Robotics Software Engineer, Autonomy Integration

contoro; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Contoro Robotics in Austin, TX is hiring a robotics software engineer to advance motion execution and cross-domain coordination across planning, control, perception, and hardware interfaces. You will ship production code linking high-level autonomy to reliable physical execution on deployed robots.

The role suits engineers who enjoy solving real-world problems, debugging across software and hardware boundaries, and driving performance improvements in warehouse automation systems.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field, or equivalent industry experience
• 3+ years of professional experience developing software for deployed robotic or automation systems
• Proficiency in modern C++ and Python in a production environment
• Experience developing with ROS or ROS 2 on Linux
• Hands-on experience integrating software with physical robots, actuators, sensors, or industrial automation equipment
• Working knowledge of robot kinematics, motion planning, trajectory execution, and controller interfaces
• Experience with behavior trees, state machines, or similar task-orchestration frameworks
• Strong debugging skills across software, communications, controls, and hardware interfaces
• Ability to design, test, and deliver reliable software across subsystem boundaries

Responsibilities

• Develop and improve software for robot trajectory execution, task sequencing, and hardware coordination
• Profile robot cycles and reduce delays across motion planning, trajectory execution, end-effector operation, sensing, and conveyor interaction
• Build and maintain reusable, validated robot motions for common operating scenarios and integrate them with online planning
• Extend behavior trees or state machines for autonomous task execution, event-driven coordination, fault handling, and recovery
• Integrate motion-planning outputs with industrial robot controllers, hardware interfaces, and safety constraints
• Diagnose production issues using logs, telemetry, simulation, and testing on physical robots
• Add instrumentation, automated tests, regression tests, and hardware validation for execution and autonomy software
• Collaborate with perception, motion planning, controls, hardware, test, and deployment engineers on cross-system improvements
• Participate in design reviews and contribute to system architecture and technical planning

Skills

C++

Python

ROS/ROS2

Robotics

System debugging

Education

B.S. in Robotics or CS

M.S. preferred

Tools

ROS/ROS 2

Linux

MoveIt

Docker

Job description

Join Contoro Robotics - Revolutionizing Warehouse Automation with Cutting-Edge Robotics At Contoro Robotics , we're on a mission to solve labor challenges through advanced robotic solutions. Headquartered in Austin, TX , our fast-growing startup is transforming the supply chain industry with our flagship warehouse automation technology. Our team is made up of top-tier experts in robotics, AI, and logistics , working together to push the boundaries of automation. We're looking for talented and ambitious individuals to join us on this journey-helping shape the future of robotics while growing alongside a world-class team. If you're passionate about innovation, problem-solving, and making a real-world impact, we want to hear from you!

About Contoro Contoro Robotics is an Austin-based startup focused on warehouse automation. We design and deploy autonomous truck-unloading robots that handle heavy and highly variable payloads in real customer environments.

The Role We are hiring a robotics software engineer to improve how our autonomous robots execute motion and coordinate work across planning, robot control, end effectors, sensors, and material-handling equipment. You will develop production software that connects high-level autonomy decisions to reliable physical execution, with a focus on reducing cycle time, eliminating unnecessary delays, and improving recovery from real-world failures. This role is well suited for an engineer who enjoys working across software and hardware boundaries, diagnosing system-level problems, and turning performance data into practical improvements on deployed robots.

Responsibilities

• Develop and improve software for robot trajectory execution, task sequencing, and hardware coordination
• Profile robot cycles and reduce delays across motion planning, trajectory execution, end-effector operation, sensing, and conveyor interaction
• Build and maintain reusable, validated robot motions for common operating scenarios and integrate them with online planning
• Extend behavior trees or state machines for autonomous task execution, event-driven coordination, fault handling, and recovery
• Integrate motion-planning outputs with industrial robot controllers, hardware interfaces, and safety constraints
• Diagnose production issues using logs, telemetry, simulation, and testing on physical robots
• Add instrumentation, automated tests, regression tests, and hardware validation for execution and autonomy software
• Collaborate with perception, motion planning, controls, hardware, test, and deployment engineers on cross-system improvements
• Participate in design reviews and contribute to system architecture and technical planning

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience
• 3+ years of professional experience developing software for deployed robotic or automation systems
• Proficiency in modern C++ and Python in a production environment
• Experience developing with ROS or ROS 2 on Linux
• Hands-on experience integrating software with physical robots, actuators, sensors, or industrial automation equipment
• Working knowledge of robot kinematics, motion planning, trajectory execution, and controller interfaces
• Experience with behavior trees, state machines, or similar task-orchestration frameworks
• Strong debugging skills across software, communications, controls, and hardware interfaces
• Ability to design, test, and deliver reliable software across subsystem boundaries

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with industrial manipulators such as KUKA, ABB, FANUC, Universal Robots, or similar platforms
• Experience with MoveIt, Pilz, OMPL, Ruckig, ros2_control, or comparable robotics frameworks
• Experience profiling and improving robot cycle time, throughput, latency, or trajectory execution
• Familiarity with robot communication and industrial protocols such as EtherCAT, CAN, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, or OPC UA
• Experience with behavior-tree design, event-driven automation, or production recovery logic
• Experience building simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, or automated regression-testing systems
• Familiarity with Docker-based deployment and cloud-based logging or monitoring
• Prior work in warehouse automation, manufacturing, logistics, material handling, or robotic pick-and-place applications