Staff Software Engineer – Applied ML Research

Picklerobot; Lake Charles (LA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Unlimited vacation

Paid federal and state holidays

401(k) contributions of 5%

Company-covered travel expenses

Job summary

Pickle Robot Company is seeking a Software Engineer for its Task & Motion Planning team. You will design and implement planning systems that decide what boxes to pick, how to grasp, and how to move safely in cluttered trailers, shipping production C++ and Python components.

You’ll work closely with robotics experts to translate prototypes into robust, scalable software that runs on real robots daily. The role emphasizes strong software fundamentals, proof of correctness, performance

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of production software experience in C++ (C++17+) with Python proficiency.
• Strong fundamentals in software design, data structures, algorithms, and performance optimization.
• Experience owning components end-to-end: design, testing, deployment, and support.
• Interest in motion planning, grasping, and real-time robotics concepts.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain production C++ and Python components of our planning stack, including motion planning, grasp selection, collision checking, and task sequencing.
• Take algorithms, your own and your teammates', from prototype to deployment, owning the architecture, performance, and robustness of the implementation.
• Profile and optimize performance-critical code so planners meet real-time cycle-time targets on robot hardware.
• Build the testing, simulation, and benchmarking infrastructure that lets the team change planning code with confidence.
• Improve the reliability of the planning stack in the field by debugging failures from production logs, building tooling for triage, and fixing root causes.
• Help raise the bar for code quality through design reviews, code reviews, and good engineering practices.

Skills

C++

Python

Software design

Performance optimization

Robotics basics

Education

Bachelor's in CS/CE

Tools

OMPL

Drake

FCL

Pinocchio

Job description

About Us

At Pickle Robot, we're on a mission to automate global supply chains with Physical AI. Our robots work alongside warehouse teams to unload trucks and containers — one of the toughest, most understaffed jobs in logistics — making the work safer, faster, and more efficient for the people doing it. Loading trucks comes next, followed by the Dill Autonomy Engine: generalized autonomy that will eventually orchestrate robots across entire logistics processes.

We're looking for a Software Engineer to join our Task & Motion Planning team, which decides what our robots pick, how they grasp it, and how they move safely and quickly through a cluttered, changing trailer. We're looking for someone who brings strong software engineering fundamentals, a track record of shipping production code, and a genuine interest in motion planning and grasping.

You’ll design and build fast, reliable, well-tested planning systems that run on real robots every day. Your code will directly affect how many boxes come off a truck per hour and how often a robot needs a human's help, and you’ll see those results on the warehouse floor.

• Design, build, and maintain production C++ and Python components of our planning stack, including motion planning, grasp selection, collision checking, and task sequencing

• Take algorithms, your own and your teammates', from prototype to deployment, owning the architecture, performance, and robustness of the implementation

• Profile and optimize performance-critical code so planners meet real-time cycle-time targets on robot hardware

• Build the testing, simulation, and benchmarking infrastructure that lets the team change planning code with confidence

• Improve the reliability of the planning stack in the field by debugging failures from production logs, building tooling for triage, and fixing root causes

• Help raise the bar for code quality through design reviews, code reviews, and good engineering practices

• 2–4 years of experience writing and shipping production software, primarily in modern C++ (C++17 or later), with working proficiency in Python

• Strong fundamentals in software design, data structures, algorithms, and performance optimization

• Experience owning components end-to-end: design, implementation, testing, deployment, and ongoing support

• Solid understanding of concurrency, memory management, and profiling tools

• A real interest in motion planning, manipulation, and grasping, and eagerness to go deep on the algorithms alongside domain experts

• Comfort working close to hardware and debugging problems that span software and the physical world

Nice to Have

• Hands-on experience with motion planning or manipulation (e.g., sampling-based or optimization-based planners, trajectory generation, grasp planning)

• Experience with CUDA or GPU performance optimization

• Familiarity with robotics libraries and frameworks such as OMPL, Drake, FCL, or Pinocchio

• Background in 3D geometry, kinematics, or linear algebra (Eigen or similar)

• Experience with simulation environments and large-scale regression testing for robotics or other safety-critical systems

• Experience deploying software on physical robots in production environments

Pay at Pickle

At Pickle Robot Company, we believe transparency builds trust. The salary range listed here is provided in accordance with Massachusetts law and reflects what we reasonably and in good faith expect to offer for this role. We often consider candidates at different levels of seniority, and final compensation will reflect the level at which a candidate is hired, along with factors like experience and location.

Pickle Perks

• Pickle provides best-in-class benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance
• unlimited vacation
• paid federal and state holidays
• 401(k) contributions of 5% of your salary
• company-covered travel expenses
• and other perks to make your working life more fun, comfortable, and productive.