Senior Robotic Software Engineer, Navigation

Pickle Robot Company; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Unlimited vacation

Paid holidays

401(k) with 5% match

Travel expenses

Job summary

Pickle Robot Company is seeking a Senior Software Engineer, Navigation, to advance the speed and safety of autonomous mobile robots. Based in the Boston area, you will lead navigation and mobility control work, mentor engineers, and shape scalable software architectures for deploying multiple robots in dynamic environments.

The role requires 5+ years in robotics software, deep navigation algorithm experience, and proficiency in Python (C++ a strong plus).

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering in robotics environments.
• Experience developing navigation algorithms for mobile robots is required.
• Strong proficiency in Python; C++ is a strong plus.
• Experience with motion planning and controls for robotics systems.
• Knowledge of robot kinematics, dynamics and optimization techniques.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team to design and optimize navigation and mobility control algorithms.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate software with hardware.
• Contribute to scalable software architecture for deploying multiple robots.
• Mentor engineers to improve planning and control capabilities.

Skills

Python

C++

Robotics navigation

Motion planning

PID / LQR control

Robot kinematics

Graph search (A*, RRT, PRM)

Machine learning for motion planning

Education

Master's degree in Robotics or related field

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE

Tools

ROS

Git

Job description

About this role

Pickle is seeking a dynamic, driven Senior Software Engineer, Navigation, to enhance the speed and safety of our autonomous mobile robots. If you are experienced with and passionate about navigation and controls algorithms for mobile robots, and thrive on solving real-world robotics challenges, we'd love to hear from you.

What You’ll Accomplish

• Lead a team of engineers to design and optimize navigation and mobility controls algorithms to enhance the speed and safety of our autonomous mobile robot
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate your contributions into the broader hardware and software system
• Play a key role in designing and contributing to the architecture of scalable software systems that support the deployment of multiple robots in diverse and dynamic environments
• Act as a mentor to other software engineers to improve the team’s overall capabilities in planning and control

Who You Are

• A software engineer with over 5 years of experience or a Master's Degree or higher with 3 years of experience working in robotics environments
• Industry experience developing navigation algorithms for mobile robots is required
• Proficient in Python. Experience with C++ is a strong plus.
• Experienced with motion planning and controls for robotics systems, with a strong understanding of navigation systems and non-holonomic mobile robots
• A deep understanding of robot kinematics and dynamics is required
• Experience with graph search methods for planning, such as A*, RRT, and/or PRM is required
• Experience with mathematical optimization techniques, including convex optimization and nonlinear programming, is required
• Experience with trajectory optimization and/or model-predictive control is a strong plus
• Experience with collision avoidance and autonomous recovery behaviors is a strong plus
• Experience with mathematical optimization for motion planning is strongly preferred
• Experience with machine learning techniques for motion planning, such as behavior cloning and diffusion policies, is a strong plus
• Experience with control algorithms for mobile robots, such as PID, Pure Pursuit, and/or LQR is required
• Experienced with shipping and supporting navigation features for a fleet of mobile robots
• Experienced in leading a team of engineers through a Scrum process is preferred
• Collaborative and communicative, focusing discussions on problem-solving ideas and experiments to drive product innovation
• Experienced in working with complex algorithms and capable of optimizing for performance and reliability
• Detail-oriented, but with a system-level mindset. Capable of debugging complex problems while maintaining system integrity
• Willing to work in the office from our Charlestown, MA location at least three days per week

Pay at Pickle At Pickle Robot Company, we believe transparency builds trust. The salary range listed here is provided in accordance with Massachusetts law and reflects what we reasonably and in good faith expect to offer for this role. We often consider candidates at different levels of seniority, and final compensation will reflect the level at which a candidate is hired, along with factors like experience and location.

Pay at Pickle

At Pickle Robot Company, we believe transparency builds trust. The salary range listed here is provided in accordance with Massachusetts law and reflects what we reasonably and in good faith expect to offer for this role. We often consider candidates at different levels of seniority, and final compensation will reflect the level at which a candidate is hired, along with factors like experience and location.

Pickle Perks

Pickle provides best-in-class benefits, including

• health, dental, and vision insurance
• unlimited vacation
• paid federal and state holidays
• 401(k) contributions of 5% of your salary
• company-covered travel expenses
• and other perks to make your working life more fun, comfortable, and productive

AI Hiring Tools

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.