Robotics Engineer

About the Role A seed-stage, Y Combinator–backed humanoid robotics software company is looking for a Robotics Engineer to join a tight-knit, three-person engineering team in San Francisco. This company builds the "social brain" for humanoid robots — software that enables natural, intelligent human-robot interaction, including perception, emotional awareness, on-device decision-making, and autonomous locomotion. You'll work hands-on with cutting-edge humanoid hardware, develop real-world autonomy software, and advise robot manufacturers on sensor placement and hardware design. This is a high-ownership, high-impact role where your work ships directly to customers. What You'll Do Develop autonomy software for humanoid robots deployed in real-world, customer-facing environments. Advise robot manufacturers on sensor placement, hardware interfaces, and operational design for next-generation humanoids. Work hands-on with premium humanoid hardware (robots that cost more than most cars). Implement and improve camera-based 3D perception, including object detection, tracking, gesture recognition, body language understanding, and speaker identification. Improve locomotion systems for safe walking in public environments. Collaborate with animators to make robot movement, body language, and gestures more fluid and natural. Deploy and maintain onboard C++20 and offboard Python 3.14 code on humanoid platforms upfit with custom hardware. Iterate rapidly on software deployed to customer robots in live, real-world settings. What We're Looking For Must-haves: 3+ years of professional robotics engineering experience delivering autonomous robotic systems. Background in a relevant robotics domain — humanoids, self-driving vehicles, drones, off-road robotics, or similar. Strong hands-on experience with C++ (C++20) or Rust . Proven track record shipping robotics products into real-world deployments. Comfortable working with, debugging, and interfacing with physical hardware. High ownership mindset — you take full responsibility for the features you build. Strongly preferred: Experience deploying software on humanoid robot platforms (e.g., Unitree G1 or equivalent) with custom hardware integrations. Camera-based 3D perception: detection, tracking, gesture recognition, body language understanding, and/or speaker identification. Experience iterating on software deployed directly to customer robots in production environments. Locomotion engineering for navigating safely in public or unstructured environments. Nice to have: Python offboard software development experience. Experience with sensor placement and hardware interfacing in robot system design. Collaboration experience with animators or motion designers on robot behavior. Compensation & Benefits Salary: $150,000 – $225,000 USD annually, depending on experience. Work visa sponsorship is available. Opportunity for significant early-stage equity and outsized impact at a seed-stage company. Location This is a full-time, on-site role based in San Francisco, California . Candidates must be willing to work from the San Francisco office. Work authorization sponsorship is available for qualified candidates.