Systems Engineer

Deft AI, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Cash and stock awards

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Deft AI, Inc. in San Francisco is seeking a Software Engineer to develop and maintain core software for robot data collection. The role involves improving system performance, implementing software libraries, and ensuring safe robot operations through robust systems.

The ideal candidate will have a degree in a technical field, programming expertise in C/C++, and experience with Linux systems. Compensation ranges from $100,000 to $200,000 annually plus cash and stock awards.

Qualifications

• Strong programming experience in C/C++ and familiarity with Python.
• Experience developing software for Linux-based systems.
• Experience diagnosing reliability or performance issues in complex systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain software infrastructure for robot data collection.
• Improve performance across robotics software by diagnosing bottlenecks.
• Implement software libraries for new sensor suites and hardware modules.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Python familiarity

Linux-based systems development

Multi-threaded programming

Memory management

Performance optimization

Hardware-software interfaces

Concurrent programming

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related technical field

Job description

What You'll Do

• Develop and maintain core software infrastructure supporting the robot data collection stack.
• Improve reliability and performance across the robotics software stack by diagnosing system bottlenecks and failure modes.
• Implement and maintain software libraries and device drivers for new sensor suites and in-house hardware modules.
• Contribute to systems that support safe robot operation, including monitoring, detection, and guardrails to prevent unsafe interactions.
• Develop testing infrastructure for robotics software, including unit, integration, and regression testing frameworks.
• Build the observability layer for robotic systems, including telemetry, logging, and diagnostics.
• Design and implement fleet management infrastructure, including robot health monitoring, software updates, staged rollouts, and rollback mechanisms.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong programming experience in C/C++ and familiarity with Python.
• Experience developing software for Linux-based systems, including multi-threaded programming, memory management, and performance optimization.
• Experience diagnosing and resolving reliability or performance issues in complex software systems.
• Experience working with hardware-software interfaces, such as sensors, embedded devices, or networking hardware.
• Strong understanding of systems fundamentals, including operating systems, networking, and concurrent programming.
• Ability to design and implement reliable systems that interact with hardware and real-world environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing production software for robotics systems or other hardware-interfacing platforms.
• Experience working with embedded or edge computing environments.
• Experience with Linux systems internals, including kernel development, driver development, or low-level performance profiling.
• Experience designing or operating distributed systems or cloud infrastructure.
• Experience building systems for monitoring, observability, or remote diagnostics in deployed environments.
• Experience working with embedded Linux build systems such as Yocto or similar tools.
• Evidence of building or contributing to complex systems projects, such as open-source infrastructure, research systems, or publications at top systems venues.

Hiring Process

• Phone screen + 3 virtual technical interviews + onsite

Expected Compensation

• $100,000 - $200,000 annual salary + cash and stock awards + benefits

The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.