Software Technician

Socket.dev; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 44,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k)

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Paid vacation time

8 paid holidays per year

Paid sick time

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Atoms is seeking a hands-on Software Technician to drive hardware-software validation, testing, and debugging across our robotics platform. You will scrutinize both hardware and software to prevent issues before customers see them, contributing to scalable, reliable systems.

Ideal candidates have 2+ years in software testing, familiarity with Python/Bash, and the ability to read schematics and work with embedded targets.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of software experience, including testing infrastructure or distributed systems.
• Proficiency with Python and Bash scripting.
• Ability to read electrical schematics and hardware drawings.
• Experience flashing firmware or loading OS images on embedded targets.
• Strong debugging and systems-thinking skills across hardware and software.

Responsibilities

• Perform QC and bench tests on custom electronics.
• Load software and firmware onto custom-built devices.
• Execute test suites across hardware and software; log results and flag anomalies.
• Collaborate with software engineers to improve processes and enable rapid scaling.
• Debug failures across the full stack and work with engineering teams to drive resolution.
• Maintain clear records of test outcomes, failure modes, and corrective actions.

Skills

Python

Bash scripting

Hardware schematics reading

Firmware flashing

Debugging

Testing infrastructure

Tools

ROS

Gazebo

CARLA

Protobuf

Cap'n Proto

Job description

Who we are

Atoms is building the machines that power the next era of progress.

Over the last decade, software has transformed the digital world. But the physical world, where food is made, minerals are mined, goods are moved, and industries are run, remains far less intelligent, far less efficient, and far more constrained. We’re changing that.

Atoms builds Physical AI— real-world robots for the industries that move civilization forward, starting with food, mining, and transport. Our systems are designed to understand, predict, and control the real world with precision, turning complex physical operations into something more reliable, more scalable, and more productive.

This work requires more than robotics. It requires deep integration across hardware, software, AI, operations, manufacturing, and real estate. We don’t just build machines in a lab. We deploy them into real environments, operate them, learn from them, and improve them until they work at scale.

We are roboticists, engineers, operators, and builders. We believe the next great technology companies will not only transform information, but the physical systems that shape everyday life.

If you want to work on hard problems with real-world impact, join us.

About the role

We're looking for a hands-on Software Technician to play a critical role in getting hardware-software systems out the door. You'll be on the front lines of quality: testing, debugging, and validating both the hardware and software that power our products. This role is a great fit for someone who's comfortable at the intersection of hardware and software and has spent time figuring out if the baud rate was wrong or if the wiring was flipped. We are looking for contributors who take pride in catching problems before they reach customers and are excited about building scalable systems.

What you’ll do

• Perform QC and bench tests on custom electronics
• Load software and firmware onto custom built devices
• Execute test suites across hardware and software systems; log results and flag anomalies
• Collaborate with Software engineers on process improvements and documentation to enable rapid scaling
• Debug failures across the full stack, from hardware faults to software misconfigurations, and work with engineering teams to drive resolution
• Maintain clear records of test outcomes, failure modes, and corrective action

What we’re looking for

• 2+ years of software experience, with work on testing infrastructure, developer tools, or distributed systems
• Experience with Python and Bash Scripting
• Ability to read electrical schematics and understand hardware assemblies drawings
• Experience flashing firmware or loading OS images onto embedded targets
• Debugging and systems thinking — you'll be reasoning about failures across multiple functions
• Experience working with fast paced engineering teams and unstructured environments
• Good written and verbal communication and computer skills (google suite, excel)

Preferred

• Experience with robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other safety-critical systems
• Experience with simulation environments (Gazebo, CARLA, Isaac Sim, or proprietary)
• Familiarity with pub/sub messaging systems (ZMQ, ROS, DDS) and binary serialization formats (Cap'n Proto, Protobuf)
• Cloud infrastructure experience for parallel test execution (AWS/GCP, Kubernetes)
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing or real-time systems
• Performance engineering — Debugging and optimizing slow CI/test pipelines before

Why join us

At Atoms, you’ll work on one of the defining challenges of our time—bringing automation into the physical world to drive real, lasting impact. We exist to uncover valuable unknown truths and turn them into progress, which means constantly pushing beyond what’s known and building what doesn’t yet exist. The work is ambitious and often challenging, but it’s grounded in a shared sense of purpose and a team committed to seeing it through together. Our work only matters if it serves others, and we know that meaningful progress depends on the trust of the people we serve and the strength of our team—so we invest in both, creating an environment where you can do your best work and grow.

What else you need to know

This role is based in our San Franciscooffice. Atoms is a company driven by invention and continuous change - we are constantly reimagining our industries, building new products, and refining how we operate. We do our best work together. That’s why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week.

The base starting rate for this role is $32.00 - $55.00 per hour.

Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.

Benefits Summary

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (multiple plans, incl. HSA options)
• Company-paid life and disability insurance (short- and long-term)
• Voluntary insurance: accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity
• Optional supplemental life insurance for self, spouse, and children
• Pet insurance discount (Fetch)
• 401(k)
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare, Dependent Care, Commuter)
• Time Off policies
• Paid Vacation Time (1h for every 26h worked)
• 8 paid holidays per year
• Paid sick time
• Paid Bereavement leave
• Paid Parental Leave.

Benefits are subject to change at the company's discretion.

Atoms accepts applications on an ongoing basis.

Ready to join us as we serve those who serve others?

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