Lead or Head of Core, Systems Software Engineer
About The Position
1X is building humanoid robots designed to work in homes, handling chores and tasks to give people their time back. This requires solving complex problems in robotics, AI, and manufacturing simultaneously, at scale, and in a safe form factor for family environments. NEO is their flagship home robot, designed for real-world operation alongside people, and the company is focused on shipping it. They are looking for individuals inspired by this mission who want to see their work reach the world and genuinely change how humans spend their time by creating abundance safely. The Core team is responsible for the systems software and operating systems that run on the robot. This includes inter-process communication (IPC), logging, on-robot services, and APIs connecting to applications and the cloud. This team is crucial for enabling the rest of the 1X technology stack and fostering a developer ecosystem as the company scales to thousands and hundreds of thousands of robots.
Requirements
- 10+ years of experience building complex software systems, including significant experience in systems software, embedded systems, or software running on physical devices at scale.
- 3+ years of experience leading senior engineers and/or technical teams in a player-coach, staff-plus, or engineering leadership capacity.
- Strong experience with embedded Linux, low-level software, hardware interfaces, and systems programming in C++ or similar languages.
- Proven track record owning architecture for complex products where reliability, scalability, and long-term maintainability are critical.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field / equivalent practical experience.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, industrial systems, automotive, or other environments where software must perform reliably on real-world hardware.
- Experience inheriting and scaling an existing team through a period of company growth, increasing product maturity, or organizational change.
- Experience working across on-device systems and supporting infrastructure in factory, cloud, or field-service environments.
- Familiarity with adjacent domains such as data pipelines, developer infrastructure, or security in complex technical organizations.
Responsibilities
- Own the technical and organizational direction of the Core team so the software running on our robots is robust, maintainable, and ready to scale.
- Drive architecture simplification across OS and systems to improve reliability, development velocity, and long-term system health.
- Build strong cross-functional alignment with firmware, hardware, AI, motion and controls, cloud, product, operations, and service teams so critical dependencies are clear and execution stays unblocked.
- Deliver a software foundation that supports reliable robot behavior in production, in the factory, and in the field as fleet size and system complexity increases.
- Coach and grow a highly technical team while writing code for a significant project, setting a high bar for engineering quality, ownership, and technical judgment.
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave
- 401(k) plan with company match (100% on the first 3% of contributions, 50% on the next 2%)
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) options
- Commuter benefits (transit and parking)
- Short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, financial, and personal support
- Onsite snacks and catered lunches
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
