Staff Software Engineer, Planner
About The Position
DoorDash Labs is DoorDash’s innovation hub, established in 2018 to develop automation and robotics that enhance last-mile logistics and support human networks. The team is focused on business impact and consists of a highly senior, nimble group with experience across robotics industries. The Staff Software Engineer, Planner will design, implement, and deploy behavior and motion-planning algorithms for autonomous delivery in unstructured, highly dynamic environments. The role calls for deep expertise in motion planning and trajectory optimization, along with practical experience navigating the full development lifecycle of an autonomous product and building robust, reliable, high-performing planning systems. The position is expected to be filled by December 21, 2026.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D. in computer science, electrical engineering, robotics, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Strong C++ software engineering experience building robust, production-quality systems.
- Experience developing or deploying motion-planning, trajectory-optimization, robotics, or real-time decision-making systems.
- Comfort working with data-driven evaluation, simulation, and performance metrics to guide engineering decisions.
Responsibilities
- Design and ship real-time behavior and motion-planning features for complex urban and suburban driving scenarios, particularly for unstructured, highly dynamic environments.
- Lead automation of root-cause analysis and systematically eliminate planner-related disengagements and long-tail failures.
- Build scalable evaluation, simulation, and validation frameworks to support safe rollout to new geo-fenced regions.
- Collaborate with perception, prediction, controls, and platform teams to deliver end-to-end autonomy improvements.
- Contribute to architecture decisions that improve planner robustness, generalization, and computational efficiency.
Benefits
- 401(k) plan with employer matching
- Paid parental leave (16 weeks)
- Wellness benefits
- Commuter benefits match
- Paid time off and paid sick leave
- Medical, dental, and vision benefits
- 11 paid holidays
- Disability insurance
- Basic life insurance
- Family-forming assistance
- Mental health program
- Equity grants
- Flexible paid time off/vacation for salaried roles
- 80 hours of paid sick time per year for salaried roles
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
