Senior Embedded Engineer, Safety

Symbotic; Andover (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Symbotic in Andover, MA, seeks a Senior Embedded Engineer, Safety, to design and implement safety-critical software for warehouse automation. You will work across embedded systems, real-time software, hardware interfaces, and functional safety disciplines to ensure reliable operation of robotic platforms.

This hands-on role focuses on modern C++ development on QNX/POSIX, with collaboration across systems, hardware, and software teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer/Electrical Engineering or CS; Master’s preferred.
• 5+ years in embedded or systems software.
• Experience with C++, C, Rust or Go in real‑time/embedded contexts.
• POSIX concepts: threads, sockets, IPC, shared memory.
• Hardware interfacing; interpreting datasheets and hardware docs.
• Python tooling for testing/integration workflows.
• Experience with version control and maintainable software architecture.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement safety-critical software in modern C++ on QNX and POSIX systems.
• Develop software services interfacing with hardware peripherals and vendor SDKs.
• Build Python-based hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test automation infrastructure.
• Participate in functional safety activities including hazard analysis, DFMEA, FMEDA, fault tree analysis, safety reviews.
• Collaborate with systems, hardware and cross-functional teams to meet safety goals.
• Improve build systems, CI pipelines, developer tooling, and test infrastructure.
• Support internal audits and safety compliance across the product lifecycle.
• Travel up to 25% as needed.

Skills

C++

C

Rust

Go

POSIX

Python

Embedded software

HIL testing

CI/CD

Hardware interfacing

Education

Bachelors in Computer/Electrical Eng or CS

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Vendor SDKs

CI/CD tools

Git

QNX

Job description

USA Andover, MA

Senior Embedded Engineer, Safety

Overview

We are looking for a Senior Functional Safety Software Engineer to join our Functional Safety Software team within our Software Engineering organization. Your job will be to design, develop, and maintain safety-critical software applications that support advanced warehouse automation systems. You will work across embedded software, real-time systems, hardware interfaces, and functional safety disciplines to help ensure reliable and compliant operation of complex robotic platforms.

This is a hands‑on engineering role focused on modern C++ development in QNX and POSIX-based environments. You will contribute to software architecture, hardware integration, test infrastructure, and functional safety activities while partnering closely with systems engineering, hardware, and cross‑functional development teams.

We are part of a team whose mission is to build intelligent software platforms that power Symbotic’s advanced automation systems. The functional safety software team develops safety‑critical applications that coordinate and enforce the safe operation of robotics, automation hardware, and warehouse control systems across large‑scale deployments.

Our development culture emphasizes thoughtful engineering, maintainable systems, technical rigor, and collaborative problem solving. We value engineers who take ownership, communicate clearly, and contribute to improving both the software and the development processes around it.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement safety-relevant software components in modern C++17 running on QNX and POSIX-based systems.
• Develop software services that interface directly with hardware peripherals, low-level communication protocols, and vendor SDKs.
• Build and maintain Python-based hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test automation infrastructure.
• Participate in functional safety activities including hazard analysis, DFMEA, FMEDA, fault tree analysis, and safety reviews.
• Collaborate with systems engineers, hardware engineers, project managers, and cross‑functional development teams to achieve system safety goals.
• Improve build systems, CI pipelines, developer tooling, and software test infrastructure used across the engineering organization.
• Support internal audits, third-party safety assessments, and functional safety compliance efforts throughout the product lifecycle.
• Travel up to 25% as needed to support integration, testing, and cross‑functional collaboration.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related engineering discipline; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience developing systems-level or embedded software in complex technical environments.
• Strong experience with C++, C, Rust, Go, or similar systems programming languages, with interest in modern C++ development.
• Strong understanding of POSIX userspace concepts including threads, sockets, signals, IPC, and shared memory.
• Experience working close to hardware, including interpreting datasheets, register maps, and hardware interface documentation.
• Professional experience developing Python tooling or automation infrastructure, particularly for testing or integration workflows.
• Familiarity with software development best practices including version control, code reviews, CI/CD, documentation, and maintainable software architecture.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively across matrixed engineering organizations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with QNX or other real‑time operating systems (RTOS).
• Exposure to functional safety standards such as IEC 61508.
• TÜV Functional Safety Engineer (FSE) certification.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and automation.
• Experience integrating vendor SDKs or working with binary communication protocols.
• Contributions to open‑source software projects or experience working in open‑core development environments.

Environment

• Up to 25 % 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 on a bi‑weekly basis.

The base range for this position in the posted location is $120,000.00 - $165,000.00; however, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The compensation package includes medical, dental, vision, disability, 401(k), PTO and/or other benefits.