Sr. Motion Planning and Controls Engineer, Autonomous Driving

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Lucid Motors

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Newark, CA, United States

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. Beyond providing competitive salaries, 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.

We are seeking a Sr. Motion Planning and Controls Engineer, Autonomous Driving to design, develop, and deploy industry-leading planning and control algorithms for next-generation driver assistance and autonomous systems.

This position is based in Newark, CA and requires onsite presence five days a week.

The Role:

As a Sr. Motion Planning and Controls Engineer, you will play a key role in developing high-performance motion planning and control features for Lucid's ADAS and autonomous driving systems. You'll work across software, hardware, and systems teams to ensure robust design, testing, and deployment of production-grade lateral and longitudinal control algorithms.

Responsibilities:

  • Design, prototype, test, and deploy motion planning and control algorithms for ADAS and autonomous driving systems.
  • Implement state-of-the-art approaches to trajectory planning, route planning, and real-time control.
  • Develop and tune classical and modern controllers (e.g., LQR, MPC, PID, Adaptive, Robust) for both lateral and longitudinal vehicle dynamics.
  • Conduct model-based design and validation using MATLAB/Simulink or equivalent tools.
  • Participate in the full development cycle, from simulation and SIL/HIL testing to in-vehicle implementation and release.
  • Collaborate closely with systems, validation, perception, and platform teams to ensure safe and seamless software integration.
  • Contribute to architectural decisions, safety assessments, and product scalability.

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in Automotive, Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering or a related field (advanced degrees preferred).
  • 5+ years of experience (with MS) or 3+ years (with PhD) in motion control or trajectory planning for ADAS/Autonomous Driving.
  • Deep knowledge of control system design and real-time implementation using modern control approaches (e.g., LQR, MPC).
  • Proven experience deploying lateral and longitudinal controllers in a production or research vehicle environment.
  • Proficiency in modeling and simulation tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink).
  • Solid understanding of ADAS/AD systems, robotics, and vehicle dynamics.
  • Strong communication skills and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Proficiency in programming languages such as C++, Python, and MATLAB.
  • Experience with middleware frameworks like ROS.
  • Familiarity with AUTOSAR and embedded software development practices.
  • Experience in bench testing, SIL/HIL integration, and scenario-based simulation.
  • Knowledge of safety standards and automotive system regulations (e.g., ISO 26262).
  • Background in agile development environments, version control (e.g., Git), and static code analysis.

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