Principal Motion Planning Engineer

Pickle Robot Company•Boston, MA

1d•$150,000 - $170,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Pickle is seeking a Principal Motion Planning Engineer to lead the technical vision and architecture for the planning, manipulation, navigation, and control software powering their autonomous unload robots. This role is for the most senior individual contributor on the motion planning team, focusing on complex algorithmic challenges and setting engineering standards across the robotics organization. The position emphasizes technical leadership and mentorship rather than direct people management.

Requirements

8+ years of experience building robotics software, with a proven track record of designing and shipping complex systems as a senior individual contributor.
Expert-level, hands-on experience developing motion planning and control for real-world robots (manipulation, navigation, or locomotion) in safety-critical, real-time production systems.
Exceptional technical communication skills, including the ability to set organization-wide technical strategy, write clear documentation, and influence stakeholders without formal authority.
Professional fluency in English.
Mastery of motion planning and controls: sample-based planning (e.g., RRT), path and trajectory optimization, numerical/nonlinear optimization, optimal and contact-aware control.
Expert-level proficiency in Python and C++.
Experience with ROS/ROS2, Python and C++ toolchains, Git, Linux, and numerical optimization libraries.
Experience architecting testing/CI and benchmarking for robotics.
Demonstrated deep technical ownership, sound judgment on high-stakes tradeoffs, a force-multiplier mindset, strong failure-analysis instincts, and a collaborative, low-ego approach.

Nice To Haves

Deep graduate robotics/controls research experience.

Responsibilities

Own the technical vision and architecture of Pickle's motion planning and controls stack for manipulation, navigation, and safety-critical control of the unload robot.
Develop sample-based planning (e.g., RRT), path and trajectory optimization, numerical/nonlinear optimization, and contact-aware control systems, transitioning research prototypes into production.
Establish engineering standards and technical strategy for the robotics organization, influencing key technical decisions for customer needs and long-term roadmaps.
Provide technical mentorship to the team, improving overall capabilities and guiding engineers on complex problems.
Define and maintain the architecture, interfaces, and system documentation for the planning and controls stack.
Analyze field failures and collaborate with engineering, test, and deployment teams to create robust autonomous recovery solutions.
Establish regression tests, benchmarks, and success metrics to prevent customer-facing issues and focus team efforts.
Write production-grade Python and C++ for real-time, safety-critical robotics, focusing on high-leverage and high-risk components.