Tech Lead Manager, Planning & Behavior

Cobot•Santa Clara, CA

49d•$215,000 - $245,000•Onsite

About The Position

Do you love designing the intelligence that lets robots move safely and gracefully through the world? At Cobot, we’re building the autonomy foundation for the next generation of collaborative robots — and we’re looking for a Tech Lead Manager, Planning & Behavior to help us lead the way. This is your chance to define how our robots think, plan, and act as they navigate complex, real-world environments. In this role, you’ll lead the design and development of Cobot’s navigation and behavior stack — integrating perception, localization, mapping, and control into cohesive, intelligent motion. You’ll architect planning and decision-making systems that handle real-world uncertainty, guide a team of talented autonomy engineers, and collaborate across disciplines to ensure every robot moves predictably, efficiently, and safely. This is a unique opportunity to shape the navigation brain at the heart of our robots — where advanced algorithms meet real-world impact. If you’re excited to push the boundaries of motion planning, behavior design, and intelligent autonomy, we’d love for you to join us. This role is located at our Santa Clara, CA headquarters.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.
5+ years of experience working within engineering teams.
Professional managerial experience.
Proficiency in C++ and Python, with a readiness to learn new languages or technologies.
Deep understanding of motion planning algorithms and trajectory generation under dynamic constraints.
Expertise in decision-making frameworks such as finite state machines, behavior trees, hierarchical task networks, or learning-based policies.
Experience with ROS2 or equivalent robotics middleware for distributed autonomy systems.
Familiarity with real-time systems, multi-threaded programming, and performance optimization for onboard computation.
Experience with simulation tools (Gazebo, CARLA, Isaac Sim, or Unity) and scenario-based testing of navigation and behavior.
Strong systems-level thinking — ability to design interfaces between perception, planning, control, and behavior layers.
Experience implementing production-grade, high-reliability software on a robot or similar autonomous system.
Willing to occasionally travel.
Must have and maintain US work authorization.
Highly motivated teammate with excellent oral and written communication skills.
Enjoy working in a fast paced, collaborative and dynamic start-up environment as part of a small team.

Nice To Haves

Ph.D. with 3+ years or Master’s with 5+ years of experience in robotics, motion planning, or autonomous systems.
8+ years of experience working within engineering teams.
Strong proficiency in C++, with experience in production-quality code for real-time or safety-critical systems.
Experience with human robot interaction or socially aware navigation.
Solid understanding of dynamics, control interfaces, and motion feasibility constraints.
Experience with simulation tools and in realistic environments.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and development of the robot’s navigation, planning, and behavior stack — from motion planning to high-level decision-making.
Architect robust autonomy systems that integrate perception, localization, mapping, and control into cohesive, real-world-capable behavior.
Drive the roadmap for navigation, trajectory planning, and behavioral decision layers, balancing near-term delivery with long-term technical vision.
Collaborate across disciplines — perception, controls, simulation, hardware, and UX — to ensure seamless integration and safe, predictable robot behavior.
Guide algorithmic development for path planning, behavior selection, and motion optimization under real-world constraints (uncertainty, dynamic obstacles, multi-agent interactions).
Provide technical mentorship and guidance to autonomy engineers, fostering best practices in software design, testing, and reliability.
Review and refine technical requirements, translating them into clear design plans and execution strategies.