General Autonomy Engineer

Thoro.ai; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited time off

Remote part-time option

On-site parking

Job summary

Thoro.ai, based in Pittsburgh, PA, seeks a General Autonomy Engineer to join the Software team. You will tackle a broad autonomy stack—from localization to fleet behavior—within a live production codebase deployed on customer sites.

The role emphasizes debugging cross-layer issues, extending existing systems, and collaborating across hardware, cloud/fleet, controls, and customer-facing teams to articulate tradeoffs and root causes.

Qualifications

• Broad, hands-on experience across autonomy or robotics software, spanning localization/SLAM, motion planning, perception, sensor fusion, or fleet systems.
• Ability to develop and build code in Linux-based environments
• Familiarity with version control (Git), automated testing, and technical documentation
• Demonstrated ability to debug complex, cross-layer failures and identify root cause
• Sound architectural judgment and good communication skills
• Experience with Publisher / Subscriber architectures

Responsibilities

• Debug hard, cross-layer problems: a noisy sensor reading, a planning edge case, a fleet coordination hiccup, etc.
• Work on localization, motion planning, sensor fusion, point cloud processing, or fleet logic to get productive quickly
• Extend an existing, production codebase while balancing speed with avoiding regressions on deployed robots
• Contribute to architectural decisions as the fleet and codebase grow
• Use logs, replay tools, and on-site work to track down issues not reproducible in dev
• Collaborate with hardware, cloud/fleet, controls, and customer-facing teams to clarify capabilities
• Clearly communicate tradeoffs and root causes to engineers and non-engineers

Job description

Thoro.ai is delivering on the promise of autonomy, making people more productive and work more satisfying. A software, cloud and integration company, we build everything that is necessary for manufacturers of industrial equipment to launch autonomous products. We also deploy our fleet management solutions to integrate these products into end user workflows, by building connections to Warehouse Management Systems and other business critical systems.

Thoro is headquartered in the heart of Pittsburgh, PA. Our team brings deep industry and subject matter expertise, along with a collaborative and optimistic outlook on the future of industrial robotics.

Thoro is in a great position to lead the autonomous mobile robotics space with a team of incredible depth and expertise, the technology to deliver, and the partnerships to build a transformative business for the future.

We’re seeking a future team member for the role of General Autonomy Engineer to join our Software team. This role is located in Pittsburgh, PA.

Job Summary

We're looking for a seasoned Autonomy Engineer with a broad, generalist skill set. We're looking for someone who can move across localization, planning, perception, fleet behavior, and everything in between, and who's genuinely good at figuring out what's actually wrong when something breaks.

This role is software and algorithms-first, but the work spans the whole autonomy stack, and the ideal person is someone who doesn't need a narrow lane to be effective. You'll be working inside a live, evolving codebase already running on customer sites, so a big part of the job is understanding how existing systems fit together well enough to extend them.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Debug hard, cross-layer problems: a noisy sensor reading, a planning edge case, a fleet coordination hiccup, etc.
• Pick up whatever autonomy-related problem is in front of you, whether that's localization, motion planning, sensor fusion, point cloud processing, or fleet logic, and get productive on it quickly
• Work within and extend an existing, production codebase, balancing speed with the discipline not to introduce regressions on deployed robots
• Contribute to architectural decisions about how these systems fit together as the fleet and codebase grow
• Use logs, replay tools, and direct time on customer sites to track down issues that don't reproduce cleanly in a dev environment
• Collaborate closely with hardware, cloud/fleet, and controls engineers, as well as commercial and customer-facing teams who need a clear read on what the system can and can't do
• Effectively and clearly communicate tradeoffs and root causes clearly to both engineers and non-engineers

Required Skills / Abilities

• Broad, hands-on experience across autonomy or robotics software, spanning at least several of the following: localization/SLAM, motion planning, perception, sensor fusion, point cloud processing, or fleet systems.
• Ability to develop and build code in Linux-based environments
• Familiarity with version control (Git), automated testing, and technical documentation
• Demonstrated ability to debug complex, cross-layer failures and identify root cause, including issues that do not reproduce cleanly or are not isolated to a single subsystem
• Sound architectural judgment, including the ability to distinguish between a targeted fix and a signal that a design needs to change
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated adaptability, with a track record of taking ownership of unfamiliar problems across different parts of the autonomy stack
• Experience with Publisher / Subscriber communication architectures

Preferred Skills / Abilities

• Familiarity with fleet management protocols like VDA 5050
• Exposure to point cloud processing, 3D reconstruction, or facility-scale mapping
• Exposure to functional safety standards relevant to mobile robotics (e.g. ANSI B56)
• Prior experience at a company shipping autonomy into real, unstructured industrial environments rather than controlled lab settings
• Prior experience using AI agents to assist with daily development activities

Why You’ll Like it Here:

• Competitive salary & equity packages
• Pre-tax health care, dependent care, and commuter benefits (FSA)
• Flexible medical, dental, and vision benefits for you and your family
• Life insurance & disability insurance
• Complimentary lunch buffet & beverages
• Awesome, encouraging team atmosphere
• Unlimited paid time off
• Option to work remotely part-time
• Office social events, including happy hours, parties, and community service projects
• Fully paid on-site parking, local commuter pass
• A casual, laid-back work environment
• High-sensory environment immersed in technology and robotics

Why You’ll Like it Here:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times

Compensation

The base pay range for this role is $120,000 – $140,000 per year.