Principal Robotics Software Engineer
Clera
About the role
About the Role
Join the robotics team at a defense technology company developing autonomous systems to detect and counter unmanned aerial threats. This is a senior, hands-on individual contributor role focused on production robotics software running on real hardware.
What You'll Do
Write and own critical production C++ across the robotics stack.
Define and maintain system-wide timing and safety contracts from perception through control.
Take software from prototype to dependable field releases, including packaging, deployment, CI/CD, quality assurance, and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
Mentor and grow the robotics team while continuing to contribute code directly.
Debug hardware and field issues, including during regular range tests.
What We're Looking For
10 or more years of hands-on robotics software engineering experience and a record of shipping systems.
Recent, hands-on production C++ experience on physical robotic systems.
Experience taking robotics software from prototype to repeatable use in field, operator, fleet, or customer settings.
System-level experience with timing, threading, latency, and reliability, as well as release processes, deployment, CI/CD, quality assurance, or hardware-in-the-loop testing.
Broad robotics experience across sensors, perception, tracking, control, middleware, and deployment; familiarity with sensor timestamps, time synchronization, or coordinate transforms is valuable.
Experience mentoring or growing a team while remaining an individual contributor.
ROS or ROS2 and experience with cameras, IMUs, encoders, or gimbal systems are useful. Defense, aerospace, safety-critical software, systems languages beyond C++, sensor fusion, or an active security clearance are also valuable.
Must meet applicable U.S. person requirements for export-controlled work.
Compensation & Benefits
Base salary: $235,000 to $305,000 annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.
Location
On-site five days per week in San Francisco, California, United States, with range days included.
Responsibilities
- Own critical production C++ across the robotics stack.
- Define and maintain system-wide timing and safety contracts from perception through control.
- Take robotics software from prototype to reliable field releases, including deployment, CI/CD, quality assurance, and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
- Mentor and grow the robotics team while contributing code directly.
- Debug hardware and field issues, including during range tests.
Qualifications
- 10 or more years of hands-on robotics software engineering experience and a record of shipping systems.
- Recent production C++ experience on physical robotic systems.
- Experience taking robotics software from prototype to repeatable field, operator, fleet, or customer use.
- System-level experience with timing, threading, latency, reliability, and software release processes.
- Broad robotics experience spanning sensors, perception, tracking, control, middleware, and deployment.
- Experience mentoring or growing a team while remaining an individual contributor.
- Must meet applicable U.S. person requirements for export-controlled work.
Skills mentioned
About Clera
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