Software Engineer, Planning & Controls - Autonomy & Robotics, DoorDash Air (Robotics)

Location: San Francisco, California, United States

Salary: $198,600–$292,000 USD annually, plus potential equity grants.

Company

hirify.global Labs is an independent hirify.global team developing robotics and automation solutions for long-term last-mile logistics.

What you will do

• Develop and tune low-level flight-control algorithms for overactuated multirotor and hybrid aircraft on embedded platforms.
• Own aircraft dynamics simulation and aerodynamic modeling.
• Bring up and tune flight controllers on new drone platforms, including flight testing and iteration.
• Develop fault-tolerant controls for motor loss, safe landing, and emergency behaviors.
• Build trajectory motion-planning algorithms for smooth flight and obstacle avoidance.
• Help develop high-level mission route planning with fallback locations.

Requirements

• Strong foundation in linear and nonlinear systems, stability analysis, controller synthesis and tuning, frequency-domain analysis, optimization, and linear algebra.
• Excellent knowledge of C++ and embedded systems.
• Experience with dynamics modeling, simulation, aerodynamics, flight-controller development, tuning, and state-estimation interfaces.
• Knowledge of motion-planning algorithms, including trajectory optimization, nonlinear optimization, and A*/D*/RRT variants.
• Experience with sensorless brushless DC motor control and end-to-end robot control-stack development through hardware testing.
• MS or PhD in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, robotics, or a related technical field.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with PX4 internals, including mixer, rate controller, and position controller.
• Experience with hybrid VTOL transition control or tethered and suspended payload dynamics.
• Contributions to open-source flight stacks or robotics frameworks.
• Published research in controls, motion planning, or aerial robotics.
• Experience developing and deploying Model Predictive Controllers, including formulation and solver development.

Culture & Benefits

• Work as part of a small, focused autonomy software team.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• 401(k) plan with employer matching, paid parental leave, paid holidays, paid time off, and paid sick leave.
• Wellness, commuter, disability, life insurance, family-forming, and mental-health benefits.
• Flexible paid time off and vacation for salaried roles.