Perception Engineer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

About The Company:  

At Torc, we have always believed that autonomous vehicle technology will transform how we travel, move freight, and do business. A leader in autonomous driving since 2007, Torc has spent over a decade commercializing our solutions with experienced partners. Now a part of the Daimler family, we are focused solely on developing software for automated trucks to transform how the world moves freight. Join us and catapult your career with the company that helped pioneer autonomous technology, and the first AV software company with the vision to partner directly with a truck manufacturer. 

Meet The Team:  

Torc is hiring a Motion Control Engineer to develop the vehicle models and controls actuation systems that determine how our autonomous trucks navigate the world safely, efficiently, and predictably. Our team operates at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, optimization, simulation, and safety, building the core autonomy capabilities that translate perception into action. 

We are seeking a Software Engineer who is passionate about solving challenging autonomy problems and building production-quality software for real-world autonomous systems.  

What You'll Do:  

This role is focused on motion control and vehicle modelling for autonomous vehicles in unstructured environments. You will contribute directly to the design, development, validation, and deployment of actuation capabilities and work closely with engineers across autonomy, planning, simulation, safety, and validation to help deliver safe, robust, and reliable autonomy behaviors at scale. 

• Software Development
  • Design, develop, and optimize vehicle motion models and controls actuation strategies for autonomous trucks.
  • Incorporate vehicle kinematic and dynamic constraints into high-fidelity controls models that ensure safe, feasible, and comfortable vehicle behavior onboard and in simulation.
  • Characterize the vehicle platform, including braking, steering, and acceleration
  • Characterize non-linear effects, such as gear shifting and electronic stability control
  • Incorporate environmental effects, such as incline, terrain type, obstacle feedback, rolling resistance, and wind.
  • Evaluate controller performance across multi-dimensional assessments.
  • Analyze simulation fidelity by comparing simulated and real-world performance.
  • Develop production-quality software using modern C++ within a Linux environment while adhering to quality, safety, testing, and deployment best practices.
  • Specify requirements and document their implementation
  • Apply degraded operations capabilities for fail-safe driving
• Technical Collaboration
  • Participate in software architecture discussions and contribute to technical designs that support scalable and maintainable autonomy systems.
  • Participate in technical design reviews, code reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives across the Behaviors organization.
  • Collaborate closely with Safety, Motion Planning, Perception, Validation, and Simulation teams to develop safe and reliable autonomous driving behaviors.
• Testing, Integration, and Metrics
  • Develop and execute validation strategies across Software-in-the-Loop (SiL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL), and Vehicle-in-the-Loop (ViL) environments.
  • Investigate and debug vehicle behavior by reproducing issues in simulation, analyzing system performance, and implementing software improvements.
  • Support vehicle integration, deployment activities, and post-deployment investigations to ensure reliable autonomy performance.
  • Perform on-vehicle troubleshooting using real-time diagnostic tools and in-depth log analysis. 

We are seeking a Software Engineer who is passionate about solving challenging autonomy problems and building production-quality software for real-world autonomous systems. 

What You'll Need to Succeed:  

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field with: 4+ years of industry experience OR Master's degree with 2+ years of experience OR PhD with 1+ years of experience.
• Experience developing robotics, autonomous vehicle, ADAS, or other complex real-time software systems.
• Strong proficiency in modern C++ development within Linux-based environments.
• Strong experience developing, testing, and tuning controllers for robotics or autonomous systems.
• Strong understanding of control theory, including stability analysis
• Experience characterizing, modeling, and simulating robotic systems
• Solid understanding of vehicle dynamics, vehicle kinematics, trajectory feasibility, and controls system architecture.
• Strong foundation in linear algebra, numerical optimization, geometry, and robotics algorithms.
• Experience supporting on-vehicle testing, debugging, and deployment activities.
• Excellent troubleshooting skills with the ability to perform both real-time diagnostics and in-depth post-analysis.
• Strong understanding of software engineering fundamentals, system design principles, and scalable development practices.
• Experience with version control (Git), build systems, and package management.
• Understanding of test automation principles and proficiency with unit testing and test automation frameworks (pytest, Robot Framework, gtest, etc.)
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to debug complex system-level issues.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills within cross-functional engineering teams.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a highly collaborative environment. 

Bonus Points! 

• Experience with Model Predictive Control (MPC), convex optimization, quadratic programming (QP), nonlinear optimization, or other optimization-based planning techniques.
• Written low-level drivers for software/hardware interfacing using protocols such as CAN or ethernet
• Experience applying machine learning techniques such as imitation learning, reinforcement learning, or hybrid planning architectures.
• Hands-on experience with analyzing metrics to optimize performance in a resource-constrained environment.
• Experience developing software in both C++ and Python environments.
• Experience working with simulation platforms and large-scale autonomy validation environments.
• Experience with robotics frameworks such as ROS/ROS2, Autoware, Apollo, or similar autonomy platforms.
• Exposure to CUDA, GPU acceleration, TensorRT, or high-performance compute environments.
• Passion for autonomous vehicles, robotics, and solving complex real-world engineering challenges.
• Contributions to open-source projects related to embedded Linux, robotics, or deployment automation. 

Work Location: For this position, we are open to hiring in our Blacksburg, VA office work location in a hybrid capacity.  

U.S. Citizenship Requirement:  

This position requires access to information and systems that are restricted under U.S. law. Accordingly, only U.S. citizens are eligible for this role. This requirement is based on applicable government regulations and is not related to immigration status discrimination. 

Perks of Being a Full-time Torc'r 

Torc cares about our team members and we strive to provide benefits and resources to support their health, work/life balance, and future. Our culture is collaborative, energetic, and team focused. Torc offers:   

• A competitive compensation package that includes a bonus component and stock options
• 100% paid medical, dental, and vision premiums for full-time employees   
• 401K plan with a 6% employer match
• Flexibility in schedule and generous paid vacation (available immediately after start date)
• Company-wide holiday office closures
• AD+D and Life Insurance  

At Torc, we're committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We celebrate the uniqueness of our Torc'rs and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, veteran status, or disabilities.  

Even if you don't meet 100% of the qualifications listed for this opportunity, we encourage you to apply.  

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several geographic markets. Pay is based on a number of factors and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Torc's total compensation package will also include our corporate bonus and stock option plan. Dependent on the position offered, sign-on payments, relocation, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. 

Job ID: R-102934