Staff Software Engineer - Robotic Simulation

Apptronik; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 141,000 - 339,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading robotics company is seeking a Staff Software Engineer specializing in robotic simulation. You'll be responsible for developing core simulation infrastructures, ensuring high-performance simulations for next-generation autonomous behaviors. With a collaborative work environment, you'll have the chance to influence innovative robotics solutions and enjoy a hybrid work schedule along with competitive benefits.

Benefits

Competitive base with benefits

Equity incentive package

Hybrid work schedule

Flexible work hours policy

Professional development opportunities

Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO)

401k plan

Qualifications

• 8+ years experience in developing robotic simulations.
• Excellent programming skills in C++ and Python.
• Experience with cloud computing frameworks like AWS or GCP.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain simulation infrastructure for robotics.
• Lead project planning and technical direction.
• Create photorealistic environments for vision-based tasks.

Skills

C++

Python

Reinforcement Learning

Robotic simulation

Cloud platforms

Game engines

Education

MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering

Tools

MuJoCo

Nvidia Isaac

pybullet

Unity

Unreal

Job description

Staff Software Engineer - Robotic Simulation

Staff Software Engineer - Robotic Simulation

3 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants

Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features.

Apptronik is building robots for the real world to improve human quality of life and to help solve the ever-increasing labor shortage problem. Our team has been building some of the most advanced robots on the planet for years, dating back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge. We apply our expertise across the full robotics stack to some of the most important and impactful problems our society faces, and expect our products and technology to change the world for the better. We value passion, creativity, and collaboration to help us overcome existing technological barriers in the industry to create truly innovative products.

You will join a team developing state-of-the-art general-purpose robots designed to operate in human spaces and with human tools. It is designed to work alongside humans, mobilize to human spaces, and manipulate the world around it.

JOB SUMMARY

We are seeking a Staff Simulation Engineer to spearhead the architecture and development of our core simulation infrastructure—the engine that powers our reinforcement learning and controls initiatives. In this role, you will be responsible for the continuous development, improvement, and maintenance of our simulation environments in MuJoCo, scaling the platform to be robust, high-performance, and highly parallelized. You will own the technical roadmap for our simulation tools, ensuring seamless integration with robot control systems and learning frameworks to provide our teams with the foundational infrastructure needed to develop next-generation autonomous behaviors.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Simulation Infrastructure: Develop and maintain simulation infrastructure integrated with robot control systems, ensuring that data flows accurately reflect both simulated and real-world operations.
• Sim-to-Real & Contact Modeling: Transfer real-world robot parameters into simulation and design accurate contact models for high-fidelity sim-to-real alignment.
• Scalable Learning & Perception Simulation: Develop parallel simulation platforms for RL and create photorealistic environments for vision-based tasks, eg. camera / lidar simulation
• Technical Leadership & Collaboration: Lead project planning and technical direction, working closely with engineering, research, and product teams to keep efforts aligned and moving forward.
  
  

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Excellent C++ and Python programming skills
• Familiar with best practices for software development, including CI/CD, automated testing, and code quality standards to ensure a robust and scalable codebase.
• Technical leadership experience in robotic simulation, including defining technical roadmaps and collaborating cross-functionally to align priorities and drive project execution.
• Understanding of Robotics concepts like kinematics, dynamics, controls, path planning and system identification.
• Experience with the MuJoCo robotic simulator. Nice to have: Nvidia Isaac, pybullet, other simulators.
• Deep understanding of Reinforcement Learning with preferable experience in research or production environment
• Experience architecting and managing large-scale training workloads, including deploying parallel simulations on cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) with distributed computing frameworks (e.g., Ray, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with the use of game engines like Unity or Unreal.
  
  

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

• Education: MS or PhD in relevant fields (Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, etc.)
• Experience: Significant experience (8+ years or 5+ with a graduate degree) in developing robotic simulations for high-performance, contact-rich, and dynamic robotic environments.
  
  

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times
• Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen
• Hearing and speech to communicate
  
  

Perks

• Competitive base w/ benefits
• Highly motivating equity incentive package
• Hybrid work schedule (i.e. work from home in some capacity)
• Flexible work hours policy
• Professional development opportunities
• Open/Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 401k plan
• This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations.
  
  

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Engineering and Information Technology

• Industries

  Robot Manufacturing

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Apptronik by 2x

Sign in to set job alerts for “Staff Software Engineer” roles.

Code-Obsessed Problem Solver & PHP Hacker, Elite Code Hacker, Senior Full Stack Engineer, Senior Software Engineer-Laravel/PHP, Partner Success Manager & Sales Development Representative

Senior Full Stack Software Engineer - GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain

Senior Mainframe Software Engineer - Global Supply Chain

Austin, TX $141,200.00-$338,500.00 2 weeks ago

Austin, TX $141,200.00-$338,500.00 1 week ago

Principal Deep Learning Software Development Engineer - C++, GPU

Austin, TX $200,000.00-$300,000.00 1 week ago

Lead Software Engineer (Power Integrity, Simulation & Numerical Analysis)

Sr. Staff GPU Compiler Engineer - Multiple locations

Senior Full Stack Software Engineer - GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain

Austin, TX $130,000.00-$170,000.00 3 weeks ago

Austin, TX $215,000.00-$250,000.00 1 month ago

Senior Software Engineer, Backend - Fintech

Staff Full Stack Software Engineer - Core Product, Poe (Remote)

Austin, TX $183,647.00-$278,361.00 11 months ago

Austin, TX $146,000.00-$180,000.00 1 month ago

Senior Fullstack Software Engineer , (Front End Focused)

Austin, TX $95,200.00-$168,700.00 1 week ago

Senior Software Engineer, Frontend Web Development

Austin, TX $140,960.00-$193,820.00 6 hours ago

Austin, TX $185,000.00-$225,000.00 3 months ago

Senior Software Engineer, Full Stack Web Development

Senior Software Engineer - APIs and Tools

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.