Software Engineer

Emesent-1; City of Brisbane; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9-day fortnight

Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP)

Collaborative team

LinkedIn Learning

Employee Assistance Program

Extra leave on work anniversary

Novated lease options

Job summary

Emesent is seeking a Software Engineer for the Cortex stack, delivering real-time robotics software across hardware interfaces, navigation, and perception. You will work on localisation, sensor fusion, and autonomy pipelines on real hardware.

You will contribute to simulation, testing, and CI pipelines, while collaborating with hardware and product teams to ship robust software with a hands-on role in ROS-based architectures.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional software engineering experience, ideally with robotics or embedded systems.
• Strong proficiency in C++ (C++14/17 or later) and Python 3.
• Hands-on experience with ROS or ROS2 in development or production roles.
• Comfort working with Linux-based development environments.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain core Cortex modules: hardware interface, navigation, mapping, and perception.
• Contribute to localisation and sensor fusion pipelines on real robotic hardware.
• Improve perception, path planning, and navigation in GPS-denied environments.
• Maintain and expand simulation pipeline for autonomy development and testing.
• Write production-quality C++ for real-time robotics components and build tooling in Python.

Skills

C++ (C++14/17)

Python 3

ROS/ROS2

Linux

Robotics/embedded systems

Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science/Software Engineering/Robotics

Tools

Docker

Gazebo/Isaac Sim

Job description

Our Mission: To Be Bold and Impactful

AtEmesent, we build autonomous robotics, LiDAR mapping, and spatial data technologies that are transforming the way industries understand and interact with the physical world. Founded in 2018 with deep roots in Australia's globallyrecognisedCSIRO,Emesenthas become a global leader in drone autonomy and mobile mapping solutions.

With a rapidly growing international customer base and expanding product portfolio across hardware, desktop software, and cloud platforms, we are entering an exciting new phase of growth andwe'relooking for engineers who want to help shape what comes next.

The Opportunity

Cortex is the software and control architecture at the heart of everyEmesentscanner —it'swhat takes you from handheld mapping all the way to autonomously controlling robotic systems connected to it. As a Software Engineer on the Capture team,you'llwork on the real-time systems that turn sensor data into autonomous action.

You'll join Capture working hands-on across the stack from low-level C++ modules to the Python tooling that supports testing, tuning, and deployment. This is an individual contributor role reporting to the Capture Engineering Manager, with plenty of room to grow technical depth and ownership over time.

Key Responsibilities

Cortex Software Stack Development

• Design, implement, andmaintaincore Cortex modules covering hardware interface, navigation, mapping, andperception

• Contribute tolocalisationand sensor fusion pipelines running on real robotic hardware

• Improve the performance of ourperceptionpipeline, path planning and navigation for GPS and GPS-denied environments

• Maintain and expand our simulation pipeline to support development, testing, and tuning of autonomybehaviours

Systems & Software Engineering

• Write production-quality C++ for performance-critical, real-time robotics components

• Build supporting tools, test harnesses, and analysis scripts in Python

• Develop and extend our ROS-based architecture considering compute constraints of the hardware platform

Testing, Deployment & Field Support

• Validate autonomybehavioursin simulation and on physical hardware, including field trials

• Debug and resolve issues surfaced from real-world deployments, working closely with hardware and field teams

• Contribute to CI, automated testing, and regression pipelines to keep the stack reliable as it grows

Collaboration

• Work closely with senior engineers, hardware, and product teams to translate customer and field requirements into robust software

• Participate in design reviews, code reviews, and technical planning

• Document design decisions and share knowledge across the team

• Assistwith support escalations raised by our clients, using the learned feedback to make our software better and more intuitive to use

About You

You'rea software engineer who enjoys working close to the hardware and seeing your code make a physical system work.You'recomfortable operating with a reasonable degree of autonomy, but you know when to ask for help and when to loop in a senior team member.

You are effective because you can:

• Write clean, efficient, well-tested C++ for real-time or resource-constrained systems

• Use Python confidently for tooling, prototyping, and analysis

• Reason about the practical challenges of robotic systems — noisy sensors, timing, hardware failure modes, and the gap between simulation and the real world

• Communicate clearly with both engineers and non-technical stakeholders about progress and trade-offs

Experience & Background

Our ideal profile is someone with:

• 3+ years of professional software engineering experience, ideally with some exposure to robotics or embedded systems

• Strongproficiencyin C++ (C++14/17 or later) and Python 3

• Hands-on experience with ROS or ROS2 in a development or production capacity

• Comfort working with Linux-based development environments

• A degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering,Roboticsor a related field, or equivalent practical experience

Nice to have:

• Experience with at least one of: SLAM, sensor fusion, path planning, computer vision, or control systems

• Experience with LiDAR, depth cameras, IMUs, or other roboticperceptionsensors

• Exposure to simulation tools (Gazebo, Isaac Sim, or similar)

• Experience deploying software to embedded or edge compute platforms

• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines andcontaineriseddevelopment (Docker)d

• Experience with AWS deployment and integration with GitHub

• Experience inagenticengineering, fromdesignto coding

However, we encourage people with some, but not all, of this background to also apply.

Why This Role Matters

Cortex is the software that makes every Emesent scanner work, from handheld mapping to full robotic autonomy — it's what our customers are actually buying when they choose us for GPS-denied mapping and inspection. As an engineer on Capture, your code will ship on real hardware, in real mines and tunnels, and directly shape how reliably our scanners and drones operate in the field.

The Added Perks

• 9-day fortnight – every second Friday off

• Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP) – share inEmesent'ssuccess

• Work alongside a passionate and collaborative team building world-leading technology

• Genuine learning and development opportunities including LinkedIn Learning access

• Employee Assistance Program

• Oneadditionalday of leave each year for your work anniversary

• Novated lease options

WhyEmesent?

AtEmesent,you'llwork on technology that is genuinely shaping the future of how industries capture and understand the physical world. We offer a dynamic, collaborative environment, competitive compensation, and real opportunities for professional growth. Join us in pushing the boundaries of robotics and spatial intelligence.