Staff Software Engineer, Simulation

Ladders; United States; Remote; USD 181,000 - 282,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Stock options

Health insurance

Unlimited PTO

On-site lunches (remote note)

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Ladders is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Simulation to advance the simulation foundation for robot development, testing, and training. You will connect robot models, physics engines, and hardware abstractions to improve fidelity, performance, and development speed.

You will collaborate with engineering and design teams to translate real-world robot behavior into scalable simulation environments supporting reinforcement learning, synthetic data generation, and design validation.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience in robotics, focusing on simulation infrastructure and robot models.
• Strong proficiency in modern C++ and Python programming languages.
• Experience with major robotics physics simulators like MuJoCo, Isaac Sim, or Gazebo.
• Proficient in building rigid-body robot models (URDF, MJCF, USD).
• Understanding of multibody dynamics and actuator modeling principles.
• Experience with system identification and sim2real transfer techniques.
• Familiarity with software development practices such as Git, CI/CD, and Jira.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop core components of the simulation stack as a founding member of the team.
• Create a hardware abstraction layer for sensors and actuators in simulation environments.
• Integrate physics simulators with a focus on fidelity and performance.
• Build high-fidelity models of robots, including kinematics and dynamics.
• Establish automated pipelines for rapid hardware design integration into simulation.
• Utilize simulation for training reinforcement learning policies and generating synthetic data.
• Evaluate robot designs through simulation, providing actionable insights for design teams.

Skills

C++

Python

Robot simulation

Multibody dynamics

URDF

MJCF

USD

CI/CD

Git

Jira

Tools

MuJoCo

Isaac Sim

Gazebo

Job description

For our client, we are seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Simulation to join the team of a leader in the Consumer Technology space.

This role will help build and evolve the simulation foundation that supports robot development, testing, and training. You will work on core systems that connect robot models, physics engines, and hardware abstractions to improve fidelity, performance, and development speed. The position partners closely with engineering and design teams to translate real-world robot behavior into simulation environments that can support reinforcement learning, synthetic data generation, and design validation.

Location: Remote

Compensation: $181,000 – $282,000 annually

Responsibilities

• Design and develop core components of the simulation stack as a founding member of the team
• Create a hardware abstraction layer for sensors and actuators in simulation environments
• Integrate physics simulators with a focus on fidelity and performance
• Build high-fidelity models of robots, including kinematics and dynamics
• Establish automated pipelines for rapid hardware design integration into simulation
• Utilize simulation for training reinforcement learning policies and generating synthetic data
• Evaluate robot designs through simulation, providing actionable insights for design teams

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience in robotics, focusing on simulation infrastructure and robot models
• Strong proficiency in modern C++ and Python programming languages
• Experience with major robotics physics simulators like MuJoCo, Isaac Sim, or Gazebo
• Proficient in building rigid-body robot models (URDF, MJCF, USD)
• Understanding of multibody dynamics and actuator modeling principles
• Experience with system identification and sim2real transfer techniques
• Familiarity with software development practices such as Git, CI/CD, and Jira

Benefits

• 401(k) plan with a 6% company match
• Company stock options as part of equity compensation
• 100% company-paid medical, dental, vision, and disability insurance
• Flexible, unlimited PTO for exempt employees and 10 vacation days for non-exempt employees
• Catered lunches and healthy snacks at on-site locations
• Generous paid parental leave programs
• Professional development and tuition reimbursement opportunities

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification—your background could be exactly what this team needs.