Staff Software Engineer, Software Systems

Brain Corp•San Diego, CA

21h

About The Position

The Staff Software Engineer is a key technical leader on Brain Corp’s Platform team, responsible for the architecture, evolution, and performance of core software systems powering autonomous mobile robots. The role owns the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), telemetry systems, and core C++ middleware, and combines hands-on engineering with strategic technical leadership to re-architect foundational robotics software for greater modularity, scalability, and performance. The engineer leads technical direction across HAL and middleware layers, enabling efficient sensor integration, new hardware bring-up, and high-performance execution on embedded systems. The position collaborates with hardware, autonomy, applications, and QA teams to support rapid innovation, robust field performance, and scalable deployment across a global fleet. It also provides technical mentorship and leadership without direct management responsibility.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a related technical field.
At least 7 years of professional software engineering experience.
Proven experience working on robotics systems, embedded platforms, or hardware abstraction layers.
Demonstrated experience leading complex technical initiatives or driving architectural changes in production systems.
Expert-level proficiency in modern C++ (C++11 or later), including multithreading, memory management, and performance optimization.
Strong Python skills for scripting, tooling, and system integration.
Deep understanding of hardware abstraction layers and low-level system design.
Hands-on experience integrating sensors such as LiDARs, cameras, and IMUs into production systems.
Strong experience with Linux-based development environments, such as Ubuntu.
Experience designing and developing middleware systems or inter-process communication frameworks.
Familiarity with communication protocols such as MQTT or similar paradigms.
Experience with build systems such as CMake and unit testing frameworks such as Google Test.
Ability to design scalable, maintainable, and modular system architectures.
Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills in complex robotics or embedded environments.
Experience with system performance profiling and optimization, including CPU, memory, latency, and throughput.
Proficiency with version control systems such as Git.
Excellent communication skills and ability to provide technical leadership and mentorship without direct management responsibility.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) or similar robotic systems.
Prior experience leading or contributing to large-scale system re-architecture or migration efforts.
Experience designing or improving telemetry and observability systems.
Familiarity with custom middleware architectures in non-ROS environments.
Background in real-time or near-real-time systems.
Experience working at the intersection of hardware and software integration.
Passion for robotics, automation, and building high-performance, scalable systems.

Responsibilities

Lead the technical direction and architecture of the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), ensuring modularity, scalability, and long-term maintainability.
Drive the migration and re-architecture of HAL to support next-generation robotics platforms and evolving hardware requirements.
Own the design and evolution of robotics telemetry and replay systems, improving observability, reliability, and data quality.
Lead the migration of middleware components from Python to high-performance C++ implementations.
Architect and develop robust C++ middleware for efficient communication between sensors, compute, and autonomy systems.
Integrate and bring up new hardware components, including LiDARs, cameras, and IMUs.
Optimize system performance across the robotics stack, including latency, throughput, memory usage, and CPU efficiency.
Collaborate with hardware, applications, autonomy, and QA teams to ensure seamless system integration and deployment.
Establish and enforce best practices in software design, code quality, testing, and documentation.
Provide technical mentorship and leadership, guiding design reviews and complex debugging efforts.
Contribute hands-on code to critical components while balancing long-term architectural improvements.
Drive continuous improvement of development workflows, testing strategies, and system reliability.

Benefits

Discretionary annual target bonus.
Stock options.
401(k) plan with match, no waiting period, and immediate vesting.
Medical plan options, including an HSA with employer contribution.
Dental insurance.
Vision insurance.
Life and disability insurance.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Legal and identity support plans.
Pet insurance.
Flexible Spending Accounts for medical and dependent care.
Generous paid time off, including flexible vacation and paid sick leave.
Paid time off for volunteering in the community.
10 paid company holidays.
Winter company shutdown.
Daily on-site lunch available in the San Diego office.
On-campus gym, pool, and tennis courts in the San Diego office.
Colleague events, including monthly game nights, hikes, wellness challenges, and community events.
Internal continuous learning events.
Opportunities to share personal interests and hobbies with the company.