Software Engineer, Robotics

Applied Intuition Inc.; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 189,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Intuition, Inc. is building general-purpose robots capable of performing real work in real environments. As a Robotics Engineer on our Robotics team, you will work across the full stack—from low-level controls and firmware to locomotion behaviors, manipulation, and fleet deployment.

You will collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, firmware, and AI/ML teams and own subsystem integration end to end, delivering code that ships to physical hardware with measurable impact.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, CS, EE, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 4+ years of robotics development, with some work on physical hardware.
• Strong C++ (14/17/20) and Python for tooling.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and tune core robotics software spanning locomotion, whole-body control, and manipulation for bi-dexterous robot platforms.
• Bring up software and hardware on new robot generations and own subsystem integration across actuators, sensors, motor controllers, and onboard compute.
• Develop and maintain real-time control software in C++ with a strong emphasis on reliability, performance, and testability.
• Build simulation infrastructure and validate behaviors in physics-based environments before deploying to hardware.
• Debug failures on physical robots and analyze telemetry and log data to identify root causes and improve system robustness.
• Contribute to tooling that scales, including fleet monitoring, behavior testing pipelines, operator interfaces, and CI/CD infrastructure.
• Work with teleoperation and data collection systems to inform learning-based policy development.

Skills

C++ (C++14/17/20)

Python

Robotics fundamentals

Linux development

Real-time systems

Hardware interaction

Education

BS or MS in Robotics/ME/CS/EE or equivalent hands-on experience

Tools

CAN

EtherCAT

Ethernet

Serial

ROS/ROS2

Physics simulators

Job description

About Applied Intuition

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments.

About the role

We are building general-purpose robots capable of performing real work in real environments. As a Robotics Engineer on our Robotics team, you will work across the full stack — from low-level controls and firmware to locomotion behaviors, manipulation, and fleet deployment. This is a hands‑on, cross‑functional role where your work ships to physical hardware and your impact is immediate. You will collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, firmware, and AI/ML teams and own subsystem integration end to end.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Design, implement, and tune core robotics software spanning locomotion, whole‑body control, and manipulation for bi‑dexterous robot platforms

• Bring up software and hardware on new robot generations and own subsystem integration across actuators, sensors, motor controllers, and onboard compute

• Develop and maintain real‑time control software in C++ with a strong emphasis on reliability, performance, and testability

• Build simulation infrastructure and validate behaviors in physics‑based environments before deploying to hardware

• Debug failures on physical robots and analyze telemetry and log data to identify root causes and improve system robustness

• Contribute to tooling that scales, including fleet monitoring, behavior testing pipelines, operator interfaces, and CI/CD infrastructure

• Work with teleoperation and data collection systems to inform learning‑based policy development

We're looking for someone who has:

• BS or MS in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent hands‑on experience

• 4+ years of professional experience in robotics development, with at least some of that on physical hardware rather than purely in simulation

• Strong proficiency in C++ (C++14/17/20), including multithreading, memory management, and real‑time systems; Python for tooling and scripting

• Solid robotics fundamentals: kinematics, dynamics, control theory, and state estimation

• Experience with embedded or low‑level systems and familiarity with communication protocols such as CAN, EtherCAT, Ethernet, and serial

• Ability to work effectively in a Linux development environment and debug complex hardware‑software interactions

• Comfort operating and iterating directly on robot hardware

Nice to have:

• Experience with bi‑dexterous robots

• Familiarity with ROS/ROS2 or similar robotics middleware

• Exposure to reinforcement learning or imitation learning workflows and deploying learned policies to hardware

• Experience with physics simulators such as MuJoCo, Gazebo, or NVIDIA Isaac Sim

• Background in SLAM, path planning, or perception pipelines

• Understanding of sensor fusion across IMU, lidar, cameras, and force/torque sensors

• Prior work in an environment with rapid hardware iteration and tight design cycles

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package, which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units, comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance coverage, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, interview performance, and the level and scope of the position.

Please reference the job posting’s subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full‑time position in the location listed is: $189,000 - $270,000 USD annually.

Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.