{"id":69420,"url":"https://alion.io/job/kodiak-staff-software-engineer-learned-hybrid-behavior-planning","title":"Staff Software Engineer, Learned & Hybrid Behavior Planning","company":{"id":29704,"name":"Kodiak","domain":"kodiak.ai","url":"https://alion.io/company/kodiak","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":89,"open_postings":62,"ghost_share":0.097,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":75,"computed_at":"2026-10-27T05:46:45Z"}},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"staff","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Mountain View, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":240000,"max":265000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":265000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AWS","optional":false},{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Machine Learning","optional":false},{"name":"Motion Planning","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-06-23T20:48:21Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-20","last_verified_at":"2026-10-28T01:23:42Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":126,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":125},"description":"Kodiak AI, Inc. (Nasdaq: KDK), founded in 2018, is a leader in Physical AI, developing driverless technology that powers machines that move. Its Kodiak Driver is a vehicle-agnostic autonomous driving system that combines AI-powered software with modular hardware. Today it operates in long-haul trucking, industrial trucking, and defense. In 2024, Kodiak launched commercial Driver-as-a-Service operations with no one in the cab, and plans to launch driverless long-haul service between Dallas and Houston by the end of 2026.\nKodiak has partnered with many of the biggest names in freight, including Bosch for scaled hardware production, AWS, and leading customers including Atlas Energy Solutions, IKEA, Bridgestone, Werner Enterprises, C.R. England, Roehl Transport, and General Dynamics Land Systems.\nWe are looking for a Staff Software Engineer to help shape how learned models are integrated into behavior planning for autonomous driving. In this role, you will sit at the intersection of Planning and Machine Learning, working closely with ML engineers and autonomy teams to bring learned components into a production autonomy stack.\nThis is a high-impact role for someone who understands both the practical constraints of real-world planning systems and the opportunities enabled by modern learned models. You will help shape how ML improves autonomy behavior while ensuring that new capabilities are safe, measurable, debuggable, and deployable.\nWhat You’ll Do\nLead Planning-side integration of learned models into the behavior planning stack.\nCollaborate closely with ML teams on model improvements, requirements, evaluation, and deployment.\nWork on learned planning components as well as other ML-driven planning signals, such as behavior classification, actor intent understanding, and data-driven decision-making.\nDesign integration strategies that balance learned components with existing heuristic planning systems.\nDefine validation, fallback, monitoring, and safety criteria for learned planning components.\nDebug and analyze model behavior using simulation, logs, metrics, and real-world autonomy data.\nPartner with cross-functional teams across Perception, ML, Planning, Simulation, Systems, and Safety.\nLead technical designs and mentor other engineers.\nWhat We’re Looking For\nStrong experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or a related autonomy domain.\nDeep technical background in behavior planning, decision-making, or motion planning.\nStrong software engineering skills with proficiency in C++. Python proficiency is a plus.\nExperience working with heuristic or classical planning systems.\nExperience integrating or developing learned behavior policies, behavior classification, trajectory prediction, or actor intent models.\nAbility to reason about safety, system behavior, evaluation, and deployment risk.\nExcellent cross-functional communication and technical leadership skills.\nThe pay range listed below reflects the base salary in our SF/Silicon Valley location, across several internal levels. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors including: work location, experience, relevant training, education, skill level and performance during interview. Total compensation at Kodiak includes base pay, equity, bonus and a competitive benefits package\nCalifornia Pay Range\n$240,000—$265,000 USD\nAt Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.\nIn alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility for such positions may hinge on verification of a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. Should the position require, and Kodiak determines that a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate an export license, bar the candidate from the position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak’s sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate’s application. If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.\nWe use a third-party AI tool (Endorsed) to assist in the initial screening of applications. As part of the evaluation process, we provide Endorsed with job requirements and candidate-submitted applications. Final hiring decisions are made by our human recruitment team, and no automated system makes the ultimate decision regarding hiring. Certain features of the platform may qualify it as an Automated Employment Decision Tool (AEDT) under applicable regulations. We began using Endorsed on January 1, 2026. You can review the independent bias audit report covering our use of Endorsed [here](https://endorsed.com/local-law-144). By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your application may be processed by AI systems as part of the screening and selection process. If you have any questions or would like to request a separate review of your application, please contact  with \"Separate Review Request\" in the email subject line.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5661,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Autonomous Driving","Logistics","Road Transport"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-06-23T20:48:21Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":25,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.683,"p_room":0.36,"age_days":125,"expected_fill_days":75,"reasons":["conf:2","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-27T05:46:45Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":265000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/kodiak-staff-software-engineer-learned-hybrid-behavior-planning","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/kodiak-staff-software-engineer-learned-hybrid-behavior-planning.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-28T03:47:26Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":4945,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-29T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":29704},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=29704"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fkodiak-staff-software-engineer-learned-hybrid-behavior-planning"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fkodiak-staff-software-engineer-learned-hybrid-behavior-planning"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fkodiak-staff-software-engineer-learned-hybrid-behavior-planning"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/kodiak-staff-software-engineer-learned-hybrid-behavior-planning\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fkodiak-staff-software-engineer-learned-hybrid-behavior-planning"}]}