Senior Embedded Software Engineer, Applied Automation Controls/Embedded Software

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Software Development Engineer specializing in controls and embedded software to join our robotics team developing advanced workcell automation solutions. In this role, you will architect, design, develop, and deploy real-time control systems that orchestrate complex robotic manipulation tasks within automated workcells. You will work at the intersection of embedded systems, motion control, and distributed software architecture to deliver reliable, high-performance automation solutions for production environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement real-time embedded control software for robotic workcells, including motion controllers, trajectory planners, and sensor integration modules that enable precise manipulation and coordination of robotic systems.
• Develop software architectures that balance real-time performance constraints with maintainability and extensibility, ensuring control systems can reliably execute complex automation.
• Lead the development of control algorithms and embedded software components within the robot controls architecture, integrating motion primitives and coordinating multi-robot operations.
• Partner with hardware teams to define control interfaces, implement device drivers, and optimize software performance for embedded platforms including industrial PCs and real-time operating systems.
• Guide technical design reviews and contribute to architecture selections that impact the scalability, reliability, and performance of our control systems.
• Mentor team members on embedded systems best practices, real-time programming techniques, and industrial automation fundamentals.
• Participate in on-call rotations to assist production systems and drive root cause analysis for control system issues.

About the team

You will join a focused team of approximately 10+ Software Development Engineers working at the forefront of robotic workcell automation. Our team is accountable for developing and maintaining the core software systems that power automated manipulation solutions, with primary focus areas including manipulation systems and Workcell Controls Architecture development. We operate in a highly partnership-focused environment where engineers work closely across disciplines to solve complex technical problems that span embedded systems, real-time control, motion planning, and distributed software architecture.

Requirements

• 5+ years of non-internship professional software development experience.
• 5+ years of programming with at least one software programming language.
• 5+ years of leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems.
• Experience as a mentor, tech lead, or leading an engineering team.
• 4+ years of programming using a modern programming language such as Java, C++, or C#, including object-oriented design experience.
• Experience in embedded development in C/C++.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent.
• 4+ years of embedded firmware development experience.
• Experience with version control systems and CI/CD pipeline implementation.
• Experience defining cross-service API contracts (protobuf, gRPC, or equivalent) and managing schema evolution across independently versioned systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience.
• Experience with industrial control systems, both hardware and software.
• Experience with robotic motion planning — trajectory generation, velocity profiling, multi-axis coordinated motion — in a real-time embedded context.
• Experience with industrial communication protocols (e.g., EtherCAT, Profinet, EtherNet/IP, or similar), including understanding of cyclic vs. acyclic data exchange, network configuration, and device integration.
• Familiarity with RTOS configuration, tuning, and performance profiling of latency-sensitive control loops.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage.
• Maternity and Parental Leave Options.
• Paid Time Off (PTO).
• 401(k) Plan.
• Sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs).
• Health insurance (including medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance, and options for Supplemental life plans).
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Mental Health Support.
• Medical Advice Line.
• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage.
• 401(k) matching.
• Parental leave.

Pay

USA, MA, N.Reading - $168,100.00 - $227,400.00 USD annually

USA, WA, Seattle - $168,100.00 - $227,400.00 USD annually