Senior Robotics Software Engineer – Space Systems
We are partnering with a rapidly growing space technology company that is developing advanced robotic and autonomous systems for next-generation space missions. The team is working on complex spacecraft and robotic platforms designed to operate in challenging environments, with a strong focus on autonomy, navigation, localisation, and real-world system performance.
We are looking for a Senior Robotics Software Engineer to take ownership of software responsible for accurately determining and tracking the position of robotic or autonomous space systems. This role requires a strong technical understanding of localisation and navigation algorithms, combined with hands-on experience deploying these systems on real robotic platforms.
The ideal candidate will be comfortable taking a problem from concept through implementation, testing and validation. You will be expected to select an appropriate technical approach, develop the software, test it both in simulation and on physical hardware, evaluate system performance, identify limitations, and continuously improve or adapt the solution.
This is a highly technical, fast-paced environment where engineers are expected to take ownership, solve challenging problems and move quickly from concept to implementation.
Responsibilities
- Design technical approaches to address challenging localisation and navigation problems for robotic and autonomous space systems
- Develop software for accurately determining and tracking vehicle position using sensor data such as:
- IMUs
- Cameras
- LiDAR
- Wheel/vehicle odometry
- Star trackers
- Sun sensors
- Terrain or map matching
- Develop and implement localisation and state-estimation algorithms
- Test and evaluate localisation performance on robotic prototypes and hardware platforms
- Validate algorithms through simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing
- Analyse system performance, identify failure modes and determine opportunities for optimisation or alternative approaches
- Work closely with software, robotics, GNC and systems engineers to integrate localisation with wider autonomy systems
- Contribute to capabilities such as navigation, path planning, obstacle/hazard avoidance and autonomous operations
- Support the transition of algorithms and software from development and testing into operational systems
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional programming experience in Python and/or C/C++
- Experience developing software for real robotic or autonomous systems
- Experience with non-GPS localisation and navigation techniques, such as:
- Inertial navigation
- Extended Kalman Filters (EKF)
- Factor graphs
- SLAM
- Sensor fusion
- Strong understanding of robotics, localisation, state estimation and/or navigation
- Demonstrated ability to independently solve complex engineering problems
- Degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent professional experience
- Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Ability to work hands-on across algorithm development, software implementation, testing and system integration
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with outdoor robotics and/or autonomous vehicles
- Experience operating robots in natural or unstructured environments
- Experience with LiDAR-based localisation, including LiDAR odometry or LiDAR SLAM
- Experience with vision-based localisation, including visual odometry or VSLAM
- Experience with terrain or map matching techniques
- Experience with ROS / ROS2
- Experience with robotic simulation environments such as Gazebo or MuJoCo
- Experience developing software for aerospace or space applications
- Experience with spacecraft navigation, GNC, AOCS or autonomous systems
- Experience developing and deploying production-quality software
- Experience working with hardware-in-the-loop or real-time systems
- Familiarity with sensor fusion and multi-sensor navigation architectures
What We’re Looking For
We are looking for an engineer who enjoys working at the intersection of robotics, software, navigation and space systems.
You should be comfortable moving between algorithm development, coding, simulation and physical testing, with a strong focus on understanding how systems actually perform in the real world.
This is an opportunity to work on technically challenging autonomous systems and contribute to the development of next-generation space robotics and exploration technologies.
Position Details
- Location: Greater Los Angeles Area
- Working Arrangement: On-site
- Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent
- Salary: $155-200k/yr plus equity package; compensation scales with candidate experience
