Robotics Software Engineer - Construction

HITT Contracting Inc.•Washington, DC

1d•$82,000 - $150,000

About The Position

The Robotics Software Engineer develops and deploys autonomous robotics solutions for challenging real-world environments. The role spans the full development lifecycle, from proof-of-concept prototypes through feature-complete systems and reliable jobsite deployments. The engineer contributes across the robotics stack, with depth in one or more areas such as autonomy, perception, or manipulation, and helps address issues involving software, sensors, compute, networking, and mechanical hardware. This position is part of HITT’s Robotics Team, which conducts research and development, runs pilot programs, and supports full-time field deployments. The team’s mission is to support project teams, transform the construction industry, and bring robots to every jobsite. The Robotics Software Engineer reports to the Robotics Software Lead. The role combines software and systems integration with collaboration, structured testing, and field deployment. Work includes developing autonomy and perception capabilities, integrating hardware and third-party technologies, testing in labs and active construction projects, troubleshooting deployed systems, and documenting solutions for ongoing support and scale.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) in robotics, computer science, software engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
Master’s degree or at least 2 years of experience developing, integrating, and testing field robotics systems.
Proficiency in C++, Python, and Linux-based robotics development.
Proficiency in modern software-engineering practices, including version control (e.g., Git), automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization (e.g., Docker).
Experience with APIs/SDKs, open-source software packages, and technical standards to integrate disparate technology components into a reliable solution.
Fluency with AI-assisted and agentic software development (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor).
Strong system-level troubleshooting skills across software, hardware, networking, and field operations.
Ability to work effectively in uncertain, fast-moving environments and take ownership of open-ended technical problems.
Ability to communicate complex technical topics effectively in writing and verbally to varied audiences.
Detail-oriented, organized, and able to prioritize tasks across multiple projects.
Willingness to travel to active construction sites and participate directly in testing and deployment.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing robotic systems for construction, manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, mining, defense, or other demanding real-world environments.
Experience developing robotic systems using Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) or comparable robotics middleware.
Experience in mobile robot perception, SLAM, and navigation for ground and/or aerial robots.
Experience developing or integrating mobile manipulation systems, including perception, motion planning, controls, end-effector integration, and task execution.
Experience integrating robotic sensing and compute such as cameras, LiDAR, GNSS, IMUs, embedded computers, and GPU-accelerated perception.
Experience writing and working with software drivers for sensors, actuators, and embedded systems, including familiarity with communications protocols and peripherals such as RS232/422/485, CAN, and TCP/IP.
Experience developing low-latency teleoperation systems for real-time video, command, and telemetry streams, with graceful degradation amid intermittent connectivity.
Experience developing cloud-connected robotics software workflows (e.g., Azure, Azure DevOps, AWS), web-based operator interfaces (e.g., React, JavaScript/TypeScript), and real-time video-streaming pipelines (e.g., GStreamer).
Experience with robotics simulation environments (e.g., Gazebo, NVIDIA Isaac Sim, Unity) and/or developing software for NVIDIA Jetson devices.
Familiarity with IP networking (e.g., subnetting, routing, DNS, DHCP) and mesh-network radios, including diagnosing latency, packet loss, and connectivity issues in RF-constrained field environments.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, integrate, and test software for complex field robotics applications.
Support development and maturation of the HITT robotics software stack.
Integrate robot platforms, sensors, actuators, embedded computers, networks, and operator interfaces into cohesive systems.
Develop field-ready autonomy capabilities, including localization, mapping, navigation, state estimation, and mission planning.
Integrate perception pipelines using cameras, LiDAR, depth sensors, inertial sensors, and other sensing modalities.
Develop manipulation applications involving motion planning, controls, end effectors, calibration, and task execution.
Use simulation, synthetic data, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and repeatable test environments to accelerate development and reduce field risk.
Configure and troubleshoot wired and wireless network connectivity on robots, sensors, operator interfaces, and cloud services.
Contribute across the robotics stack while bringing depth in one or more disciplines.
Collaborate with software and hardware engineers, field testing engineers, vendors, partners, end users, and other stakeholders.
Integrate and extend third-party technologies using APIs, SDKs, middleware, and other software interfaces.
Contribute to co-development with vendors and technology partners by establishing technical requirements, resolving integration challenges, and evaluating solutions.
Plan and execute structured testing in the lab, at test sites, and on active construction projects.
Deploy alongside field teams, observe real workflows, collect data, diagnose issues, and turn field feedback into engineering priorities.
Design for real-world conditions such as dust, changing lighting, uneven terrain, vibration, intermittent connectivity, dynamic obstacles, and frequent environmental change.
Support deployed systems through remote and on-site troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.
Document architectures, interfaces, test results, deployment procedures, and lessons learned so solutions can be supported and scaled.