Sr. Staff Engineer, Motion Planning and Controls, Autonomous Driving

About Lucid

At Lucid, we are creating exceptional mobility experiences through innovation to drive the world forward. Built on Lucid’s proprietary technology and software-defined vehicle architecture, our award-winning vehicles bring our “Compromise Nothing™” approach to the global automotive market. That means refusing to choose between performance and sustainability, design and engineering, ambition and integrity. In Lucid Air and Lucid Gravity, we have designed and built vehicles that have redefined their segments, combining exceptional range, performance, design, and expansive space in a single experience.

We achieve this through deep vertical integration, with design, engineering, and production happening in-house across our global offices and manufacturing facilities. Our teams come from industries around the world, united by a shared commitment to excellence. By refusing to settle, you can help redefine what’s possible and shape the future of mobility.

Senior Staff Software Engineer, Motion Planning and Controls, Autonomous Driving

Leading the future in luxury electric and mobility At Lucid, we set out to introduce the most captivating, luxury electric vehicles that elevate the human experience and transcend the perceived limitations of space, performance, and intelligence. Vehicles that are intuitive, liberating, and designed for the future of mobility. We plan to lead in this new era of luxury electric by returning to the fundamentals of great design – where every decision we make is in service of the individual and environment. Because when you are no longer bound by convention, you are free to define your own experience. Come work alongside some of the most accomplished minds in the industry. We’re providing a community for innovators who want to make an immediate and significant impact. If you are driven to create a better, more sustainable future, then this is the right place for you.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer to support the auto-parking and low-speed autonomy stack. This role focuses on trajectory optimization, path smoothing, and local planning, with direct impact on parking features such as Auto Park, Summon, and Park-to-Park. The ideal candidate will combine strong algorithmic foundations with production-grade software execution, driving both system performance and scalability. This role is based in Newark, CA. and requires employees to be onsite five days a week.

Key Responsibilities:

Motion Planning & Trajectory Optimization

Develop and enhance trajectory optimization algorithms (e.g., iLQR / MPC-based approaches) for low-speed scenarios

Design and implement constraint-aware optimization, including

Improve local planners to generate control-friendly trajectories

System Architecture & Performance Optimization

Refactor and scale planning stack architecture for maintainability and extensibility

Optimize CPU usage and explore parallel/GPU acceleration opportunities

Improve system-level behaviors such as:

Stability under dynamic constraints

Scalability across scenarios and vehicle platforms

Debugging, Validation, and Production Integration

Investigate and resolve real-world issues such as: Curvature discontinuities, velocity/trajectory mismatches, and edge-case steering behavior

Validate solutions using:

Simulation and vehicle logs

Multi-scenario testing and benchmarking

Research, Prototyping, and Innovation

Evaluate and prototype new approaches (e.g., learned models, barrier functions, ML-based planning)

Benchmark and compare planning algorithms for production viability

Contribute to next-gen planning initiatives, including ML-driven planning

Cross-Team Collaboration & Knowledge Transfer

Drive technical discussions and share algorithm insights across teams

Maintain high-quality documentation and support knowledge transfer

Track work via Jira with clear metrics and reproducible results

Required Qualifications:

M.S. or Ph.D. in Robotics, Control, Electrical Engineering, or related field

10+ years of software development experience in autonomous driving, ADAS, or robotics, with a focus on large-scale data and real-time systems

Strong programming skills in C/C++ with solid understanding of software engineering design principles and best practices

Proven track record of delivering ADAS/AD features through the full production lifecycle: requirements analysis, architecture/design, implementation, unit testing, feature tuning, SIL/HIL validation, and in-vehicle deployment

Hands-on experience with software integration on embedded platforms (e.g., NVIDIA Xavier/Orin, Infineon Aurix)

Demonstrated ability to build reliable production-grade systems, including large-scale architectures, evaluation pipelines, and performance-optimized models

Leadership experience

Preferred Qualifications:

ML-based planning approaches

GPU or parallel computing for planning

Track record of production deployment in real vehicles

At Lucid, we don’t just welcome diversity - we celebrate it! Lucid Motors is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, and any other characteristic protected under applicable State or Federal laws and regulations. At Lucid, we don’t just welcome diversity - we celebrate it! Lucid Motors is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, and any other characteristic protected under applicable State or Federal laws and regulations. Salary Range: The compensation range for this position is specific to the locations listed below and is the range Lucid reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for the position taking into account the wide variety of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including job-related knowledge; skillset; experience, education and training; certifications; and other relevant business and organizational factors. Base Pay Range (Annual)$216,600—$317,680 USD

Compensation & Benefits: Lucid offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance; life and disability coverage; paid time off; paid holidays, paid sick leave; and a 401(k) retirement plan. Hourly/non-exempt employees accrue up to 120 hours paid time off, and salaried/exempt employee accrue up to 160 hours paid time off. Eligible employees may also participate in Lucid’s equity program and/or a discretionary annual cash incentive program. Incentive and equity awards, if applicable, are determined based on individual performance, role scope, market considerations, and overall company results, in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

Equal Opportunity: At Lucid, we believe diversity strengthens everything we build. Lucid Motors is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing an inclusive workplace for all. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable state or federal laws and regulations.

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