Software Engineer, Planning & Controls - Autonomy & Robotics

DoorDash USA•San Francisco, CA

2d•$198,600 - $292,000•Onsite

About The Position

DoorDash Labs is an independent team within DoorDash focused on long-term exploration of robotics and automation to transform last-mile logistics. We are seeking a Planning & Controls Engineer for our Autonomy Software team. This role involves owning and developing flight control, motion planning, and mission planning algorithms for robust, fault-tolerant drone delivery. It is a hands-on position requiring the design, implementation in C++ on embedded platforms, flight testing, and iteration of controllers.

Requirements

Deep controls fundamentals: linear and nonlinear systems, stability analysis, controller synthesis and tuning, frequency domain analysis, optimization, and linear algebra
Excellent knowledge of C++ and embedded systems
Dynamics modeling and simulation experience with aerodynamics knowledge
Experience developing and tuning flight controllers, interfacing with state estimation
Excellent knowledge of motion planning algorithms (trajectory optimization and nonlinear optimization, A/D/RRT variants)
Experience with sensorless brushless DC motor control
Experience building or owning a robot control stack end-to-end, from design through implementation to hardware testing
MS/PhD degree in EE, ME, CS, Robotics, or related technical field

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with PX4 internals (mixer, rate controller, position controller)
Experience with hybrid VTOL transition control
Experience with tethered or suspended payload dynamics
Contributions to open-source flight stacks or robotics frameworks
Published papers in controls, motion planning, or aerial robotics
Experience developing a Model Predictive Controller (MPC), including formulation, solver, and deployment

Responsibilities

Play an integral role on a small and focused team
Develop and tune low-level flight control algorithms for overactuated multirotor and hybrid aircraft on embedded platforms
Own the dynamics simulation and aerodynamics modeling of the aircraft
Bring up and tune flight controllers on new drone platforms
Develop, tune, and test fault-tolerant control (loss of one or more motors, safe landing, emergency behaviors)
Build a trajectory motion planner for smooth flight and obstacle avoidance within the operating envelope
Help develop the high-level mission route planner with fallback locations