Planning & Control Engineer, Early Career
Botauto · Houston, TX
About this role
**Company Introduction** At Bot Auto, we’re revolutionizing the transportation of goods with cutting-edge autonomous trucks—enhancing the quality of life for communities around the globe. With the agility of a start-up and the wisdom of seasoned experts, our team has achieved numerous world-firsts and unparalleled innovations. Join us and help transform your dreams into reality. **About the Role** We’re looking for an **early-career Planning & Control Engineer** to help develop and improve the driving behavior of our autonomous trucks. This is primarily an **algorithm and software development** role. You’ll investigate driving problems, implement improvements, and evaluate performance through **simulation and vehicle data**. You’ll also collaborate with our **Validation** team to develop targeted tests and identify regressions. Rigorous experimental habits are central to this role: we value engineers who investigate **why** an approach works, understand **where** it fails, and draw conclusions supported by evidence—not just produce successful demonstrations. *Intended for recent graduates and engineers with ~0–3 years of relevant experience. Prior autonomous-driving industry experience is not required.* **Responsibilities** - **Develop planning and control software**: Implement and improve algorithms in behavior planning, motion planning, trajectory generation, or vehicle control. - **Investigate real-world driving issues**: Use vehicle logs, simulation, and code analysis to understand unexpected behavior and identify root causes. - **Design and run meaningful experiments**: Establish baselines, make deliberate comparisons, and choose scenarios/metrics that test the intended hypothesis. - **Make results reproducible and conclusions transparent**: Maintain experiment scripts and records; document what was tested, observed, and what remains uncertain. - **Analyze failures and regressions**: Investigate counterexamples and trade-offs; turn findings into improvements and targeted regression tests. - **Collaborate on implementation and validation**: Participate in design/code reviews and work with Simulation and Validation engineers to assess performance. **Required Qualifications** - **Strong experimental habits**: Formulate clear questions, establish baselines, design meaningful comparisons, and interpret results critically (including reporting negative results). - **Strong programming fundamentals** with hands-on experience in **C++ and Python** (implementing, debugging, and testing algorithms). - **Solid foundation** in at least one relevant area (e.g., motion planning, decision-making, optimization, robotics, feedback control). Depth in one area matters more than broad familiarity. - Experience completing a substantive technical project involving both **implementation and evaluation** (research, internships, robotics competitions, and academic/personal projects welcome). - Ability to communicate technical reasoning clearly—distinguishing observations from assumptions and explaining strengths/limitations. - Bachelor’s degree or higher in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience). **Preferred Qualifications** - Experience with **closed-loop simulation**, physical robots, or vehicle-based experiments. - Familiarity with **vehicle dynamics**, system identification, or interactions between planning and control. - Experience w
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