Senior Robotics Software Engineer

Our client in Houston, TX, is looking to hire a remoteSenior Robotics Engineer. This is a hybrid/full-time/direct-hire position. Salary range based on experience: $130k-$140k Position Overview:We're hiring aSenior Robotics Software Engineerto join our clients' growing autonomy team. This role is for an experienced engineer who can independently design and build production-grade robotics systems, and who thrives in an environment where deep technical thinking and real-world execution go hand-in-hand. You'll be expected to own key modules in our autonomy stack, solve challenging problems across perception, planning, and systems integration, and be a resource others turn to for technical clarity and mentorship. Key Responsibilities • Autonomy & Controls:Design, implement, and maintain modular, real-time autonomy software powering our UAV platforms, with a focus on navigation, localization, guidance, and flight control in GPS-denied and dynamic environments. • Perception & Mapping:Lead development of systems for localization, SLAM, tracking/following, obstacle avoidance, and spatial awareness, leveraging sensor fusion, computer vision, and semantic understanding. • System Architecture:Contribute to architectural design, long-term planning, and technical decision-making across the autonomy stack to ensure robustness, scalability, and maintainability. • Integration & Testing:Deploy, debug, and validate robotic systems on physical drone hardware in both lab and field settings, building tools and frameworks to improve simulation, testing, and deployment. • Innovation: Stay ahead of robotics and autonomy research, proposing and prototyping advanced features that translate into operational advantages. • Collaboration:Work closely with cross-functional teams (embedded, cloud, operations, and product) to ensure seamless system performance and delivery. • Mentorship & Leadership:Own critical software components and services, ensuring high reliability and performance. Support other team members through technical mentorship, design validation, and deep debugging, fostering growth and excellence within the robotics team. • Code Quality:Write clean, maintainable, and testable code, and participate in rigorous peer reviews to uphold high engineering standards Qualifications • Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, or a related field. • 5+ years of hands-on experience in robotics or autonomous systems software. • Proficiency in C++ and/or Python with a strong grasp of multithreaded and distributed systems. • Experience building and scaling multi-service architectures (e.g., using ZMQ, custom IPC, etc.). • Solid understanding of SLAM, localization, and perception-driven autonomy. Proven track record of taking systems from prototype production* scaled deployment. • Strong debugging skills and a self-sufficient problem-solving mindset. Bonus Skills • Experience with UAVs, autonomous ground vehicles, or mobile robots in real-world environments. • Background in tracking/following, visual navigation, or real-time planning. • Experience with GPU acceleration (CUDA, TensorRT) or machine learning for perception. • Exposure to 3D vision, depth sensing, or VI-SLAM systems. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. We are an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or employment against any individual on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ancestry, religion, physical or mental disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship, or any other factor protected by anti-discrimination laws.