- Robot type
- Autonomous Vehicle · Defense
- Location
- SeattleWashingtonUSA
- Job type
- Software
- Posted
- Jul 1, 2026
Full-time
Director of Software Engineering, Behaviors and Planning
Job description
Overland AI builds autonomous ground vehicles for defense and national security missions. Our Behaviors & Planning team owns the final layer of single-vehicle autonomy: using terrain understanding to generated planned paths and execute behaviors. This is the core autonomy loop that makes our vehicles move safely and reliably across operational domains ranging from secondary roads to complex off-road terrain.
Job requirements
- PhD in robotics, computer science, controls, or a closely related field , with a research focus in motion planning, autonomous navigation, or robot decision-making
- 5+ years of professional experience beyond the PhD, shipping autonomy software in industry -- not just publishing about it
- 2+ years leading an engineering team , including setting technical direction, managing individual contributors, and delivering complex systems on a timeline
- Deep technical expertise in at least two of: sampling-based or optimization-based motion planning (e.g., MPPI, RRT, trajectory optimization), costmap-based navigation, behavior architecture and state machines, vehicle…
- Experience shipping autonomy to hardware -- you have put your planning and behaviors stack on a real robot and seen it operate in unstructured environments, not just in simulation
- Strong partnership instincts -- you know how to work effectively across team boundaries, particularly at the perception-planning interface where two teams must co-own system performance
- Clear communication -- you can explain complex technical tradeoffs to engineers, executives, and customers. You write well and think clearly under pressure
- Comfort with ambiguity and operational tempo -- defense programs move fast, requirements shift, and field events don't wait. You thrive in this environment