Senior Software Systems Engineer, Motion Planning - Autonomous Vehicles

Details

We are seeking an enthusiastic software engineer to join the Motion / Trajectory planning team to develop and deploy optimization-based trajectory generation algorithms for NVIDIA's autonomous driving platform. In this role you will develop code within the NVIDIA AV stack and work closely with Behavior Planning and Controls engineers to build focused software solutions and production-ready code that transforms the autonomous driving experience working closely with our OEM automotive partners.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement cost functions and constraints for trajectory generation for a non-linear constrained optimization problem addressing autonomous driving and parking in dynamic environments.
• Improve gradient-based optimization solver methods for higher efficiency and performance.
• Model desired highway and urban (L2–L4) vehicle behavior and driving modes as optimal-control problems.
• Design the overall software architecture for a particular feature or component.
• Tune and validate behaviors in simulation and NVIDIA's autonomous vehicle customer fleet.
• Mature prototype software to production quality and collaborate with Behavior Planning and Controls teams.

Requirements

• MS or higher in an engineering or technical field (Computer Science, Mathematics, Control, Optimization, Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning, etc.) or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of practical experience; experience in the AV industry highly preferred.
• Experience writing software in C++.
• Strong applied mathematics skills: proficiency with linear algebra, differential equations, numerical methods and convex optimization.
• Comfort with Linux-based software development environments and tools such as GitLab, JIRA, and Gerrit (or similar).

Ways to stand out

• Experience in product development in AV and vehicle test environments.
• Expertise developing optimization solvers: linear & quadratic programming, sequential quadratic programming, and fully nonlinear solvers, and their applications in model-predictive control systems for vehicle dynamic models.
• Experience working with motion planning algorithms and interfacing with ML trajectory outputs.

Benefits and Compensation

• Base salary range (depends on location, experience, and level):
  • Level 4: 184,000 USD - 287,500 USD
  • Level 5: 224,000 USD - 356,500 USD
• Eligible for equity and company benefits (link provided in original posting).

Additional information

• Applications for this job will be accepted at least until July 29, 2025.
• NVIDIA is an equal opportunity employer and committed to fostering a diverse work environment.
• The job mentions working with NVIDIA GPUs and AI software as part of the company's broader context in AI and autonomous vehicles.