Robotics Software Architect

Apptronik is building robots for the real world to improve human quality of life and to help solve the ever-increasing labor shortage problem. Our team has been building some of the most advanced robots on the planet for years, dating back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge. We apply our expertise across the full robotics stack to some of the most important and impactful problems our society faces, and expect our products and technology to change the world for the better. We value passion, creativity, and collaboration to help us overcome existing technological barriers in the industry to create truly innovative products.

You will join a team developing state-of-the-art general-purpose robots designed to operate in human spaces and with human tools. It is designed to work alongside humans, mobilize to human spaces, and manipulate the world around it.

JOB SUMMARY

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Robotics Software Architect to join our dynamic team. In this critical role, you will be responsible for defining and designing the software architecture for our autonomous humanoid robot, ensuring that computational tasks such as AI inference, controls, and sensor processing are handled efficiently and in real-time on the robot's edge compute system. This role requires a senior professional with a deep blend of software engineering expertise and practical robotics experience. You will be a key contributor to the stability, scalability, and performance of our on-robot software ensuring a robust and efficient development environment for the entire software team. You will leverage your deep understanding of robotics, embedded systems and software engineering principles to build and optimize core software components and developer tools.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Lead the overall on-robot edge software architecture and roadmap for the design and development of the robot software that runs on NVIDIA System on Module platforms.

• Architect Edge AI solutions for deploying and managing machine learning models directly on the robot for tasks like object recognition, path planning, and control.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with ML, perception, and embedded software engineers to integrate AI models, sensor data, and control systems using ROS2.

• Lead software architecture, system design discussions, and drive long-term software scalability decisions.

• Responsible for the overall on-robot software architecture that manages data flow and execution between the CPU and GPU and designing function distribution and mapping to maximize performance.

• Ensure the software runs efficiently on the robot's hardware to minimize latency and maximize responsiveness, often involving a deep understanding of processors and algorithms.

• Oversee the end-to-end workflow for deploying and updating AI models on robots, including model quantization, pruning, and continuous learning strategies.

• Design, implement, and maintain high-performance edge software powering real-time robotic controls and architect solutions for core autonomy functions such as SLAM, sensor fusion, and path planning algorithms.

• Design, implement, and validate safety critical software architecture.

• Lead the software development to meet embedded cyber security requirements and hardware / software interactions including OTA.

• Design solutions for communication between robots and infrastructure ensure secure and efficient data transfer in intermittently connected environments.

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to design scalable, efficient, and maintainable edge software architecture that align with product requirements and constraints.

• Strong expertise in architecting and implementation of AI / ML based algorithms on a GPU / CPU system. Prior experience in deploying VLAs on edge is desired.

• Experience with on-device AI inference and GPU/NPU acceleration, or perception model deployment.

• Deep understanding of microcontroller architectures, robot operating systems (ROS2), real-time operating systems (RTOS), and hardware-software interactions.

• Expertise in design and validation of safety critical software and processes

• Knowledgeable in cybersecurity, wireless and networking protocols to manage communication with off-robot infrastructure

• Ability to diagnose and resolve complex issues that arise during the development and testing phases, ensuring the reliability and performance of the firmware.

• Strong communication skills to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams, including hardware engineers, software developers, and product managers.

• Experience in leading technical initiatives, mentoring junior engineers, and driving best practices within the team.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s / Master’s in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.

• A proven track record of architecting, developing, and deploying production-ready software for a launched robotics product is essential.

• At least 10 years of experience in embedded software development ideally in robotics or autonomous vehicles

• Deep experience with ROS2 with professional experience in C++ and Python.

• Strong understanding of robotics control systems with practical experience with SLAM, localization, sensor fusion, and path planning.

• Experience designing safety critical systems from functional safety standards is desirable.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer

• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times

• Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen

• Hearing and speech to communicate

*This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations.

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.