Robotics SDE, Safe Autonomy, SAF Lab

Amazon•Pasadena, CA

4d•$143,700 - $194,400•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Software Dev Engineer to join the SAF Lab. In this role, you will own the software infrastructure that enables this next-generation safety layer to work universally across different platforms, including dynamically stable robots. You will interface with autonomy stacks, learning-based locomotion and whole-body controllers, sensing and perception, to create hardware abstractions that enable the testing of next-generation safety filters on highly dynamic robotic systems. As a result, you will be central to the hardware testing and evaluation that will play an essential role in evaluating the research and innovations in the SAF Lab.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent in robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field
5+ years of experience in robotics software development, including work with real robot systems
Proficiency in C++ and/or Python with experience writing production-quality code for real-time systems
Experience developing software for robotic systems, embedded platforms, or safety-critical applications
Familiarity with robotics middleware (e.g., ROS/ROS2) and real-time communication frameworks
Experience designing software abstractions, APIs, or hardware abstraction layers for multi-platform deployment
Strong understanding of software engineering best practices including version control, CI/CD, code review, and testing

Nice To Haves

Master's or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Controls, or a related field
Familiarity with control barrier functions, safety-critical control, or formal safety verification methods
Experience integrating software across the full autonomy stack: from motion planners, learning, perception pipelines, and control systems on physical robots
Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS) or safety-rated firmware interfaces (e.g., IEC 61508, ISO 13849)
Hands-on experience with multiple robot morphologies (mobile bases, arms, dynamically stable robots)
Experience with reinforcement learning or foundation model deployment on robotic systems
Track record of building software that enables rapid and robust deployment on hardware
Familiarity with simulation environments for robotics (e.g., Isaac Sim, Gazebo, MuJoCo)
Strong communication skills and experience working in cross-functional, research-centric teams

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and maintain the software integration layer that enables SAF Lab to interface with diverse robot platforms (mobile robots, manipulators, dynamically stable robots)
Build robust abstractions and APIs that decouple the safety layer from platform-specific hardware, enabling rapid deployment across new robot form factors
Collaborate with motion planning, learning, perception, and controls teams to ensure seamless data flow and real-time interfaces between safety systems and autonomy stacks
Have knowledge of running and maintaining robotics hardware, debugging and mitigating hardware testing issues, and evaluating control policies on hardware.
Write high-quality, well-tested, and maintainable code in C++ and/or Python for real-time robotics applications
Define integration testing strategies and build both simulation and hardware validation pipelines to verify safety behavior across platforms
Contribute to system design reviews, technical documentation, and cross-team alignment on interface contracts
Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks in real-time safety-critical software paths