirements

• Experience with motion planning, trajectory optimization, behavior prediction, or decision-making systems for autonomous vehicles.
• Experience with optimization and controls-based techniques such as Model Predictive Control (MPC), trajectory optimization, or numerical optimization methods.
• Experience applying machine learning techniques such as imitation learning, reinforcement learning, or hybrid planning architectures.
• Understanding of vehicle dynamics, controls, state estimation, and trajectory tracking.
• Experience developing software in both C++ and Python environments.
• Experience integrating machine learning models into real-time or production systems.
• Experience working with simulation platforms and large-scale autonomy validation environments.
• Experience supporting on-vehicle testing, debugging, and deployment activities.
• Passion for autonomous vehicles, robotics, and solving complex real-world engineering challenges.

Benefits

• A competitive compensation package that includes a bonus component and stock options.
• 100% paid medical, dental, and vision premiums for full-time employees.
• 401K plan with a 6% employer match.
• Flexibility in schedule and generous paid vacation (available immediately after start date).
• Company-wide holiday office closures.
• AD+D and Life Insurance.