Senior Software Engineer - Motion Planning

Latitude AI ( lat.ai ) develops automated driving technologies, including L3, for Ford vehicles at scale. We’re driven by the opportunity to reimagine what it’s like to drive and make travel safer, less stressful, and more enjoyable for everyone.  

When you join the Latitude team, you’ll work alongside leading experts across machine learning and robotics, cloud platforms, mapping, sensors and compute systems, test operations, systems and safety engineering – all dedicated to making a real, positive impact on the driving experience for millions of people. 

As a Ford Motor Company subsidiary, we operate independently to develop automated driving technology at the speed of a technology startup. Latitude is headquartered in Pittsburgh with engineering centers in Dearborn, Mich., and Palo Alto, Calif.

Meet the team:

The Latitude AI Motion Planning team brings all the components of the autonomy stack together. The Motion Planning team takes inputs from perception, prediction, and mapping and plans how to safely yet comfortably navigate complex driving scenarios. This involves routing to the desired destination, making high-level decisions with respect to driver input and other road users (including vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, etc.), and generating an optimal trajectory for the AV to execute.

What you’ll do: 

• Design and develop algorithms in one or more areas of the Motion Planning stack, ranging from route planning, behavior planning, trajectory optimization, decision making, and machine learning


• Extensively test your algorithms, through unit testing, simulation testing in the cloud, log playback and resim, and on vehicle testing


• Develop tools for visualization and debugging, and use them to analyze logs from fleet testing


• Analyze metrics from fleet testing to prioritize next steps


• Optimize the runtime and memory efficiency of the onboard Motion Planning software


• Coordinate with other autonomy teams to ensure that Motion Planning is provided the inputs it needs

What you'll need to succeed:

• The Motion Planning team is looking for deep expertise in either Motion Planning or Software Engineering (or both)


• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics or a related field and 4+ years of relevant experience (or Master's degree and 2+ years of relevant experience, or PhD)


• While breadth is helpful, a depth of knowledge and application experience in a relevant Robotics/ Motion Planning subspecialty is most desirable. Examples of relevant subspecialties include: graph or sampling-based planning in high-dimensional state spaces, computational geometry, behavioral planning and decision making, planning under uncertainty (POMDPs etc.), model-predictive planning and control, convex optimization, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, etc


• A baseline level of skill in modern C++ programming and software engineering is required for all team members, even Motion Planning domain experts. Python programming experience is also helpful but not required


• Industry experience writing production-quality, performance-critical code, and maintaining large codebases is desired


• Strong written and verbal communication skills are required

What we offer you:

• Competitive compensation packages


• High-quality individual and family medical, dental, and vision insurance


• Health savings account with available employer match


• Employer-matched 401(k) retirement plan with immediate vesting


• Employer-paid group term life insurance and the option to elect voluntary life insurance


• Paid parental leave


• Paid medical leave


• Unlimited vacation


• 15 paid holidays


• Daily lunches, snacks, and beverages available in all office locations


• Pre-tax spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses


• Pre-tax commuter benefits


• Monthly wellness stipend


• Adoption/Surrogacy support program


• Backup child and elder care program


• Professional development reimbursement


• Employee assistance program


• Discounted programs that include legal services, identity theft protection, pet insurance, and more


• Company and team bonding outlets: employee resource groups, quarterly team activity stipend, and wellness initiatives

Learn more about Latitude’s team, mission and career opportunities at lat.ai !

The expected base salary range for this full-time position in California is $179,200 - $268,800 USD. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors, including exact work location, experience, relevant training and education, and skill level. Latitude employees are also eligible to participate in Latitude’s annual bonus programs, equity compensation, and generous Company benefits program, subject to eligibility requirements.

Candidates for positions with Latitude AI must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is available for this position.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status.