Software Engineer, Systems San Francisco · San Francisco · →

Kovari; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Kovari in San Francisco seeks a systems-focused software engineer to own the robot software foundation, from onboard runtime to fleet reliability. You will ensure robots stay alive, fast, and recoverable in the field.

You will ship drivers, implement OTA updates, and optimize edge performance. This role requires strong C++ or Rust, Python, and experience with embedded Linux, ROS 2, and robotics middleware.

Qualifications

• Strong C++ or Rust, plus Python.
• Experience with real-time or embedded Linux systems.
• Familiarity with ROS 2 or similar robotics middleware.
• Experience with comms buses and protocols (CAN, EtherCAT, Ethernet, USB).
• Comfort with networking, containers, and fleet deployment tooling.
• Bonus: robotics, autonomous vehicles, or drones in production.
• Bias toward action: ship fast, test on hardware, fix what breaks

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain the onboard runtime, middleware, and real-time control loops
• Write drivers and integrations for sensors, motor controllers, and compute
• Own Linux, networking, and security on robots and edge devices
• Build OTA updates, logging, monitoring, and remote diagnostics for the fleet
• Profile and optimize latency, throughput, and resource use on edge hardware
• Debug failures on deployed robots and harden the stack against them

Skills

C++

Rust

Python

Embedded Linux

ROS 2

CAN Bus

EtherCAT

Ethernet

USB

Networking

Containers

Deployment tools

Job description

About Kovari
Kovari develops frontier technology to transform physical businesses. We partner with established operators to change how they run, and we build and operate businesses of our own through our subsidiaries.

We are a small team of builders, operators, and researchers. We deploy on site, alongside the businesses we serve, and iterate in the field. We have raised over $6M from leading investors.

We are based in San Francisco and work in person.

The Role
You will own the software foundation our robots run on, from the onboard runtime and drivers to networking, updates, and fleet reliability. When a robot is in the field, your code keeps it alive, fast, and recoverable.

What You'll Do

• Build and maintain the onboard runtime, middleware, and real-time control loops

• Write drivers and integrations for sensors, motor controllers, and compute

• Own Linux, networking, and security on robots and edge devices

• Build OTA updates, logging, monitoring, and remote diagnostics for the fleet

• Profile and optimize latency, throughput, and resource use on edge hardware

• Debug failures on deployed robots and harden the stack against them

What You Bring

• Strong C++ or Rust, plus Python

• Experience with real-time or embedded Linux systems

• Familiarity with ROS 2 or similar robotics middleware

• Experience with comms buses and protocols (CAN, EtherCAT, Ethernet, USB)

• Comfort with networking, containers, and fleet deployment tooling

• Bonus: robotics, autonomous vehicles, or drones in production

• Bias toward action: ship fast, test on hardware, fix what breaks

Values

• Pace of learning trumps everything.

• Relentless refinement of our craft.

• Low ego, high ownership.

• All-in on the mission. We work in person, and this isn't a 9-to-5.