Principal Robotics Engineer

Symbotic; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 248,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401K

PTO

Job summary

Symbotic is seeking a Principal Software Engineer for its Perception group in Austin, TX, focusing on real-time perception software for automated forklifts and loading dock automation. You will design, develop, and optimize high‑performance perception systems and mentor other engineers while collaborating across the engineering organization to scale this work.

The role requires a Master’s degree, 10+ years in real-time software, deep Perception expertise (SLAM, sensor fusion, CV) and experience

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related discipline is required.
• 10+ years of professional experience in real-time software for complex systems.
• Deep Perception expertise for robotics (SLAM, sensor fusion, CV).
• Proven track record delivering complex robotic systems to production.
• Experience mentoring or growing engineers.
• Ability to own technical roadmaps and cross-team planning.
• Experience with embedded or GPU-accelerated platforms (Nvidia).
• Proficient in Linux, Docker, and CI/CD tooling and ROS/ROS2.
• Excellent communication, agile methods, and customer-facing skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop real-time, high-performance perception software for autonomous forklifts and loading dock systems.
• Lead technically within Perception, collaborating with broader Symbotic engineers.
• Mentor and grow engineers to scale the team’s capabilities.
• Analyze root causes and improve system performance with systems thinking.
• Drive scoping, requirements, and long-term technical roadmaps.
• Interact with customer stakeholders on direction and KPIs; own relevant metrics.

Skills

Perception robotics

Real-time systems

Mentoring engineers

C++ multithreading

Linux development

ROS/ROS2

System architecture

Agile development

Embedded/GPU software

Customer stakeholder communication

Education

Master's degree in related field

Tools

Docker

CI/CD tools

ROS/ROS2

NVIDIA GPU platforms

Embedded platforms

Job description

Time type: full time
Posted on: August 21, 2026
Job requisition id: R7829

What we need

Symbotic is looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join our Perception organization, based in Austin, TX, where our loading dock automation and automated forklift engineering is concentrated. You will play a central, hands‑on role in designing and developing perception software for these systems, and will help grow and mentor other engineers as this work scales. While the primary emphasis of this role is deep Perception expertise, the ideal candidate is also comfortable stepping beyond Perception when needed — into areas like Controls, system architecture, CI, program‑level planning, or owning customer‑facing KPIs — as is typical for senior engineers working on autonomous vehicle systems. We are looking for people who thrive in a creative, collaborative, and agile development environment.

What we do

Our work matters – robotics is transforming the world of commerce. Every day our intelligent robots are responsible for getting food and merchandise to thousands of stores across North America. We're an industry changer – we created the first and only fully autonomous, end‑to‑end supply chain solution. Today, we are driving towards even bigger ideas – and we have the people, technology, and leadership to fully realize these aspirations. We have the excitement and ambition of a startup with the benefits and resources of a proven organization.

Our Austin, TX location is where loading dock automation and automated forklift engineering is concentrated, working in close coordination with the rest of the Perception organization and broader Symbotic engineering teams.

What you'll do

Play a central, hands‑on role designing and developing real‑time, high‑performance perception software for automated forklift and loading dock automation systems.

Serve as a leading technical contributor within the Perception organization for this work, operating in close integration with the broader Symbotic engineering org.

Mentor and grow other engineers, helping build technical capability on the team as this work scales.

Analyze and address the root cause of issues affecting product performance, applying systems‑level thinking about how perception interacts with the rest of the system.

Drive project scoping and requirement specification, providing leadership with the technical insight needed to create long‑term technical roadmaps.

Represent engineering in technical discussions with customer program stakeholders on the direction and scope of the loading dock automation / automated forklift program, including ownership of relevant customer‑facing KPIs as needed.

Operate with a broader technical scope beyond Perception when the work calls for it — spanning areas such as Controls, system architecture, CI/CD practices, or cross‑team planning — as is typical for senior engineers working on autonomous vehicle systems.

Build high‑quality software in a dynamic, fast‑paced environment, and drive best practices and quality standards.

What you'll need

A minimum of a Master's degree in a related discipline (Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mathematics, etc.).

Minimum 10 years of professional experience developing software for complex, real‑time systems.

Deep expertise in Perception for robotics: SLAM, sensor fusion, state estimation, computer vision, and processing multiple cameras and/or LiDARs in real time.

A track record of taking complex robotic systems into production and making them workreliably, with evidence of measurable value delivered (uptime, throughput, reduced faults, etc.) — not just prototypes or research demos.

You have led complex engineering efforts and know what it takes to deliver while still having a healthy team.

Experience mentoring or growing other engineers.

Comfort and prior experience operating with a broader technical scope beyond Perception when needed — for example Controls, system architecture, CI/CD, planning, or customer‑facing KPI ownership — as is typical for senior engineers working on autonomous vehicle systems.

Experience developing software for embedded or GPU‑accelerated platforms (e.g., Nvidia) is a plus.

Experience with Linux development, Docker, and CI/CD tools.

Comfortable with asynchronous or multithreaded programming.

Experience with event‑driven architectures, messaging systems, and protocols (e.g., ROS, ROS2).

Experience with Agile development methodology.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including comfort engaging directly with customer/program stakeholders on technical scope and tradeoffs.

Willingness to be based in / work extensively from Austin, TX.

Prior experience with autonomous mobile robots, automated forklifts, or similarly complex, safety‑relevant automated systems strongly preferred.

Up to 10% of travel may be required. Employees must have a valid driver’s license and the ability to drive and/or fly to client and other customer locations.

The employee is responsible for owning a credit card and managing expenses personally to be reimbursed bi‑weekly.

# JT1

#LI-Hybrid

The base range for this position in the posted location is $180,000.00 - $247,500.00 however, base pay offered may vary depending on job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. The compensation package includes medical, dental, vision, disability, 401K, PTO and/or other benefits.