Staff Autonomy Engineer: Robotics Software & Fleet Autonomy

TAR; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

TAR in San Francisco is hiring a Staff Autonomy Engineer to build critical autonomy software across perception, planning, and controls, shaping the stack that runs TAR's robots. You will own a core autonomy area, mentor engineers, and collaborate with robotics, hardware, and field teams to set priorities and drive deliveries.

You will write production code, debug on real hardware, and validate results in the field, with travel to West Texas as needed.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of production engineering experience with robotics at scale.
• Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering or equivalent.
• Proven track record shipping production autonomy software on real hardware.
• Experience owning a robotic system through development, field deployment and operation.
• Depth in perception, state estimation, planning or controls with real-time, safety-critical work in Rust, C, or C++.
• Leadership across software, hardware and field teams with ownership clarity.
• Ability to simplify decisions and communicate trade-offs clearly.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and operate autonomy software across perception, localization, planning, and controls.
• Own a part of the autonomy stack and drive priorities and architectural decisions.
• Turn ambiguous needs into concrete technical proposals with scope and delivery path.
• Influence architecture across perception, planning, and fleet layers while preserving ownership.
• Communicate tradeoffs with mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing teams.
• Improve simulation, CI, testing, and release practices before deployment.
• Spend time at the West Texas site to connect field performance with software fixes.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to hiring and technical judgment.

Skills

Rust

C

C++

Autonomy software

Robotics leadership

Mentoring

Real-time systems

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Job description

TAR in San Francisco is hiring a Staff Autonomy Engineer to build critical autonomy software across perception, planning, and controls, shaping the stack that runs TAR's robots. You will own a core autonomy area, mentor engineers, and collaborate with robotics, hardware, and field teams to set priorities and drive deliveries.

You will write production code, debug on real hardware, and validate results in the field, with travel to West Texas as needed.