--- title: 'Senior Agentic Planning Engineer at Lightspeed' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-agentic-planning-engineer-lightspeed-northbrook-m2d7m8msax70' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-29' --- # Senior Agentic Planning Engineer at Lightspeed - **Company:** Lightspeed - **Location:** Northbrook, IL - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-10-29 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-29 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/lightspeed/9b63d66b-9a57-4e98-a48c-b2551a318a89 ## Job description ## About LightSpeed LightSpeed Build Technologies is revolutionizing the construction industry through AI-powered robotics. Our flagship systems—BRUTE for automated wall panel manufacturing and DEX for on-site collaborative construction—are addressing the global housing crisis by delivering unprecedented speed, precision, and affordability in homebuilding. Position Overview As Senior Agentic Planning Engineer, you will own how LightSpeed's robots decide what to do next. Every robot action is one of two primitives, move or actuate. You will build the planner that reasons over a goal, sequences those primitives, chooses classical control or a learned policy for each step, and recovers when a step fails. Planning doesn't stop after the first step. Your planner keeps deciding as the robot works, using live data from the sensors and the result of every action. When it works, a robot finishes a whole panel or room on its own, with every decision it makes. ## What you'll work on Primitives and contracts - Define primitives and their contract: inputs, preconditions, success checks and failure codes - Define the interface between the planner and the executor: step request, choice of classical or policy, result and evidence - Keep the primitive library callable by the planner, not wired by hand for each task Planning and reasoning - Build the task graph from BIM: the elements in front of the robot and the dependencies between them - Build the planner in two layers: a reasoning layer for open-ended decisions, and solvers for reach, collision and trajectory - Decide when to use a reasoning model and when not to; keep it off the real-time control path - Set the rule for choosing classical control or a learned policy for each step, based on world-model confidence and how structured the step is - Extend the planner's reasoning and sequencing for each new trade - Measure success by how fast a new trade can be taught Execution and recovery - Build the execution monitor: verify each step, then retry, switch executor, skip and flag, or escalate to a person - Log every decision with its reason and evidence, so any outcome can be explained - Keep the planner inside guardrails: a constrained action space, declared parameter ranges, and safety that is never the planner's to decide - Build the operator view for escalations and remote assistance Multi-robot readiness - Design the planner so two robots can share one world model and divide work: one holds, one fastens; one supplies, one installs Foundation and skill pipeline - Co-own the foundation interfaces with the world sensing and robot learning principals, and own the primitive contract - Run the new stack alongside production on our existing robots, switchable per job, so it is tested on real work from the start - Prove the system by running whole tasks end to end on real robots, with recovery Technical leadership - Set planning and autonomy architecture across both robot families - Mentor autonomy and motion planning engineers - Make the system something engineers can teach new trades with, without you in the loop - Stay hands-on: write production code and test on real robots every week Required qualifications Autonomy and planning - 5+ years building autonomy, task planning or decision-making systems for robots or autonomous vehicles, with systems deployed in production - Task-level planning on real robots: behavior trees, task and motion planning (TAMP), HTN or similar - Execution monitoring and fault recovery in a deployed system - Built interfaces between planning, perception and control that other teams built against - Hands-on with reasoning models or LLMs in a decision loop, and a clear view of where they help and where they don't Engineering and leadership - Strong Python and C++ - Experience with ROS2, Linux, Docker and CI/CD workflows - A record of setting technical direction across teams and mentoring senior engineers ## Preferred qualifications - MS or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, AI or a related field - Behavior or decision planning on an autonomous vehicle team - LLM or VLM agents for robotics, with constrained action spaces and guardrails - Motion planning and trajectory optimization: MoveIt, OMPL or similar - Multi-robot coordination, task allocation or fleet orchestration - Functional safety or formal verification for autonomous systems - Planning from CAD or BIM models - Background in construction, manufacturing or industrial automation ## Why Join LightSpeed - Build the decision-making of robots that are addressing the housing crisis - Own autonomy end to end, from the primitive contract to whole tasks finished on their own - Shape the foundation every trade is built on - Work on rare real-world problems: agentic planning on physical robots, recovery in messy sites, two robots sharing one task - Hands-on culture with direct access to robots, sensors and manufacturing environments - Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits Employment Relationship This position is at-will, meaning either you or the Company may terminate employment at any time, with or without cause or notice. ## Equal Opportunity LightSpeed Build Technologies is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experiences. ## About Lightspeed ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Lightspeed uses robotics and AI to manufacture precision-engineered panels and components for residential construction, aiming to build homes faster, smarter, and more affordably. - **Entity Type**: Private (Startup) - **Headquarters**: Northbrook, Illinois, United States - **Founded**: Not publicly available (likely 2023-2024 based on current operations) - **Founders**: Biju Kulathakal (serial entrepreneur behind Redbox and Halo Investing) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Construction Technology (Contech), Robotics, AI-Powered Manufacturing - **Target customers**: Homebuilders, real estate developers, construction firms (B2B) - **Mission or purpose statement**: "Housing for All" — building homes smarter, faster, and more affordable with robotics and AI. ## Products & Services - **BRUTE Robotic System**: A robotic system designed for heavy-duty construction tasks, targeting a 50% reduction in build time versus traditional methods. - **DEX Robotic System**: A precision robotic system for detailed assembly and finishing work. - **AI-Powered Design & Engineering**: Proprietary AI algorithms that analyze architectural drawings to automatically generate optimized construction sequences, material lists, and robotic instructions. - **Precision-Engineered Panels**: Prefabricated wall and floor panels manufactured to tight tolerances, enabling faster on-site assembly and reduced errors. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed - **Key Metric**: Not publicly available (likely pre-revenue or early-stage; funding status unknown) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Founder Biju Kulathakal previously founded Redbox and Halo Investing, suggesting strong investor connections, but no specific investors are named for Lightspeed. - **Growth Signals**: The company is actively hiring (careers page on Ashby), signaling growth. They claim to target 70% reduction in construction errors, 20-30% labor cost savings, and 25% reduction in material waste. ## Competitive Advantages - **Robotic Precision**: Claims tolerances "impossible with manual framing" — a significant differentiator in an industry where quality varies widely. - **Founder Credibility**: Biju Kulathakal has a proven track record building Redbox (a massive kiosk network) and Halo Investing (a fintech platform), suggesting ability to scale. - **Integrated AI-to-Robotics Pipeline**: Full vertical integration from architectural drawing analysis to robotic manufacturing, reducing human error and rework. - **Sustainability Angle**: Precision manufacturing reduces construction waste by ~25%, aligning with ESG trends in real estate. ## Strategic Focus - **Offsite Construction**: The company is riding the McKinsey-predicted trend that 20% of homes will be built offsite in the US by 2030. - **Speed & Labor Reduction**: Core value prop is cutting build time in half and reducing labor dependency — critical as construction labor shortages worsen. - **Scaling Manufacturing**: Likely focused on expanding production capacity at their Northbrook facility and proving the technology with initial clients. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-Driven**: "Housing for All" offers a tangible social impact — helping solve the housing affordability crisis through technology. - **Founder Led**: Working directly with a serial entrepreneur who has scaled companies to national prominence. - **Cutting-Edge Tech**: Hands-on work with robotics, computer vision, AI, and advanced manufacturing — appealing for engineers and operators. - **Early-Stage Impact**: As a likely early-stage company, employees can wear multiple hats and shape the product and culture from the ground up. - **Location**: Northbrook, IL (northern suburb of Chicago) offers a suburban office environment with access to Chicago's talent pool. - **Work Policy**: Not explicitly stated, but the nature of robotics manufacturing suggests a strong on-site presence for hardware roles. **Note**: There is a separate, publicly traded company called Lightspeed Commerce (NYSE: LSPD, TSX: LSPD) that provides POS and e-commerce software. This profile is for Lightspeed (lightspeed.build), the robotics construction startup. Do not confuse the two. ## Sources 1. [lightspeed.build](https://lightspeed.build/) 2. [lightspeed.build/about-us](https://lightspeed.build/about-us) 3. [lightspeed.build/contact-us](https://lightspeed.build/contact-us) 4. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/lightspeed](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/lightspeed) ## Other roles at Lightspeed - [Senior Robot Learning Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-robot-learning-engineer-lightspeed-northbrook-n1ye2z9wvhmz) — Northbrook, IL - [Senior World Sensing Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-world-sensing-engineer-lightspeed-northbrook-pw92dqkdya8d) — Northbrook, IL - [Residential Design & Preconstruction Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/residential-design-preconstruction-specialist-lightspeed-northbrook-a8sy1bxmccqz) — Northbrook, IL - [Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-lightspeed-northbrook-yqf4rprszy0s) — Northbrook, IL - [Perception Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/perception-engineer-lightspeed-northbrook-eq8c65rv5zn9) — Northbrook, IL - [Robot Learning Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/robot-learning-engineer-lightspeed-northbrook-ham4vyk6erde) — Northbrook, IL - [Robotics Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-technician-lightspeed-northbrook-5wf4e39h7kre) — Northbrook, IL