Staff Software Engineer, Motion Planning Systems

Who We Are

Aurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly to make transportation safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before. The Aurora Driver is a self-driving system designed to operate multiple vehicle types, from freight-hauling semi-trucks to ride-hailing passenger vehicles, and underpins Aurora Horizon and Aurora Connect, its driver-as-a-service products for trucking and ride-hailing. Aurora is working with industry leaders across the transportation ecosystem, including Toyota, FedEx, Volvo Trucks, PACCAR, Uber, Uber Freight, U.S. Xpress, Werner, Covenant, Schneider, and Ryder. For Aurora’s latest news, visit aurora.tech and @aurora_inno on Twitter.

Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all. We’re searching for a Software Engineer to join Aurora’s Motion Planning Infrastructure team. The Motion Planning Infrastructure team is responsible for the software that Aurora’s core motion planning algorithms integrate into; team scope includes integration into the on-vehicle software framework, latency monitoring and architecture optimization, software quality, internal and external interfaces for the Planner, route planning, and specialized tools for MP developers.

In this role, you will

• Be responsible for the overall design of the Motion Planning software stack

• Identify, propose, and implement solutions to architectural issues with the Motion Planning software stack, with overall goals of:

  • improving maintainability and safety case compliance
  • streamlining and removing sharp corners, improving robustness, and improving flexibility to support the evolution of the algorithmic components and operating domain.

• Own the software interfaces used to communicate with external subsystems as well as within the high-level components inside the Motion Planner

• Work closely with Motion Planning leadership and cross-functional partner teams to prioritize, design, and implement work within this role’s scope.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of robotic systems software engineering experience
• Excellent data-oriented software engineering / programming skills:
  • C++ coding (all on-board code is in C++)
• Deep experience working with distributed / asynchronous systems
• Strong competency in cross-functional collaboration, building influence, and technical leadership

Desirable Qualifications

• Motion Planning experience in application to autonomous vehicles, particularly in the areas of:

  • Graph / Path Planning
  • Routing

• Python coding (strongly preferred, not required)
  The base salary range for this position is $170K - $272K per year. Aurora’s pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits.

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Working at Aurora

At Aurora, we bring together extraordinarily talented and experienced people united by the strength of our values. We operate with integrity, set outrageous goals, and build a culture where we win together — all without any jerks.

We have offices in several locations across the United States, where we encourage team and cross-functional collaboration. Aurora offers competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits, and additional healthcare support including medical transportation reimbursement, fertility, adoption, and surrogacy benefits. We empower our employees and their families with options to further their unique physical, mental, and financial well-being.

Our Learning and Development offerings include Aurora Academy, where our people learn, develop, and practice the essential skills that drive Aurora’s mission, continually up-leveling our team along the way. Our Careers page provides insight into career opportunities at Aurora, and you can find all the latest news on our Blog.

Safety is central to everything we do. Every employee at Aurora has a role in contributing to safety, every step of the way. We seek candidates who take active responsibility, can contribute to building an atmosphere of trust, and invest in the organization's long-term success by working safely — no matter what.

We believe that self-driving technology has broad benefits – including increased access to transportation. To realize those benefits, we need a workforce with diverse experiences, insights, and perspectives — a workforce that reflects the communities our technology will serve.

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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At Aurora, every employee is empowered to take an active role in building an inclusive, collaborative, and unified culture that leverages our diverse strengths, perspectives, and backgrounds.

Transforming how the world moves people and goods involves seeking to understand backgrounds, insights, and lived experiences that differ from our own. One way we accomplish that is with our 15 employee-led Aurora Unified Groups, which support diverse voices and drive inclusive collaboration. We believe that teamwork, belonging, and trust motivate and support our employees to do their best work. As our team grows, we strive to attract and retain exceptional talent that adds new perspectives and experiences and continues to drive innovation. Learn more on our Culture Page.

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