Senior Robotics SWE, System Identification & Modeling

Nimble; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited Flexible Time Off

Health Insurance

Paid Parental Leave

Commuter Benefits

Referral Bonus

401k

Equity

Job summary

Nimble, located in San Francisco, is seeking a Senior Robotics Software Engineer who specializes in System Identification and Modeling. This exciting position involves developing core software for next‑generation autonomous robots and collaborating with various teams to integrate AI capabilities.

The ideal candidate will have at least 5 years of experience in robotics software engineering, a relevant degree, and proficiency in C++, Python, or Rust. Benefits include unlimited flexible time off and a competitive salary range of $190,000 to $250,000.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience in robotics.
• Strong foundation in dynamics, controls, and system identification.
• Hands-on experience with electromechanical systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute system-identification experiments.
• Own kinematic calibration workflows.
• Build automated calibration and tooling for production hardware.

Skills

System Identification

Modeling

Robotics Software

C++

Python

Rust

Education

Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Robotics or related field

Tools

ROS/ROS 2

Real-time embedded systems

Nonlinear system identification techniques

Job description

About Nimble

Nimble is an AI robotics company building the autonomous supply chain to power fast, efficient and economical commerce. We’re training robot AGI to power a proprietary generalist supply chain superhumanoid, the first robot in the world capable of performing thousands of tasks across the supply chain. We’ve raised over $220 million at a valuation of over $1 billion and formed a strategic alliance with FedEx to build a national network of autonomous warehouses capable of generating many billions in annual revenue. We are a hardcore, obsessed team of the world’s best engineers and operators. Our founding team comes from the AI labs at Stanford and Carnegie Mellon, and our board of directors includes robotics and AI legends such as Fei‑Fei Li, Marc Raibert, and Sebastian Thrun. We are on a mission to empower and inspire mankind to accomplish legendary feats by inventing robots that liberate us from the menial.

Why Join Nimble?

We are committed to building legendary products, a legendary team, and a legendary legacy. Join us and become part of an ambitious, humble, and resourceful culture where your work will leave a lasting impact on the future of robotics and commerce.

Nimble's Core Values

• Be relentlessly resourceful - Challenge conventions and overcome obstacles.
• Be legendary - Be the very best and do work that inspires.
• Be humble - Prioritize growth, learning, and doing whatever is needed to further the mission.
• Be dependable - Take ownership and deliver with high agency.

About The Role

We are looking for a Senior Robotics Software Engineer specializing in System Identification and Modeling to build the core software powering our next‑generation autonomous robots. In this role you will develop and maintain mathematical models, parameter‑estimation pipelines, and feedforward/feedback control systems that allow our robots to operate with exceptional reliability, precision, and efficiency in real production environments. You will work across the full robotics and autonomy stack, building robust, production‑grade software that scales as we deploy more robots into high‑throughput operations, while serving as the team’s deep expert in system identification, dynamics modeling, and model‑based control. You’ll collaborate closely with AI, hardware, controls, and infrastructure teams to integrate frontier AI capabilities with rigorous physics‑based models, continually improving robot uptime, performance, and overall intelligence.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute system‑identification experiments for actuators, mechanisms, and full robot subsystems—motors, arms, elevators, drivetrains—fitting dynamic models via regression and curve‑fitting to derive accurate feedforward and feedback controllers.
• Own kinematic calibration workflows: DH parameter identification, wheel radius estimation, and tool‑center‑point calibration to drive measurable improvements in arm accuracy and mobile base odometry.
• Build automated calibration and sys‑id tooling that runs on production hardware, enabling rapid re‑characterization after mechanical changes, wear, or new platform deployments.
• Lead design and implementation of robot behaviors and task‑level intelligence across the full stack, integrating perception, planning, and control into reliable end‑to‑end execution across nominal and edge‑case scenarios.
• Drive measurable improvements in autonomy quality and arm accuracy using data, operational metrics, and model validation (diagnostic plots, residual analysis, statistical benchmarks).
• Collaborate with hardware engineering on software–hardware integration for new platforms and upgrades; triage and resolve production robotics issues.
• Lead technical design reviews, drive architecture decisions for core subsystems, and mentor engineers and technicians on reliability, testing, and operational excellence.

Nice to Have

• Graduate‑level coursework or research in system identification, optimal estimation, or adaptive control.
• Experience with nonlinear system identification techniques such as extended Kalman filters, particle filters, or neural‑network‑based model learning.
• Familiarity with physics simulators (MuJoCo, Drake, Isaac Sim) and sim‑to‑real transfer, including using identified parameters to calibrate simulation environments.
• Experience with real‑time embedded system development, RTOS, or bare‑metal firmware.
• Exposure to automation environments such as warehousing, manufacturing, or logistics.
• Experience with safety‑critical systems.
• Familiarity with ROS/ROS 2 and standard robotics middleware.
• Experience building data pipelines for collecting, storing, and analyzing robot telemetry at scale.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of software engineering experience building production robotics systems.
• Strong foundation in dynamics, controls, and system identification—including least‑squares regression, parameter estimation, state‑space and transfer‑function modeling, and feedforward/feedback controller design.
• Hands‑on experience characterizing real electromechanical systems: motors, gearboxes, linear actuators, articulated arms, or similar mechanisms.
• Strong proficiency in at least one of Rust, Python, or C++.
• Proven ability to design, implement, and maintain complex, high‑reliability software systems.
• Experience integrating software with sensors, actuators, and embedded systems.
• Familiarity with software best practices including testing, documentation, code reviews, and robust architectural design.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Willingness to support production operations through an on‑call rotation.

Compensation & Benefits

The pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $190,000 and $250,000 per year. Your exact offer may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition to cash compensation, this position will also receive generous equity.

Culture

We embrace challenges and strive to make the impossible possible each day. We’re not in this to do what’s easy or to be mediocre. We want to create something legendary and leave our mark on the world. We’re ambitious, gritty, humble, and relentlessly resourceful in pursuit of our goals. If this sounds like you then you might be a great fit!

Nimble Robotics, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We make all employment decisions based solely on merit. We provide equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable state, federal or local laws.

Nimble's Benefits

• Unlimited Flexible Time Off — Enjoy the time you need to travel, rejuvenate, and connect with friends and family.
• Health Insurance — Nimble provides medical, dental, and vision insurance through several premier plans and options to support you and your family.
• Paid Parental Leave — Enjoy paid bonding time following a birth.
• Commuter Benefits — Take the stress out of commuting with access to fully‑paid parking spots.
• Referral Bonus — Get a cash bonus for any friend or colleague that you refer to us that we end up hiring.
• 401k — Contribute towards a 401k for retirement planning.
• Equity — Be an owner in Nimble through our equity program.