Senior Robotics Software Leader

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get Instock #

Instock exists to advance the way we move and store physical inventory. Founded in 2020, Instock develops leading fulfillment technology powered by a fleet of identical, lightweight autonomous mobile robots. Our robots are currently moving bins in Toronto, Silicon Valley, and Bratislava (Slovakia). The infrastructure used for storage of plastic bins is simple and decoupled from robots - it’s just a collection of drivable surfaces such as floors, walls, and ceilings. Robots drive on these surfaces with the agility of a car rather than the rigidity of a train. Such flexibility is required to operate successfully in a dense multi-robot environment. This is how we are different from other platforms: minimalist infrastructure means better scalability and unit economics, but it also demands advanced intelligence in the Robot!

About the role #

Instock’s multi-agent software architecture is critical to our development efficiency and time-to-market. Designing this architecture requires expertise in algorithms at all control frequencies, from 200 Hz motor commands to 2 Hz path finding. The physics of real-world robotics does not forgive simplifications and assumptions. Our senior engineers lead the development of the architecture and key algorithms for robotic perception, world model, planning, control, communication, and robot interfaces. Effecient architecture enables more rapid iterations on inidividual modules and algorithms, scalable simulation scenarios, and use of real-world data for lowering sim-to-real gap. The robotics software team tackles these problems in a highly collaborative environment, partnering with cloud software and hardware teams.

As a Robotics Software Engineer, you will:

  • Design and Develop: Contribute individually and lead a 2-3 person subteam to design and implement software of Autonomous Mobile Robot. The Robot’s stack above Linux includes actuators control, CV-based localization, navigation, automated planning, squad action planning, etc.
  • Apply research results: Analyze latest academic achievements in relevant domains and apply them to algorithms used in our solution. Fine-tune and adapt implementations to make them more robust, reliable and high-performance.
  • Troubleshoot: Investigate and resolve complex algorithmic issues and bugs.
  • Document and Collaborate: Create and maintain documentation to make complex system digestable for non-senior engineers and managers. Engage continiously with fellow engineers and other stakeholders to understand requirements, simplify and improve.

About you #

  • You care about making physical systems work! Everyone knows robotics is hard, not everyone has the stamina and skill to make it work reliably in production. You’ve succeeded in the past - your robots seen the light of a day in the hands of customers!
  • You have multi-year broad experience in software for physical robotics - perception, planning, control, simulations.
  • You have been leading small innovative software teams.
  • You are capable to work on a hard layered problem for a long time (many months and years).
  • You are programming in C++ or Golang for at least 7 years and are comfortable in a unix-like setting.
  • One or several of the following would be a significant plus:
    • you have conducted world-class research in some of relevant domains
    • you participated in competitive coding
    • you contributed to open repositories related to math, robotics, AI.

Position #

  • Mostly remote but this position assumes you are a resident of San Francisco Bay Area or Toronto metro area (ON, Canada).
  • English proficiency is a must have. In our multi-cultural team we also speak Ukrainian, Hindi, Slovak, French.
  • Flexible work hours.
  • Benefits include paid vacation, paid sick leave, competitive salary, and career development opportunities.
  • You are welcome to actively participate in ASRS installations across North America.

About us #

For the past 14 years, our team has been engineering and operating at the cutting edge of eCommerce fulfillment. We’ve had the privilege to assist 30 leading retailers in the USA and internationally. As operators, we always wanted to have more flexible and agile automation, so we embarked on a mission to radically improve goods-to-person robotics and make it accessible to every fulfillment business.

Our offices are in Silicon Valley, Bratislava (Slovakia), and Kyiv (Ukraine).

Instock is an equal opportunity company and expressly prohibits any form of workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics.

We’re thrilled to bring onboard individuals passionate about revolutionizing robotics and logistics. If cutting-edge tech, tackling complex challenges, and making a difference resonates with you, we’re eager to connect. Reach out now via careers@instock.com!