Senior Robotic Software Engineer, Navigation

Pickle Robot Company; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Unlimited vacation

401K contributions

Job summary

Pickle Robot Company in Charlestown, MA is seeking a Senior Software Engineer, Navigation to advance velocity and safety of autonomous mobile robots. You will tackle navigation and controls algorithms, optimize performance, and mentor peers.

This role requires leadership, collaboration, and hands-on development in Python with C++, motion planning, and MPC. On-site presence three days per week in Charlestown, MA is expected, with strong emphasis on system-level reliability.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in software for robotics or a master's with 3+ years in robotics.
• Experience developing navigation algorithms for mobile robots required.
• Python proficiency; C++ strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of motion planning and controls for robotics systems; navigation systems for non-holonomic robots.

Responsibilities

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

Skills

Robotics navigation

Python

C++

Motion planning

Scrum leadership

Mentoring

Collision avoidance

Non-holonomic robots

Kinematics & dynamics

Path planning optimization

Education

Master's Degree in Robotics or related field

Tools

A*

RRT

PRM

Model-Predictive Control

Convex optimization

Nonlinear programming

Job description

Overview

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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Qualifications

• 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.

Salary: $140,000 - $160,000 a year

About 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.

Company Background

Want to get in on the ground floor of a fast-growing, VC-backed robotics company? Join Pickle Robot! We build systems that companies and their teams love.

Pickle robots unload trucks. Every day, millions of trucks and containers are loaded and unloaded, often requiring manual labor—tough, dirty, dangerous, and hard to staff. Pickle automates this process using AI, machine learning, and robotics to deliver reliable products. Our Unload Systems work with teams on loading docks to make the job safer, faster, and more efficient.

Pickle provides best-in-class benefits including health, dental, & vision insurance; unlimited vacation, along with all federal and state holidays; 401K contributions of 5% your salary, travel supplies, and other items to make your working life more fun, comfortable, and productive.