Software Engineer, Core Platforms

Botauto; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Bot Auto is seeking a Software Engineer, Core Platforms in Houston to build and operate our internal platform services, automation, and tooling for faster, more reliable engineering workflows.

You will work with Kubernetes, IaC, and distributed systems, shipping production code early while receiving mentorship and code reviews. This role offers growth in cloud/on-prem infrastructure with cost efficiency and observability engineering.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 0-2 years of software engineering or platform/DevOps experience (internships count).
• Proficient in at least one language: Python, Go, Java, or JavaScript/TypeScript.
• Solid knowledge of Linux, networking fundamentals, Git, and Docker.

Responsibilities

• Develop and operate Kubernetes-based platforms with scheduling and autoscaling features.
• Write infrastructure as code with Terraform/Ansible for on-prem and cloud.
• Build and support data pipelines, ML workflows, and CI/CD tooling.
• Deploy and operate self-hosted LLMs and agent-based automation workflows.
• Support API gateways and messaging/streaming systems (MQTT).
• Create dashboards, alerts, and logging to monitor platform health.

Skills

Python

Go

Java

JavaScript/TypeScript

Linux

Networking fundamentals

Git

Containers (Docker)

Learning mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

Kubernetes

Job description

Company Introduction

At Bot Auto, we are revolutionizing the transportation of goods with our cutting-edge autonomous trucks, enhancing the quality of life for communities around the globe. With the agility of a start-up and the wisdom of seasoned experts, Bot Auto boasts a team that has achieved numerous world-firsts and unparalleled innovations. United by a shared vision, we create miracles and propel the future of transportation. Join us and transform your dreams into reality. We are seeking a curious and motivated Software Engineer, Core Platforms to help build and run the internal platforms our engineering teams rely on every day. Working alongside senior platform engineers, you will develop platform services, automation, and tooling that make our engineers faster, our systems more reliable, and our infrastructure more cost-efficient. This is a hands-on role built for growth: you will ship production code early, get regular mentorship and code review, and build deep experience in Kubernetes, infrastructure-as-code, and distributed systems while supporting groundbreaking work in autonomous transportation.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development and operation of our Kubernetes-based platforms, including features for scheduling, autoscaling, and internal platform tooling.
• Write and maintain infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform, Ansible) for on-prem, cloud, and Kubernetes environments, following team standards and reviews.
• Help build and support workflow platforms that run data pipelines, simulation jobs, ML pipelines, and CI/CD.
• Assist in deploying and operating self-hosted LLMs and agentic workflows used for internal automation.
• Support the operation of API gateways and messaging/streaming systems (including MQTT), handling configuration, upgrades, and troubleshooting.
• Build dashboards, alerts, and logging integrations that improve visibility into platform health.
• Help track infrastructure costs and implement optimizations identified with senior engineers.
• Participate in on-call rotations, incident response, and post-incident reviews, with support from experienced teammates.
• Write clear documentation and runbooks, and help internal users adopt platform services.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
• 0-2 years of experience in software engineering, platform engineering, DevOps, or SRE (internships, co-ops, and substantial personal or open-source projects count)
• Solid programming skills in at least one of: Python, Go, Java, JavaScript/TypeScript
• Working knowledge of Linux, networking fundamentals, Git, and containers (Docker)
• Eagerness to learn, take feedback, and own tasks from start to finish

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on exposure to Kubernetes (EKS, GKE, AKS, RKE2/Rancher, or a local setup like kind/minikube)
• Experience with AWS, GCP, or Azure, from coursework, projects, or work
• Familiarity with an IaC tool such as Terraform, Pulumi, OpenTofu, or Ansible
• Exposure to workflow orchestration tools such as Argo Workflows or Airflow
• Interest or project experience in running LLMs or building agent-based automation
• Familiarity with messaging/streaming systems (NATS JetStream, Kafka, Pulsar, RabbitMQ) or API gateways (Kong, APISIX)
• Experience using Prometheus, Grafana, Loki, OpenTelemetry, or similar observability tools
• Interest in cost-aware engineering and infrastructure efficiency