Principal Architect – Robotics & Hardware Abstraction

Principal Architect – Robotics & Hardware Abstraction

Principal Robotics Architect | Hardware Abstraction | Embedded C++ | ROS2 Specialist.

Location:

Glasgow or London (King’s Cross)

Workstyle:
Hybrid

Reports to:

CTO

Chemify is revolutionising chemistry. We are creating a future where the synthesis of previously unimaginable molecules, drugs, and materials is instantly accessible. By combining AI, robotics, and the world’s largest continually expanding database of chemical programs, we are accelerating chemical discovery to improve quality of life and extend the reach of humanity.

Our newly opened Chemifarm facility in Glasgow operates a growing fleet of advanced robotic systems that automate synthesis, optimisation, and library generation. As we scale up to globally distributed facilities, we are undertaking a foundational transformation of how software and hardware interact across our platform.

We are seeking a Principal Robotics Architect to lead one of the most critical technical evolutions in Chemify’s history. Sitting within the Office of the CTO, you will act as the architectural bridge between Hardware Engineering and Software Engineering, shaping how our robots, control systems, and cloud services work together as a coherent whole.

Your mission is to define a robust Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) that enables our universal chemical code (xDL) to run reliably across multiple generations of robotic platforms. You will help transform our systems from bespoke scientific instruments into intelligent, safe, and continuously updatable edge computing platforms that can operate at scale.

If you enjoy problem solving complex technical challenges that blend system architecture, embedded engineering, distributed systems, and strategic leadership, are a natural communicator and are energized by working closely with scientists using cutting edge technologies, then we’d love to welcome you to our team.

• Architect the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)
• Define a clear, contract-first architecture that cleanly separates responsibilities between cloud services and embedded control systems.
• Design a resilient, event-driven control backbone (NATS/MQTT) capable of supporting real-time operation across a distributed fleet of robotic platforms.
• Move the intelligence to the edge. Establish a principled division between cloud-level intent and edge-level execution, ensuring predictable and safe behaviour even under network latency or connectivity constraints.

• Lead the design of edge-first safety systems, where critical thermal, pressure, and operational limits are enforced close to the hardware.
• Develop high-fidelity simulation and digital twin capabilities, allowing large-scale testing and validation of chemical workflows before any physical execution.
• Modernise embedded engineering practices across the organisation, including secure firmware delivery, structured testing, over the air updates (OTA) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) Ci/CD pipelines.

• Work closely with Hardware, Software, and Scientific teams to align architecture with both near-term delivery and long-term platform scalability.
• Influence technical roadmaps, standards, and architectural decisions across the organisation.
• Serve as a technical leader and mentor, raising the bar for system design, reliability, and safety across Chemify.

You are a rare hybrid: equally at home deep in embedded C++ as you are designing distributed systems that span edge devices and cloud infrastructure. You understand that in robotics, reliability and latency are not just performance concerns — they are fundamental safety constraints.

We expect you to bring:

• Embedded Mastery: 8+ years of C/C++ in safety-critical or physically consequential domains such as robotics, automotive, aerospace, or industrial automation.
• Strong systems thinking:
  Demonstrated experience designing clear boundaries between edge devices and cloud services in complex, real-world systems.
• Robotics middleware experience:
  Familiarity with modern robotics or real-time control frameworks and patterns (ROS 2 or DDS-base…