Staff Software Engineer, Motion Planning

Aerovect
Italy +10 more
Remote

Who this role is best for

Strong fit for experienced software engineers who design planning systems for autonomous systems and thrive in cross-functional teams.

Best fit for

  • Experienced software engineers with a background in autonomous systems planning and a preference for C++
    — “Strong programming skills in C++ (preferred) or Python”
  • Candidates with a deep understanding of planning algorithms and real-world deployment experience
    — “Extensive hands-on experience designing and implementing planning modules for autonomous systems shipped to production or deployed in real-world operations”
  • Individuals who have worked in startup environments and can adapt to shifting priorities
    — “Experience in startup environments, demonstrating adaptability to rapidly changing priorities”

Things to consider

  • The role demands a high level of technical ownership and independent problem-solving
    — “Demonstrated ability to take ambiguous technical problems and drive them to well-architected solutions independently”

How to stand out

  • Demonstrate expertise in trajectory optimization and decision-making under uncertainty
    — “tackling hard problems in trajectory optimization, decision-making under uncertainty, and real-time constraint optimization”
  • Showcase experience with safety-critical coding practices and modern C++ development
    — “Mastery of Modern C++ (14 and beyond) and safety-critical coding practices (e.g., MISRA, ISO 26262)”
  • Emphasize your ability to prototype and evaluate new planning approaches in your application materials
    — “Prototype and evaluate new planning approaches (e.g., optimization-based methods, search-based planners, learning-augmented pipelines) and bring the best ideas to production”
  • Demonstrate your cross-functional collaboration experience with perception, controls, and localization teams
    — “Collaborate cross-functionally with perception, controls, localization, and systems engineering teams to deliver an integrated autonomous driving system”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • design and implement mission planner, behavior planner, and motion planner for autonomous systems
  • collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver an integrated autonomous driving system
Typical background
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Math, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Physics

Skills & requirements

Required

C++LinuxTrajectory OptimizationDecision-making Under UncertaintyReal-time Constraint Optimization

Preferred

PythonRos/ros2MisraISO 26262

Stack & domain

C++PythonLinuxROSROS2CommunicationOwnershipAutonomous DrivingPlanningTrajectory Optimization

About the role

Original posting from Aerovect via Ashby

WHO WE ARE

AeroVect is transforming ground handling with autonomy, redefining how airlines and ground service providers around the globe run day-to-day operations. We are a Series A company backed by top-tier venture capital investors in aviation and autonomous driving. Our customers include some of the world’s largest airlines and ground handling providers. For more information, visit www.aerovect.com http://www.aerovect.com.

JOB DESCRIPTION

We are looking for an experienced Staff Software Engineer who can design and build best-in-class planning systems for autonomous driving in structured, low-speed environments.

In this role, you'll be the technical backbone of the planning stack — owning the design and implementation of production-grade mission planning, behavior planning, and motion planning software. You'll work across the full planning pipeline to achieve category-defining vehicle autonomy for the airside, tackling hard problems in trajectory optimization, decision-making under uncertainty, and real-time constraint optimization.

This opportunity offers a deeply technical engineer the chance to shape a market-defining enterprise product that combines autonomous vehicle technology with a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) business model. This role reports to our Planning Tech Lead and works closely with the autonomy engineering team.

You Will:

  • Design, implement, and iterate on the mission planner, behavior planner, and motion planner for autonomous ground support equipment operating in airport airside environments.
  • Drive key technical decisions across the planning stack — selecting algorithms, defining interfaces, and establishing the architecture that the team builds on.
  • Prototype and evaluate new planning approaches (e.g., optimization-based methods, search-based planners, learning-augmented pipelines) and bring the best ideas to production.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with perception, controls, localization, and systems engineering teams to deliver an integrated autonomous driving system.
  • Establish and promote best practices in software development, functional safety, and systems engineering as they apply to the planning domain.
  • Mentor other engineers through technical guidance, code review, and design discussions.

You Have:

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Math, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Physics, or a related field.
  • Extensive hands-on experience designing and implementing planning modules for autonomous systems shipped to production or deployed in real-world operations.
  • Strong programming skills in C++ (preferred) or Python, and experience with Linux-based operating systems.
  • Demonstrated ability to take ambiguous technical problems and drive them to well-architected solutions independently.
  • Excellent communication skills, proactiveness, and a strong sense of ownership.

We Prefer:

  • MS or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field.
  • Mastery of Modern C++ (14 and beyond) and safety-critical coding practices (e.g., MISRA, ISO 26262).
  • 5+ years of industry experience in planning for robotic ground vehicles.
  • In-depth understanding of DDS frameworks like ROS/ROS2 or other networking middleware.
  • Experience in startup environments, demonstrating adaptability to rapidly changing priorities.

Source: Aerovect careers (Ashby)

Similar roles