Senior Software Engineer, Autonomy - Behavior, Planning & Controls

About Cyngn
Based in Mountain View, CA, Cyngn is a publicly-traded autonomous technology company. We deploy self-driving industrial vehicles like forklifts and tuggers to factories, warehouses, and other facilities throughout North America. To build this emergent technology, we are looking for innovative, motivated, and experienced leaders to join us and move this field forward. If you like to build, tinker, and create with a team of trusted and passionate colleagues, then Cyngn is the place for you. Key reasons to join Cyngn:

We are small and big.
With under 100 employees, Cyngn operates with the energy of a startup. On the other hand, we’re publicly traded. This means our employees not only work in close-knit teams with mentorship from company leaders—they also get access to the liquidity of our publicly-traded equity.

We build today and deploy tomorrow.
Our autonomous vehicles aren’t just test concepts—they’re deployed to real clients right now. That means your work will have a tangible, visible impact.

We aren’t robots. We just develop them.
We’re a welcoming, diverse team of sharp thinkers and kind humans. Collaboration and trust drive our creative environment. At Cyngn, everyone’s perspective matters—and that’s what powers our innovation.

About this role:
As a Senior Software Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in developing next-generation autonomous systems, driving innovation in AI-driven path planning and control for our autonomous vehicles. This position offers a unique opportunity to bridge theory and practice, tackling real-world challenges in the fast-evolving field of autonomy. You will be part of a highly focused team, designing and deploying production-grade software that enables our autonomous vehicles to navigate and operate seamlessly in complex indoor and outdoor environments.

Responsibilities:
• Design, implement, and optimize motion planning and control algorithms for autonomous vehicles.
• Develop and enhance software infrastructure for vehicle simulation, performance validation, and system diagnostics.
• Architect and refine path-planning and tracking control algorithms to improve autonomy performance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deploy and validate solutions in both simulated and real-world environments.
• Balance hands-on development, code reviews, and research to achieve product-driven milestones in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Integrate cutting-edge robotics research into our autonomous driving stack to enhance system capabilities.

Qualifications:
• MS/PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong proficiency in C++ and Python with a deep understanding of software development best practices.
• Solid foundation in robotics principles, particularly motion planning and control systems.
• Strong background in vehicle dynamics and experience applying these principles to autonomous systems.
• Knowledge of nonlinear optimization and search-based planning techniques.
• Familiarity with ROS2 for designing, building, and operating robotic systems.
• Strong mathematical foundation, including geometry, linear algebra, and probability.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities with a proactive approach in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Strong communication and cross-team collaboration skills.

Bonus Qualifications:
• Experience implementing controllers and planners for real-time safety-critical mobile autonomous systems.
• Experience with simulation environments and developing kinematic/dynamic models for autonomous vehicles.
• Exposure to machine learning, deep learning, and physics-based foundation models.

Benefits & Perks:
• Health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA and FSA (Health & Dependent Daycare), Employee Assistance Program, 1:1 Health Concierge)
• Life, Short-term and long-term disability insurance (Cyngn funds 100% of premiums)
• Company 401(k)
• Commuter Benefits
• Flexible vacation policy
• Sabbatical leave opportunity after 5 years with the company
• Paid Parental Leave
• Daily lunches for in-office employees and fully-stocked kitchen with snacks and beverages