Staff Robotics Engineer

Gather AI • Pittsburgh, PA

1d

About The Position

We are looking for a Staff Robotics Engineer – State Estimation to take ownership of one of the most critical subsystems in our product: localization and state estimation across our drone and MHE Vision platforms. You will lead the evolution of our state estimation software — reducing reliance on fiducial markers, improving robustness to real-world conditions, and expanding these capabilities to new product lines including Wearables.
This is a hands-on, deeply technical role for someone who thrives at the intersection of rigorous math and production deployment — designing creative solutions that meet hard constraints, then seeing them through to the field.

Requirements

• 10+ years of engineering experience with hands-on deployment of state estimation or autonomy systems in real-world, uncontrolled environments
• Deep expertise in filtering techniques (EKF and variants), SLAM, and VIO — with production experience, not just academic familiarity
• Proficiency with optimization libraries such as GTSAM and Ceres
• Strong C++ and Python skills for implementing and deploying production robotics systems
• BS or higher in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; advanced degree preferred

Nice To Haves

• Computer vision and image processing experience
• Familiarity with functional safety standards and safety-critical systems
• Experience in GPS-denied indoor environments such as aerial systems or warehouses
• Experience mentoring or leading other engineers in a robotics context

Responsibilities

• Lead state estimation across the drone platform and MHE Vision, evolving systems to be robust to vibration, variable lighting, and damaged or missing fiducial markers
• Reduce dependency on Aruco tags by designing and implementing improved localization approaches that operate reliably with fewer or no fiducial markers
• Take ownership of the Slamcore system for MHEV, managing both technical performance and the ongoing vendor relationship
• Design new state estimation methods, implement them in production C++ and Python, and iterate based on field data and real-world edge cases
• Extend state estimation capabilities to Wearables by end of year, contributing to the next generation of Gather AI’s product portfolio
• Collaborate closely with the autonomy and perception teams to ensure state estimation integrates with flight planning, sensor pipelines, and broader system constraints

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level