Project Hydra | Senior Software Engineer - Robot Data Collection

Socket.dev; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Socket.dev is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to own the systems powering a large-scale data collection operation, including the collection platform, operator tooling, data pipeline, and fleet infrastructure. You will direct an operator team and build what they run, owning the output and ensuring uptime.

You will design and ship software for real robot systems with ROS 2 or similar middleware, Python, Linux, Docker, and CI tooling.

Qualifications

• MS in CS, Robotics, EE/ME, or BS with equivalent hands-on experience.
• 3+ years building software for real robot systems.
• A system you designed and shipped that others depended on daily.
• Strong Python and Linux; Docker, git, CI, and SSH-based fleet administration.
• Experience with ROS 2 or equivalent robot middleware SDKs.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain the software behind data collection stations — teleoperation stack, multi-camera recording, and session tooling.
• Deploy and upgrade that stack across the fleet without stopping collection; keep workstations, containers, and networking healthy.
• Own the data pipeline end to end: automated validation, conversion into our dataset format, upload, metadata, and versioning.
• Build the QA tooling that catches dropped frames, stream desync, bad calibration, and mislabeled episodes before data reaches training.
• Direct a team of teleoperators — define task protocols and SOPs, onboard them on new tasks and embodiments, review session quality, and unblock them daily.
• Own fleet reliability: calibration and firmware pipelines, sensor and end-effector integration, root-cause analysis of recurring faults, and vendor escalation.
• Bring up new stations and new embodiments; report throughput, yield, and data health to the research team.

Skills

Python

Linux

ROS 2

Docker

Git

CI

Teleoperation tooling

Team leadership without authority

Education

MS in CS/Robotics/EE/ME or BS with equivalent hands-on

Tools

Robot middleware SDKs

Job description

Role Overview

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to own the systems that power a large-scale data collection operation, including the collection platform, operator tooling, data pipeline, and fleet infrastructure.

This is an engineering role. Day-to-day teleoperation is performed by a dedicated operator team that you direct — you build what they run on, and you own what comes out of it.

Project Details

• Location: 100% Onsite (Santa Clara, CA, US)
• Employment: Full-time W-2, Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
• Start Date: ASAP
• Contract Duration: 12-month contract with possibility of extension
• Rate: $105/hour

What You’ll Do

• Design, build, and maintain the software behind our data collection stations — teleoperation stack, multi-camera recording, and session tooling.
• Deploy and upgrade that stack across the fleet without stopping collection; keep workstations, containers, and networking healthy.
• Own the data pipeline end to end: automated validation, conversion into our dataset format, upload, metadata, and versioning.
• Build the QA tooling that catches dropped frames, stream desync, bad calibration, and mislabeled episodes before data reaches training.
• Direct a team of teleoperators — define task protocols and SOPs, onboard them on new tasks and embodiments, review session quality, and unblock them daily.
• Own fleet reliability: calibration and firmware pipelines, sensor and end-effector integration, root-cause analysis of recurring faults, and vendor escalation.
• Bring up new stations and new embodiments; report throughput, yield, and data health to the research team.

What we need to see

• MS in CS, Robotics, EE/ME, or a related field (or BS with equivalent hands-on experience).
• 3+ years building software for real robot systems — not simulation only.
• A system you designed and shipped that other people depended on daily, and that you kept running.
• Strong Python and Linux; Docker, git, CI, and SSH-based fleet administration.
• Robot middleware and real-time multi-sensor recording — ROS 2 or equivalent vendor SDKs.
• Experience supporting a data collection or teleoperation operation: you have built the tools operators depend on and owned throughput and quality numbers.
• Comfortable around robot hardware — arms or humanoids, dexterous hands, RGB-D cameras, and the calibration that keeps them honest.
• Able to lead operators without formal authority: you write clear SOPs, train people, and communicate status without being asked.

Ways to stand out from the crowd

• Humanoid or bimanual platforms (Unitree, Fourier, ALOHA/ARX-class rigs) and dexterous hands.
• XR teleoperation: Quest / PICO / Vision Pro, motion-capture gloves, whole-body retargeting.
• Imitation-learning data tooling — LeRobot, HDF5/Zarr episode stores, dataset versioning, S3 at TB–PB scale.
• Built internal dashboards or tooling for a production line or high-throughput lab.
• Open-source contributions to robotics data or teleoperation tooling.

Please note that in order to verify work authorization as is required by Federal law (I-9 process), all new employees must complete a live video verification with their selected IDs and provide photos of these selected IDs within their first 3 days of employment.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. In addition, we employ anti-fraud checks to ensure all candidates meet the requirements of the program.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.