Senior Systems Engineer

Apptronik is building robots for the real world to improve human quality of life and to help solve the ever-increasing labor shortage problem. Our team has been building some of the most advanced robots on the planet for years, dating back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge. We apply our expertise across the full robotics stack to some of the most important and impactful problems our society faces, and expect our products and technology to change the world for the better.

We value passion, creativity, and collaboration to help us overcome existing technological barriers in the industry to create truly innovative products.

You will join a team developing state-of-the‑art general‑purpose robots designed to operate in human spaces and with human tools. It is designed to work alongside humans, mobilize to human spaces, and manipulate the world around it.

As a Senior Staff Systems Engineer at Apptronik, you will play a pivotal role in the development of advanced, general‑purpose robots designed to operate in human environments and work with human tools. This position requires deep experience in robotics systems design, scaling complex systems, and the ability to balance technical vision with pragmatic execution. You must be able to thrive in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional development environment.

This position is based at Apptronik’s Austin Headquarters.

• Architect and evolve Apptronik robot hardware and software platforms, driving reliability, modularity, scalability, and maintainability.
• Lead systems requirement definition and integration across hardware, embedded controls, capabilities, and operator interfaces.
• Design for real‑time performance, fault tolerance, and reliability in a production environment.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance across the engineering teams.
• Collaborate with hardware, software, and operation teams to ensure seamless robot operations and fleet‑level orchestration.
• Design and develop requirements for real‑time monitoring, data logging and remote diagnostics for production‑scale robot fleets.
• Drive and support root‑cause failure analysis and fault recovery mechanisms to enhance uptime and performance.

• 10+ years in systems and/or software engineering with at least 5+ in complex robotics systems or autonomous systems.
• Deep experience in designing and scaling complex hardware and software systems for real‑time robotics applications.
• Proven leadership in shipping production‑grade robotics platforms in manufacturing, logistics, autonomous systems or related domains.
• Strong grasp of robotics architecture patterns, real‑time control loops, sensor fusion, SLAM and distributed systems.
• Expertise in C++, Python, and system lead development (RTOS, Linux, embedded Linux). Extensive experience with ROS2, DDS and real‑time communication protocols.
• Strong background in systems architecture, software abstraction layers and interface design.
• Experience with software reliability engineering, including logging, telemetry, debugging, and automated test frameworks.
• Hands‑on experience scaling robot fleets in industrial or warehouse environments.
• Familiarity with safety standards (e.g. ISO 10218, IEC 61508) and compliance in robotic deployments.
• Experience with AI/ML systems integration into real‑time robotic applications.
• Systems‑level thought leader who thrives on solving cross‑disciplinary problems.
• Collaborative, communicative and motivated by leading a tight‑knit team of expert engineers.
• Adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity in an R&D‑focused environment.

• B.S. Degree in Engineering, Aerospace, Automotive, Mechanical or Electrical preferred.
• 10+ years in systems and/or software engineering with at least 5+ in complex robotics systems or autonomous systems.

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times.
• Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen.
• Hearing and speech to communicate.
• Competitive salary with benefits.
• Highly motivating equity incentive package.
• Flexible work hours policy.
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO).
• 401(k) plan.

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.