Senior Software Engineer

Kazvu Labs; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Kazvu Labs in Irvine, CA is seeking a Senior Robotics Software Architect who will bridge strategy and execution, own the robotics software stack, and mentor a growing team while remaining hands-on with critical code.

You will evolve ROS2-based systems, lead architecture decisions, establish CI/CD pipelines and HIL testing, and drive safe, reliable operation across hardware and software interfaces in production deployments.

Qualifications

• Deep robotics software expertise and hands-on systems experience.
• Proven technical leadership across teams and projects.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant STEM field; advanced specialization preferred.
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• 3+ years leading sprints and mentoring engineers.

Responsibilities

• Architect and scale robotics software stack from prototype to production.
• Hands-on development in navigation, SLAM, perception, or fleet management.
• Translate product and hardware constraints into software milestones.
• Establish CI/CD pipelines, automated hardware-in-the-loop testing, and simulations.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers; perform code reviews.

Skills

C++ mastery

ROS2

Linux (Ubuntu)

Motion planning & controls

CI/CD pipelines

Docker

Testing frameworks (simulation/HIL)

Software design & algorithms

Cross-functional communication

Mentorship & empathy

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Robotics/EE/Mech with software focus

Graduate specialization in autonomous systems / computer vision / control / AI

Tools

Navigation2 (Nav2)

Roboplan

Noether

Tesseract

OpenCV

Docker

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Bridge the gap between high-level business strategy and technical software execution. This role requires assuming a coaching style role while maintaining full ownership of architecting scalable autonomy and control systems, managing technical debt from prior years of development, and mentoring a growing team of engineers while remaining hands‑on with critical code and technical direction decisions.

Responsibilities

• -Architecture & Scaling: Evolve the existing robotics software stack ROS2, C++, Python, from a startup prototype to a robust, production‑grade commercial platform.
• -Hands‑on Development: Write, review, and optimize core software modules, particularly in complex areas like navigation, localization (SLAM), perception, or fleet management.
• -Technical Roadmap: Translate product requirements and hardware limitations into structured software milestones and sprint plans.
• -Code Quality & Testing: Establish and enforce rigorous CI/CD pipelines, automated hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) testing, and simulation environments to ensure safety and reliability.
• -Team Mentorship: Conduct code reviews, and mentor junior and mid‑level software engineers

Accountability

• -Software Delivery & Timelines: Ensuring the software team hits critical product release dates and commercial deployment milestones.
• -Software System Reliability & Safety: Owning the uptime, edge‑case handling, and safety metrics of the robots out in the field.
• -Technical Debt Management: Balancing the speed of feature delivery with the long‑term stability and cleanliness of the codebase.
• -Interdisciplinary Integration: Ensuring seamless software integration with the mechanical, electrical, and hardware systems.

Authority

• -Technical Stack & Tools: Freedom to select software libraries, development tools, cloud infrastructure, and testing frameworks.
• -Code Approvals: Ultimate sign‑off on code merges, architecture changes, and release readiness (the "gatekeeper" of the master branch).
• -Task Allocation: Direct authority to assign sprint tasks, bugs, and feature ownership to software team members.
• -Hiring Input: Significant influence over the technical hiring process, including designing coding trials and conducting technical interviews.

QUALIFICATION STANDARDS

Education & Experience

• ·Deep technical expertise in robotics software
• ·Hands‑on systems experience
• ·Proven technical leadership skills
• ·Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering (with a software focus), or a related STEM field.
• ·Graduate level specialization in autonomous systems, computer vision, control systems, or artificial intelligence.
• ·10+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• ·Robotics Industry Experience with at least 3+ years working directly on deployed, physical robotic or autonomous systems.
• ·Documented experience taking a product from an early‑stage prototype/lab environment to a commercial production release used by real customers.
• ·3+ years of informal or formal technical leadership (e.g., leading sprints, mentoring juniors, scoping architecture, or serving as a Scrum Master)
• ·Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with co‑workers and managers.
• ·Ability to work a flexible schedule, including weekends and holidays.

Physical Requirements

• ·Long hours may sometimes be required.
• ·Light work – Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.
• ·Ability to sit or stand for extended periods while working at a computer.
• ·Occasional use of light hand tools when supporting hardware testing.
• ·Able to use computer and/or laptops.

Mental Requirements

• ·Diverse technical skills and willing to learn new supplemental skill sets
• ·Able to work effectively in a fast‑paced environment with shifting priorities.
• ·Must be effective at listening to, understanding, clarifying and resolving the concerns and issues raised by co‑workers.
• ·Must be effective in handling problems in the workplace, including anticipating, preventing, identifying and solving problems as necessary.
• ·Must be able to convey information and ideas clearly to technicians, engineers and managers.
• ·Ability to learn new software and hardware tool sets

Expected Technical Areas

• ·Mastery of C++ (14/17/20) and/or Python, with a strong emphasis on writing highly efficient, memory‑safe, and real‑time code.
• ·Proficiency with ROS2, ROS2 packages, and ROS2 adjacent libraries, such as Navigation2 (Nav2), Roboplan, noether, tesseract, and OpenCV.
• ·Expert knowledge of Linux (Ubuntu) development, multi‑threading, concurrency, and real‑time operating systems (RTOS).
• oMotion Planning & Controls: Kinematics, trajectory generation, PID/MPC controllers.
• ·Experience establishing CI/CD pipelines, Docker containerization, and automated testing frameworks (simulation and Hardware-in-the-Loop)
• ·Software systems design and implementation
• ·Algorithm design and implementation
• ·Cross‑Functional Communication: Ability to translate complex software concepts to mechanical, electrical, and product teams.
• ·Pragmatic Problem Solving: A "startup mindset" that knows when to write clean, perfect architecture versus when to build a fast, functional patch to unblock a customer deployment.
• ·Mentorship & Empathy: A proven ability to conduct constructive, growth‑oriented code reviews and guide junior engineers through technical roadblocks.