Backend Software Engineer – Autonomy

Pickle Robot; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 177,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, & vision insurance

Unlimited vacation

401K with employer match

Job summary

Pickle Robot is looking for a Backend Software Engineer to join our autonomy team, building scalable systems that support task planning and robotic workflows.

You will design and implement backend services that power real-world robotics on warehouse floors, working closely with robotics engineers to ensure reliability and performance. The role emphasizes software quality and system design within a robotics environment.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years in backend or distributed systems engineering.
• Strong programming experience in Python.
• Solid experience with C++ or another strongly typed language (Rust/Go/Java).
• Strong understanding of software architecture, concurrency, and distributed system design.
• Experience building or supporting event-driven systems, messaging frameworks, or service-oriented architectures.
• Experience developing systems that interface with hardware/ robotics is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and build backend services supporting task planning and autonomy.
• Develop scalable, reliable, and performant systems using Python (and C++ where needed).
• Contribute to system architecture and service design within the team.
• Build and maintain event-driven systems and messaging-based architectures.
• Collaborate closely with robotics engineers to integrate backend systems with real-world workflows.
• Improve system performance, reliability, and maintainability across services.
• Participate in code reviews and technical discussions to elevate engineering standards.

Skills

Python

C++ or typed languages

Software architecture

Concurrency

Distributed system design

Event-driven systems

Hardware interfaces

Tools

ROS

Kafka

Job description

Pickle is looking for a Backend Software Engineer to join our autonomy team, focused on building scalable systems that support task planning and robotic workflows.

This role sits at the intersection of software engineering and robotics infrastructure. You'll work closely with robotics engineers to design and build backend services that power real-world robotic systems on the warehouse floor.

We're looking for a strong software engineer who cares deeply about code quality, system design, and performance — someone who can bring solid backend engineering practices into a robotics environment and isn't afraid to get close to the hardware.

At Pickle, your code directly impacts how autonomous robots operate in production warehouses. You'll own meaningful pieces of the stack, collaborate across a tight-knit engineering team, and see the results of your work in the real world.

Responsibilities:

• Design and build backend services supporting task planning and autonomy
• Develop scalable, reliable, and performant systems using Python (and C++ where needed)
• Contribute to system architecture and service design within the team
• Build and maintain event-driven systems and messaging-based architectures
• Collaborate closely with robotics engineers to integrate backend systems with real-world workflows
• Improve system performance, reliability, and maintainability across services
• Participate in code reviews and technical discussions to elevate engineering standards

Skills & Experience:

• 3-5+ years of experience in backend or distributed systems engineering
• Strong programming experience in Python
• Solid experience with C++ or another strongly typed language (e.g., Rust, Go, Java)
• Strong understanding of software architecture, concurrency, and distributed system design
• Experience building or supporting event-driven systems, messaging frameworks, or service-oriented architectures
• Experience developing systems that interface with hardware, robotics, or real-world operational environments is a plus

Nice to have:

• Experienceworking across multiple programming languages
• Familiarity with distributed systems or microservices architectures
• Exposure to robotics, autonomy, or hardware-integrated systems
• Experience with messaging systems (e.g., Kafka, ROS, or similar)

$120,000 - $177,000 a year

Pay at Pickle

At Pickle Robot Company, we believe transparency builds trust. The salary range listed here is provided in accordance with Massachusetts law and reflects what we reasonably and in good faith expect to offer for this role. We often consider candidates at different levels of seniority, and final compensation will reflect the level at which a candidate is hired, along with factors like experience and location.

About Pickle Robot

Want to get in on the ground floor of a fast-growing, VC-backed robotics company? Join Pickle Robot! We build systems that companies and their teams love.

Pickle robots unload trucks. Every day, millions of trucks and containers are loaded and unloaded, often requiring manual labor—tough, dirty, dangerous, and hard to staff. Pickle automates this process using AI, machine learning, and robotics to deliver reliable products. Our Unload Systems work with teams on loading docks to make the job safer, faster, and more efficient.

Pickle provides best-in-class benefits including health, dental, & vision insurance; unlimited vacation, along with all federal and state holidays; 401K contributions of 5% your salary, travel supplies, and other items to make your working life more fun, comfortable, and productive.