Robotics Software Engineer

Pivot Robots, Inc.; San Francisco, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualifications

• B.S. degree in CS/Robotics/Engineering required or related field.
• Proficient in Python and software engineering practices.
• Strong foundation in robotics fundamentals such as kinematics, dynamics, control theory, and state estimation.
• Experience with Git, testing, and debugging.
• Self-motivated problem solver who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Due to U.S. export control regulations (ITAR), position is limited to U.S. Persons (U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents).

Responsibilities

• Design and develop robust, scalable software for industrial robotic systems.
• Implement motion planning, trajectory optimization, and real-time control algorithms.
• Develop vision-based automation by integrating sensors with robotics systems.
• Optimize software for performance on embedded and cloud platforms.
• Apply software engineering principles including modularity, testing, and CI/CD.
• Conduct simulations and real-world experiments to validate system performance.
• Collaborate with hardware and controls engineers across disciplines.
• Contribute to system architecture decisions for efficiency and scalability.

Skills

Python

Software engineering best practices

Kinematics & control theory

Git

CI/CD

Debugging

State estimation

Education

B.S. in Computer Science/Robotics/Engineering

M.S. preferred

Tools

ROS

Linux

Git

Job description

Roles and Responsibilities

• Design and develop robust, scalable, and maintainable software for industrial robotic systems.

• Implement motion planning, trajectory optimization, and real-time control algorithms.

• Develop vision-based automation by integrating sensors (cameras) with robotics systems.

• Optimize software for performance, reliability, and deployment on embedded and cloud-based platforms.

• Apply strong software engineering principles, including code modularity, testing, version control, and CI/CD.

• Conduct simulations and real-world experiments to validate robotic system performance.

• Collaborate across disciplines, working with hardware engineers, controls engineers, etc.

• Contribute to system architecture decisions, ensuring efficiency and scalability.

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, or related fields.

• Strong programming skills in Python with a focus on software engineering best practices.

• Proficiency in robotics fundamentals, including kinematics, dynamics, control theory, and state estimation.

• Proficiency in version control (Git), software testing, and debugging techniques.

• Self-motivated problem solver who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

• Due to U.S. export control regulations (ITAR), this position is limited to U.S. Persons (U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents)

Optional Qualifications

• M.S. degree in Robotics, Computer Science, or related field.

• Experience with ROS (Robot Operating System) and/or other robotic middleware.

• Strong understanding of motion planning algorithms, trajectory generation, and real-time control.

• Familiarity with industrial robot arms, PLCs, or real-time control frameworks.

• Experience optimizing software for edge devices.

• Knowledge of distributed computing architectures.