Lead Robotics Software Systems Engineer

Fresh Consulting; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Fresh Consulting seeks a Software System Lead to coordinate the software architecture for client projects across embedded firmware, edge compute, robotics middleware, connectivity, and cloud services. You will define system interfaces, performance metrics, and testing strategies while guiding cross-functional teams.

You will collaborate with project managers, engineers, designers, and clients to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery and robust software solutions across hardware and software

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience developing software for shipped products with leadership as SME.
• 3+ years in software architecture or system design for connected hardware, robotics, or embedded products.
• Experience across embedded/edge software, robotics middleware, and cloud/backend services.
• Strong proficiency in C++ and Python.
• Experience with ROS or ROS 2 and autonomy stacks.
• Experience with fleet architecture, OTA updates, telemetry, and remote diagnostics.
• Proficiency with Git workflows, containers, CI/CD, and automated testing.
• Experience with system architecture across hardware/software boundaries.
• Strong leadership and client-facing communication skills.
• Experience with project management tools and methodologies.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Act as a technical point of contact for clients, including updates on progress and concerns.
• Watch big-picture direction and dependencies while understanding detailed work plans.
• Partner with Technical Project Manager to develop schedules, resource plans, and budgets.
• Identify and mitigate risks, resolve technical and programmatic issues with the delivery team.
• Lead software architecture for client projects across full stack including embedded firmware, edge compute, robotics middleware, and cloud services.

Skills

Software architecture

Robotics

Embedded systems

Python

C++

ROS/ROS2

Cloud/Backend

Git workflows

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in CS/Robotics

Tools

Git

CI/CD

Gazebo

Isaac Sim

ROS/ROS2 tooling

Job description

We are Fresh. Together let's build the future. With partners and clients, we practice strategy, design, development, and engineering to harness the power of technology and create what's next. Our cross-disciplinary approach blends human ingenuity and technology, empowering us to meet uncertainty with confidence. What got us to today won't get us to tomorrow, so we test our assumptions and always strive for growth. From the products we build to the partners we collaborate with, we believe people make the difference. And we do so as a workforce representative of the communities we serve, understanding that a diverse workforce strengthens our organization. We value diversity and support a positive and welcoming environment where all of our employees can thrive.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a technical point of contact for clients, including regular updates on project progress and addressing any technical and product development plan concerns. Work closely with the project management team.
• Keep an eye on the big-picture project and client-product direction, team needs, and dependencies while understanding the detailed work plans of the contributing teams.
• Partner with the Technical Project Manager to develop and maintain project schedules, resource plans, and budgets to meet project objectives.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks, resolving technical and programmatic issues as they arise. Work directly with the delivery team and the client to build solutions. Provide the technical interface between the client and the delivery team.
• Software System Lead: Coordinate and lead the software architecture for client projects across the full stack, including embedded firmware, edge compute, robotics middleware, connectivity, and cloud services. Define the software system decomposition and the interfaces between subsystems, establishing how autonomy, application logic, device management, and data services fit together. Define system requirements, specifications, and performance metrics covering latency, throughput, availability, and update cadence. Ensure they are met throughout the development process. Establish the fleet and data architecture supporting OTA updates, telemetry, remote diagnostics, and observability across deployed units. Guide build and release strategy, including CI/CD, simulation-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing, versioning across mixed fleets, and staged rollout. Advise on the suitability of learned and model-based approaches relative to conventional software, considering latency budgets, determinism, cost, verification, and safety certification. Develop plans and oversee system-level testing, validation, and troubleshooting to ensure the system meets all functional and performance criteria. Address security, access control, data handling, and compliance requirements as part of the system design rather than as a later addition.
• Team Collaboration: Coordinate project activities and resources by working closely with project managers, strategists, industrial designers, engineers, and other team members. Partner with hardware, electrical, and mechanical leads so that software architecture decisions and hardware selection inform one another throughout development. Provide technical guidance and mentorship to team members, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment. Support the project estimation team in evaluating new opportunities and providing technical and timeline input.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelors or advanced degree in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience developing software for products that ship, with significant experience as an individual contributor and subject matter expert.
• 3+ years of leadership experience in a software architecture or system design role for connected hardware, robotics, or embedded products.
• Demonstrated depth across multiple layers of the stack, such as embedded or edge software, robotics middleware, and cloud or backend services.
• Strong proficiency in the languages common to this work, including C++ and Python, with the judgment to evaluate designs and code produced by the team.
• Experience with ROS or ROS 2 and the architecture of autonomy stacks, including how perception, planning, and control interact.
• Experience with connected device and fleet architecture, covering OTA update mechanisms, telemetry pipelines, and remote diagnostics.
• Proficiency with modern software delivery practices, including Git workflows, containerization, CI/CD, and automated testing.
• Experience with system architecture, integration, and validation across hardware and software boundaries.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to interface with clients effectively and explain technical tradeoffs to business stakeholders.
• Proficiency with industry-standard project management tools and methodologies.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Experience delivering multiple large-scale industrial, enterprise, or consumer-facing products successfully, on schedule, and on budget.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a consulting, agency, or client-facing product development environment.
• Proven experience in Product Management or Product Ownership.
• Familiarity with applied AI in robotics, including computer vision pipelines, vision foundation models, or learned policies, and the judgment to assess where each is appropriate.
• Experience with simulation and sim-to-real workflows using tools such as Isaac Sim, Isaac Lab, or Gazebo.
• Experience with real-time or deterministic systems programming and the constraints of safety-relevant software.
• Familiarity with functional safety and regulatory frameworks relevant to robotics and connected devices, such as ISO 13849, ISO 10218, IEC 62443, or UL 3300.
• Experience with cloud platforms and IoT services, including MQTT and device management at fleet scale.
• Experience with edge compute platforms such as NVIDIA Jetson, and the tradeoffs of deploying software to constrained hardware.
• Experience building and operating systems that remain serviceable and supportable years after deployment.
• Experience leading or mentoring engineering teams in a professional or consulting context.

Equal employment opportunity

All qualified persons will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, familial status, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability for which a reasonable accommodation can be made, or any other status protected by law. Assistance will be gladly provided upon request for any applicant with sensory or non-sensory disabilities.

*Fresh Consulting is an E-Verify participating company