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.

As a Senior Staff Systems Engineer at Apptronik, you will play a pivotal role in the development of advanced, general-purpose robots designed to operate in human environments and work with human tools. This position requires deep experience in robotics systems design, scaling complex systems, and the ability to balance technical vision with pragmatic execution. You must be able to thrive in a fast-paced, cross functional development environment. This position is based at Apptronik's Austin Headquarters.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Architect and evolve Apptronik robot hardware and software platforms, driving reliability, modularity, scalability, and maintainability.
Lead Systems requirement definition and integration across hardware, embedded controls, capabilities, and operator interfaces.
Design for real-time performance, fault tolerance, and reliability in a production environment
Provide technical leadership, mentorship and guidance across the engineering teams.
Collaborate with hardware, software and operation teams to ensure seamless robot operations and fleet-level orchestration
Design and develop requirements for real-time monitoring, data logging and remote diagnostics for production scale robot fleets
Drive and support root cause failure analysis and fault recovery mechanism to enhance uptime and performance

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS:

10+ years in systems and/or software engineering with at least 5+ in complex robotics systems or autonomous systems
Deep experience in designing and scaling complex hardware and software systems for real-time robotics applications
Proven leadership in shipping production grade robotics platforms in manufacturing, logistics, autonomous systems or related domains
Strong grasp of robotics architecture patterns, real-time control loops, sensor fusion, SLAM and distributed systems.
Expertise in C++, Python, and system lead development (RTOS, Linux, embedded Linux). Extensive experience with ROS2, DDS and real-time communication protocols
Strong background in systems architecture, software abstraction layers and interface design
Experience with software reliability engineering, including logging, telemetry, debugging, and automated test frameworks
Hands-on experience scaling robot fleets in industrial or warehouse environments
Familiarity with safety standards (e.g. ISO 10218, IEC 61508) and compliance in robotic deployments
Experience with AI/ML systems integration into real-time robotic applications
Systems level thought leader who thrives on solving cross-disciplinary problems
Collaborative, communicated and motivated by leading a tight knit team of expert engineers
Adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity in an R&D focused environment

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

B.S. Degree in Engineering, Aerospace, Automotive, Mechanical or Electrical preferred
10+ years in systems and/or software engineering with at least 5+ in complex robotics systems or autonomous systems

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 salary w/ benefits
Highly motivating equity incentive package
Flexible work hours policy
Professional development opportunities
Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
401k plan