Robotics Systems Engineer - San Francisco, CA

Atoms•San Francisco, CA

3h•$182,000 - $230,000•Onsite

About The Position

Atoms is building the machines that power the next era of progress. Over the last decade, software has transformed the digital world. But the physical world, where food is made, minerals are mined, goods are moved, and industries are run, remains far less intelligent, far less efficient, and far more constrained. We’re changing that. Atoms builds Physical AI— real-world robots for the industries that move civilization forward, starting with food, mining, and transport. Our systems are designed to understand, predict, and control the real world with precision, turning complex physical operations into something more reliable, more scalable, and more productive. This work requires more than robotics. It requires deep integration across hardware, software, AI, operations, manufacturing, and real estate. We don’t just build machines in a lab. We deploy them into real environments, operate them, learn from them, and improve them until they work at scale. We are roboticists, engineers, operators, and builders. We believe the next great technology companies will not only transform information, but the physical systems that shape everyday life. If you want to work on hard problems with real-world impact, join us.

Requirements

2+ years of professional (non-internship) software development experience.
Strong programming skills in at least one modern language (Python, C++, Java, or C#); experience with object-oriented design and building maintainable systems.
Proven robotics engineering experience with evidence of system-level ownership (e.g., integration, debugging, performance tuning, field support, or deployments).
Ability to design and debug software systems with strong diagnostics (structured logging/metrics, fault isolation, testability) that scale beyond a single vehicle.
Working knowledge of core robotics concepts and math (e.g., state estimation/Kalman filtering, localization, planning, controls).
Comfort operating in ambiguity—able to define scope, interfaces, milestones, and success criteria to drive a problem to completion.
Strong communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to explain technical trade-offs to non-technical partners.
Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects through planning, execution, and deployment.

Nice To Haves

Experience deploying autonomy/robotics systems in the field (on-call or deployment rotations, safety-critical troubleshooting, or customer-site support).
Experience with any of: sensor fusion, safety systems, camera pipelines, ML for perception, vehicle interfaces (CAN), calibration workflows.
Familiarity with robotics tooling and infrastructure (Linux, Git, CI/CD, simulation/test harnesses).

Responsibilities

Develop, integrate, and validate autonomy features (software + tests) for real-world autonomous vehicle operation.
Own system-level debugging: diagnose issues across sensors, compute, networking, controls, and software stacks using logs, metrics, and on-vehicle tools.
Lead technical execution for deployments: drive bring-up plans, communicate technical requirements, identify risks, and coordinate fixes with engineering and operations.
Support field deployments in mission-critical environments, including periodic travel to customer sites and hands-on on-vehicle debugging.
Bring up and integrate new truck platforms: work with hardware and integration teams to add sensors and vehicle signals, calibrate systems, and tune performance.
Collaborate across disciplines (hardware, operations, safety, product) to deliver robust, safe, and maintainable autonomy behavior.