Principal Robotics Engineer
About The Position
ARA's Engineering Science Division is seeking a highly skilled robotics engineer for a full-stack role developing robust frontend and backend software for virtual simulation. The position is on-site in San Antonio, Texas, and requires U.S. citizenship. Selected candidates may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. The engineer will architect and maintain robotics and simulation software, build interfaces and APIs, and contribute to high-fidelity simulation environments for UUV dynamics, environmental conditions, sensors, and mission workflows. The role also includes integrating autonomy capabilities, improving software performance across distributed systems and heterogeneous hardware, and supporting engineering quality through reviews, mentorship, and established software practices.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
- 12 or more years of experience; an advanced degree may partially fulfill the experience requirement.
- Expert-level proficiency in C++, Python, and JavaScript for backend and frontend systems development.
- Demonstrated experience with robotics software stacks, including ROS/ROS2, simulation environments, and sensor or autonomy integration.
- Demonstrated experience designing and maintaining APIs, CI/CD pipelines, and distributed system architectures.
- Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills across complex software and hardware environments.
- U.S. citizenship.
- Must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information if selected and subject to a government security investigation.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with Azure cloud services and cloud-native application development.
- Experience using Jira and Confluence for project tracking, documentation, and Agile workflow management.
- Experience building software for scalability, modularity, and long-term maintainability.
- Knowledge of physics-based modeling, environmental simulation, or digital twin concepts.
Responsibilities
- Architect, develop, and maintain backend systems using C++, Python, ROS/ROS2, and containerized deployment environments such as Docker.
- Implement scalable, maintainable build and CI/CD workflows using Git and automated pipelines.
- Develop frontend user interfaces and tools using JavaScript, Java-based GUI frameworks, REST APIs, and cloud-based technologies.
- Design and implement APIs and data exchange layers for simulation systems, autonomy behaviors, and sensor modeling.
- Contribute to high-fidelity simulation environments representing UUV dynamics, environmental conditions, sensor modalities, and mission workflows.
- Collaborate with autonomy and systems engineers to integrate perception, navigation, and control capabilities.
- Perform code reviews, mentor junior developers, and contribute to software engineering best practices.
- Troubleshoot and optimize software performance across distributed systems and heterogeneous hardware environments.
- Build and deploy containerized applications using Docker in development and production environments.
Benefits
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) contributions.
- Employees are given tools, training, and opportunities to take more active roles as owners.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
