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Senior Software Engineer - Platform

Austin, TX

Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.

We operate at the cutting edge of embodied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.

JOB SUMMARY

As a Senior Platform Engineer, your primary mission is to architect and evolve the core C++ build system that powers our robotics innovation. We are looking for an engineer to take our existing foundations and transform them into a high-performance, production-grade build ecosystem.  You will bridge the gap between low-level build mechanics and high-level deployability, ensuring that our robotics software moves from a developer’s brain to physical hardware with unparalleled velocity and reliability.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Build Platform Ownership

  • Own the strategic roadmap for our C++ based build platform, maturing it from functional scripts into a robust, scalable, and highly optimized engine.
  • Reduce developer feedback loops by implementing advanced caching, parallelization, and intelligent incremental builds.
  • Architect and maintain high-performance environments for both native x86 development and ARM-based cross-compilation, ensuring parity and performance across all build targets.
  • Ensure the build platform is resilient, reproducible, and treated with the same rigor as our robot’s mission-critical code.
  • Proactively research and implement the best build technologies to solve the unique challenges of cross-compiling for robotics hardware and HIL (Hardware-in-the-Loop) environments.

Developer Experience & Automation

  • Develop and maintain essential tooling and automation that simplifies and accelerates the entire development workflow, from local development to hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing. 
  • Architect the bridge between the build system and the robot, ensuring that artifacts are seamlessly packaged, versioned, and ready for deployment.
  • Manage the C++ dependency ecosystem using tools like Conan, balancing developer flexibility with build reproducibility and stability. 
  • Work directly with robotics engineers to understand their challenges and collaboratively develop effective, pragmatic solutions. 

System Reliability & Problem Solving

  • Act as a key troubleshooter for complex, cross-domain issues spanning application code, build systems (CMake, ROS2), containerization, networking, and infrastructure.
  • Ensure consistency and reproducibility across all environments, from a developer's laptop to our physical robots.

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

  • Experience with C++ and a strong command of its build ecosystem (e.g., CMake)
  • Proven ability to design, build, and manage complex, automated CI/CD pipelines 
  • Proficiency with containerization technologies 
  • Expertise in scripting and automation using modern languages like Python or Bash.
  • A strong command of the Linux operating system, including networking, file systems, permissions, resource management, and shell environments.
  • A solid understanding of core networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP). 

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with C++ package managers like Conan.
  • Familiarity with robotics frameworks, particularly ROS2.
  • Experience with build optimization and caching tools (e.g., ccache, sccache).

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
  • 5+ years of relevant experience in a DevOps, Software Engineering, or Build/Release Engineering role.
  • A proven track record of supporting software development teams by building and maintaining reliable infrastructure and effective tooling.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

  • 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.

 

 

*This is a direct hire.  Please, no outside Agency solicitations. 

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.

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