CloudKitchens

Robotics Planning Engineer - San Francisco, CA

CloudKitchens$182K — $230K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • BS/MS/PhD in Robotics, Computer Science or related field
  • 2+ years of software development experience
  • Strong foundation in motion planning algorithms
  • Experience with computational geometry
  • Proficiency in Python and NumPy
  • Understanding of vehicle kinematics and nonholonomic constraints
  • Ability to analyze and optimize algorithms for real-time performance

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement motion planning algorithms for vehicles
  • Develop coordination systems to prevent deadlocks and collisions
  • Build simulation tools for validating planning algorithms
  • Optimize algorithms for real-time performance
  • Collaborate with controls engineers on path execution
  • Debug fleet-level issues using logged data
  • Travel to customer sites as needed

Benefits

  • Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance
  • Flexible Spending and Health Savings Account options
  • 401(k) plan
  • Equity opportunities
  • Unlimited flexible time off and paid holidays
  • Paid parental leave
  • Pre-tax commuter benefit
  • Team lunches twice a week
Full Job Description
What you'll do

We're looking for a Robotics Planning Engineer to develop the high-level autonomy systems that coordinate fleets of autonomous haul trucks in mining environments. You'll work on path planning, multi-vehicle coordination, and dispatch systems that operate at the site level - deciding where trucks go, when they go, and how they interact with each other.

What You'll Build
  • Motion planning - A robust stack, from path planning to trajectory optimization, to generate smooth and safe trajectories for 200+ ton trucks to follow.
  • Coordination planning - Systems to simultaneously coordinate the motion of multiple vehicles with intersecting trajectories to avoid collision and maximize throughput.
  • Fleet planning - Algorithms that dynamically translate the site-wide state, like loading and dumping locations, to actively managed assignments for each truck.

Responsibilities
  • Design and implement motion planning algorithms for non-holonomic vehicles
  • Develop multi-agent coordination systems that prevent deadlocks and collisions
  • Build simulation and visualization tools for validating planning algorithms
  • Optimize planning algorithms for real-time performance in production environments
  • Collaborate with controls engineers to ensure planned paths are executable
  • Debug fleet-level issues using logged data and replay tools
  • Travel note: This role requires periodic travel to customer sites (up to 5%)
  • Schedule note: Some schedule flexibility may be required during deployments


What we're looking for

Required Qualifications
  • BS/MS/PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, or related field
  • 2+ years of professional (non-internship) software development experience
  • Strong foundation in motion planning algorithms
  • Experience with computational geometry (collision detection, polygon operations)
  • Proficiency in Python and NumPy for numerical computing
  • Understanding of vehicle kinematics and nonholonomic constraints
  • Ability to analyze algorithm complexity and optimize for real-time performance

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with multi-agent coordination or scheduling algorithms
  • Familiarity with Dubins/Reeds-Shepp curves for non-holonomic planning
  • Background in trajectory optimization (DCBF, MPC-based planners)
  • Experience with graph algorithms (Dijkstra, heuristic search)
  • Knowledge of GEOS, Shapely or other computational geometry libraries
  • Experience with fleet management or dispatch systems
  • Familiarity with Redis, ZeroMQ, or similar infrastructure
  • Familiarity with modern ML techniques for planning problems

Technical Environment
  • Languages: Python (primary), C++ (performance-critical modules)
  • Libraries: NumPy, Shapely, Numba, SciPy
  • Testing: Simulation replay, config-driven scenario testing


What else you need to know

This role is based in our San Francisco office location. As a company driven by innovation and continuous change, close collaboration is essential. We're constantly reimagining our industry, creating new products, and refining our processes, and we do our best work together. That's why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week.

The base salary range for this role is $182,000 - $230,000 per year.

Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for equity awards and an annual performance-based bonus.

Benefits Summary (USA Full-Time Exempt Employees):
  • Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance
  • Flexible Spending Account / Health Savings Account Options
  • 401(k)
  • Equity
  • Sick Time, Unlimited Flexible Time Off, and Paid Holidays
  • Paid Parental Leave
  • Pre-Tax Commuter Benefit Plan
  • Team lunch in our SoMa office every Tuesday and Thursday

Benefits are subject to change at the company's discretion.
Pronto accepts applications on an ongoing basis.

#LI-Onsite

About CloudKitchens

CloudKitchens is a technology company that provides a platform for restaurants to operate delivery-only kitchens. The company's platform allows restaurants to expand their delivery reach without the need for additional physical locations, while also providing real-time data and analytics to optimize operations. CloudKitchens was founded in 2016 by Travis Kalanick, the co-founder of Uber, and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
Learn more about CloudKitchens
Size
1,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2016

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