Senior Staff Software Engineer

John Deere•Santa Clara, CA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

John Deere is seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer to join their team in Santa Clara, CA. This role is crucial for bridging the full system stack, from build systems and containers to ROS infrastructure, board support packages (BSP), and cloud backends. The engineer will be responsible for improving the C++ build pipeline, architecting transitions in ROS 2 middleware, diagnosing complex system-level issues, and designing core autonomy software components. This position also involves mentoring teammates and identifying/resolving systemic software quality issues. VISA Sponsorship is NOT available for this position.

Requirements

7+ years of professional software engineering experience with a strong focus on modern C++.
Demonstrated ability to work across the full system stack — someone who understands how build systems, containers, middleware, OS/BSP layers, and cloud services interact and can troubleshoot at any boundary.
Significant experience with complex, distributed, asynchronous systems — multi-process, multi-machine architectures that communicate with cloud backends.
Strong log-based debugging skills — the ability to reconstruct system behavior and root-cause failures from logs across heterogeneous components when live debugging isn't an option.
Deep expertise with build systems — CMake, colcon, and/or Bazel — including dependency management, cross-compilation, and build performance optimization.
Proven ability to mentor engineers and raise the technical bar of a team through code reviews, design discussions, and knowledge sharing
Strong understanding of concurrency, real-time constraints, and systems-level programming on Linux.
Comfortable working in containerized development environments (Docker) and understanding how containers interact with host systems, networking, and devices

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with ROS 2 (nodes, lifecycle, launch, parameters, QoS) and its build ecosystem.
Experience with DDS middleware (Fast DDS, Cyclone DDS, or similar) and a solid understanding of pub/sub transport, discovery, and QoS tuning.
Direct experience with Zenoh or active involvement in the ROS 2 Zenoh RMW effort.
Experience with cross-architecture builds (x86 / ARM / Jetson) and BSP-level integration.
Experience with static analysis and code quality tools (clang-tidy, cppcheck, ASAN/TSAN/UBSAN).
Knowledge of real-time Linux (PREEMPT_RT, priority scheduling, lock-free data structures).
Familiarity with CAN bus protocols and vehicle/machine communication.
Experience debugging multi-machine networked systems — understanding multicast, DDS discovery, network namespaces, and firewall/routing issues in field deployments.
Contributions to open-source robotics projects (ROS 2 ecosystem, middleware, tooling).
Experience with test frameworks for C++ (GTest, GMock, Catch2) and integration/system-level testing in simulation.
Background in agricultural, mining, construction, or other off-highway autonomous vehicle domains

Responsibilities

Serve as the connective tissue across the full system stack — bridging build systems, containers, ROS infrastructure, board support packages (BSP), and cloud backends to keep the entire platform working end-to-end.
Own and improve the C++ build pipeline, reducing build times, and increasing overall reliability across CI/CD (CMake, colcon, Bazel).
Architect and execute the transition from Fast DDS to Zenoh as the ROS 2 middleware layer, including performance benchmarking, integration testing, and migration planning.
Diagnose and resolve complex system-level issues that span multiple processes, machines, and network boundaries — you're the person who figures out what's broken and why when logs are the only evidence.
Design and implement core autonomy software components, including state machines, behavior trees, and shared utilities used across the robotics stack.
Mentor and uplevel teammates on architecture, software best practices, modern language features, systems thinking, and software craftsmanship.
Identify and resolve systemic software quality issues such as race conditions, resource leaks, undefined behavior, and poorly structured dependencies.

Benefits

Flexible work arrangements
Highly competitive base pay
Savings & Retirement benefits (401K and Defined Contribution)
Healthcare benefits with a generous company contribution in the Health Savings Account
Adoption assistance
Employee Assistance Programs
Tuition assistance
Fitness subsidies and on-site gyms at specific Deere locations
Charitable contribution match
Employee Purchase Plan & numerous discount programs for personal use
Vacation and Holiday Pay