Principal Robotics Software Architect – Remote

Blue River Technology; United States; Remote; USD 174,000 - 305,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue River Technology seeks a Principal Robotics Software Engineer to provide technical leadership and architectural vision for autonomous platforms. Lead design, development and execution of complex software systems across robotics teams, guiding safety-critical production software and data signal utilization.

You will influence cross-group architecture, mentor engineers, and partner with hardware, perception, and product leaders to turn ambitious autonomy into robust solutions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with at least 4+ years in a Principal or Staff-level capacity within robotics, autonomous vehicles, aerospace, or heavy machinery automation.
• Expert-level proficiency in modern C++ and Python within Linux-based development environments.
• Deep hands on experience with core robotics frameworks (ROS/ROS 2, CyberRT) and key domains such as motion planning, kinematics, trajectory generation, localization, perception, or control theory.
• Demonstrated experience with multi-threaded C++ applications, basic IPC, and writing software that interfaces with physical hardware or sensors (e.g., LIDAR, cameras, IMUs, GPS).

Responsibilities

• Vehicle Control & Cross-Group Collaboration: Work across multiple Deere engineering groups to change vehicle safety behavior, control the vehicle, and unlock valuable data signals that improve machine intelligence, autonomy, and customer outcomes.
• Technical Leadership & Vision: Drive the technical vision and software architecture across multi-quarter robotics initiatives, establishing design patterns and engineering best practices for the team.
• System Architecture & Strategy: Architect, design, and maintain high-performance, fault-tolerant software systems for robotics (e.g., motion planning, controls, state estimation, spatial awareness, or fleet management).
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner closely with Robotics, Perception, Machine Learning, Hardware, Systems Engineering, and Product teams to define software requirements, hardware-software interfaces, and system-level validation plans.
• Code & System Quality: Champion software quality through rigorous coding standards, automated testing, continuous integration, and real-world software deployment protocols to ensure high reliability in production environments.
• Mentorship & Growth: Guide, coach, and elevate senior, mid-level, and junior engineers through technical design reviews, clean code practices, and system-level troubleshooting.
• Innovation & Technical Direction: Stay ahead of industry trends in robotics, AI/ML, dynamic controls, and real-time computing to continually evolve the robotics platform.

Skills

Software engineering

Robotics

C++

Python

ROS/ROS 2

System architecture

Hardware-software integration

Multi-threading

Communication

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD in CS/Robotics

Tools

ROS/ROS 2

Linux

CAN bus

Git

Gazebo

Job description

Blue River Technology seeks a Principal Robotics Software Engineer to provide technical leadership and architectural vision for autonomous platforms. Lead design, development and execution of complex software systems across robotics teams, guiding safety-critical production software and data signal utilization.

You will influence cross-group architecture, mentor engineers, and partner with hardware, perception, and product leaders to turn ambitious autonomy into robust solutions.