Lead Robotics Software Engineer, Behavior Planning

• Design and implement advanced behavior planning and control for autonomous sidewalk robots in complex urban environments.
• Architect mission/route ingestion at the robot level and integrate it with mapping, perception, prediction, planning, and control.
• Build and own the behavior layer (state machine/behavior tree) for cruise, overtake, peek/yield, and stop/move-to-side behaviors.
• Define lane selection and speed governance with safety envelopes, comfort limits, and social etiquette.
• Instrument the stack with structured telemetry and define KPIs and dashboards for release gating.
• Drive improvements to the robot's ability to handle failure scenarios and compose low-level robotic skills into high-level, goal-directed behaviors.
• Lead testing and validation efforts in both simulation and real-world deployments.
• Maintain clear and comprehensive documentation of algorithms, codebases, interfaces, and system designs.

This role creates positive change by developing autonomous sidewalk robots that take deliveries away from congested streets, make deliveries available to more people, and benefit local businesses, contributing to more efficient and sustainable urban mobility.

• Phd/Master's degree in Robotics, AI, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in a Robotics or AI related engineering role.
• Strong foundation in behavior planning methods, including state machines, behavior trees, policy learning, and probabilistic planning.
• Proficiency in C++14/17 and Python; solid systems skills (concurrency, memory, performance).
• Proven experience debugging and resolving long-tail edge cases in real-world autonomous systems through targeted behavior planning strategies.
• Proficient in writing efficient, scalable, and robust code in C++ and Python.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts clearly across teams.

Base salary range for candidates in the United States: $190,000 - $230,000 USD. Base salary range for candidates in Canada: $160,000 - $190,000 CAD. The organization prefers candidates located in the San Francisco Bay Area but is open to qualified talent working remotely across the United States and Canada.

Serve Robotics is reimagining how things move in cities by developing personable sidewalk robots designed to take deliveries away from congested streets, make deliveries available to more people, and benefit local businesses. The team consists of tech industry veterans in software, hardware, and design solving real-world problems with robotics, machine learning, and computer vision.