Robotics Software Architect

About UCR

UCR (Under Control Robotics) builds multipurpose robots to support human workers in the world's toughest jobs—turning dangerous work from a necessity into a choice. Our work demands reliability, robustness, and readiness for the unexpected—on time, every time. We're assembling a mission-driven team focused on delivering real impact in heavy industry, from construction and mining to energy. If you're driven to build rugged, reliable products that solve real-world problems, we'd love to talk.

Position Overview

As a Robotics Software Architect, you'll lead the design of the systems that control our robots' behavior—from state machines and execution frameworks to diagnostics, APIs, and developer tools. You'll shape a runtime architecture that is modular, production-ready, and built for real-world deployment, while also enabling others to interface with it through well-documented SDKs.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement runtime systems for state management, execution, and lifecycle control
• Design tooling to support debugging, testing, simulation, and deployment
• Develop internal SDKs and external-facing APIs that enable scalable and flexible system integration
• Create clear, maintainable documentation to support both internal teams and external developers
• Integrate ROS 2 and IPC systems into scalable robot software
• Drive system-level architectural decisions and mentor other engineers
• Validate runtime code through simulation and rigorous field testing

Requirements

• 6+ years in real-time or robotics software, with 2+ years in a lead or architect role
• Expert in C++ (C++17+) and Python
• Deep knowledge of ROS 2, lifecycle nodes, and DDS
• Proven experience building distributed runtime or middleware systems
• Familiarity with Docker and containerized development
• Experience designing and documenting APIs or SDKs for developer-facing use
• Strong communicator and collaborator across engineering disciplines

Nice to Have

• Experience with behavior trees, safety systems, or field diagnostics
• Familiarity with simulation environments like Isaac Sim, Mujoco
• CI/CD and orchestration using Docker, colcon, GitHub Actions
• Open-source contributions in robotics, ROS 2, or developer tooling
• Competitive salary & equity
• 401(k) with match
• Medical, dental & vision coverage
• Field testing opportunities & hands-on robotics work