Robotics Software Engineer Jobs

You're writing code that controls physical systems with real-time constraints. A perception bug doesn't just crash an app, it might cause a robot to collide with someone. Performance issues aren't just slow load times, they're control loops that miss deadlines and make robots behave erratically. Memory leaks don't just degrade performance over time, they cause unpredictable behavior in safety-critical systems.

You need to understand how software interacts with hardware. This means dealing with sensor noise, timing jitter, floating-point precision issues in control algorithms, and debugging problems that only occur in specific physical configurations. Traditional software testing isn't sufficient. You'll spend significant time testing on actual robots since simulation doesn't capture all the edge cases.

The development cycle is slower than pure software. You can't just deploy and iterate rapidly when each test requires physical setup. You need stronger fundamentals in areas like concurrency, resource management, and debugging since robotics systems are complex distributed systems where multiple processes coordinate in real-time.

Strong proficiency in C++ is essential for real-time control systems, embedded code, and performance-critical algorithms. Python matters equally for ROS development, prototyping, and machine learning integration. Most positions expect fluency in both since you'll use each for different parts of the stack.

Beyond programming languages, you need solid software engineering fundamentals including concurrency, memory management, debugging distributed systems, and writing testable code. Understanding of Linux is nearly universal since most robotics systems run on Linux. Many roles expect experience with ROS or ROS2, though companies building proprietary stacks may not require this.

Domain knowledge in perception, planning, or control helps significantly. Experience with computer vision, motion planning algorithms, or control theory allows you to contribute more effectively. Most employers want bachelor's degrees in computer science, robotics, or related fields. Strong open-source contributions or personal robotics projects strengthen your position considerably.

Based on 164 job postings with salary data from CareersInRobotics.com, median salaries are $185,000 annually. Mid-level engineers with several years of software experience transitioning into robotics start around $151,000. Senior robotics software engineers who've shipped production systems earn $215,000 or more, with top compensation reaching $425,000.

Autonomous vehicle companies and large tech firms building robotics platforms typically pay at the higher end. Industrial robotics companies and startups earlier in their funding cycles often pay less in base salary but may offer meaningful equity. Geographic location significantly affects compensation, with Bay Area and Seattle positions paying 30-40% more than similar roles elsewhere.

Total compensation can substantially exceed base salary at public companies when equity is included. Defense contractors often pay less than tech companies but offer better work-life balance and job stability. Remote positions exist but are less common than pure software roles since robotics work often requires physical system access.

Robotics software and AI companies dominate, building platforms, SDKs, and complete robotic systems. NVIDIA has 31 open positions across simulation tools, perception libraries, and robotics frameworks. Autonomous vehicle companies like Rivian hire extensively for vehicle software stacks. Defense contractors like Anduril build autonomous systems requiring significant software expertise.

Industrial automation companies need robotics software engineers for warehouse robots, manipulation systems, and mobile robots. Research labs and well-funded startups building novel robotic capabilities hire aggressively. Even traditional manufacturers increasingly hire robotics software talent to bring intelligence to their products.

Geographic concentration is strong in the Bay Area, Seattle, and Pittsburgh. Defense work adds opportunities in Southern California and Northern Virginia. Boston has a cluster around research institutions and robotics startups. Remote work is possible for some positions but less common than traditional software since hardware access is often needed.

You write, test, and debug code that makes robots work. This might mean developing perception algorithms that process sensor data, implementing motion planning systems that compute collision-free paths, building control loops that execute planned motions, or creating tools and infrastructure that other engineers use.

Typical days involve writing code in C++ or Python, running simulations to test behavior, debugging why a robot behaves unexpectedly in specific scenarios, code review with teammates, and integrating your components with the broader system. You'll spend time reading research papers to understand algorithms, optimizing code for real-time performance, and occasionally working with actual hardware to validate that simulated behavior transfers to reality.

The work requires more systems thinking than pure software development. You need to understand how your code interacts with other components, what happens when timing assumptions are violated, and how to make software robust to the unpredictability of physical systems. Debugging often requires examining log files, sensor data, and system behavior to understand why something failed in a specific scenario.