Principal Robotics Software Engineer

About Aurelius Systems

Aurelius Systems is the autonomous laser company. We combine AI, robotics and directed energy to defeat drones at scale. Our flagship system, Archimedes, detects, tracks and neutralizes Group 1-2 UAS autonomously: a robotic, low-SWaP, ground- and power-agnostic laser weapon deployable on land, sea and air platforms.

The full stack is built in-house — from perception, autonomy, controls, optics, power and embedded systems to fire control, C2 and AI software. We buy no software.

We raised a $40M Series A (Draper Associates, KAS Venture Partners, General Catalyst) and hold an MDA SHIELD contract. About 25 people, planning to 5x in the next 12 months. No middle management.

The Role

We're looking for a Principal Robotics Software Engineer: the most senior IC on the robotics team, who still writes the critical code. This is not a people-management seat — we want an extra set of hands, not just an expert set of eyes.

The robotics stack is C++. Python is tooling only. The work runs from raw sensor data through tracking, control and autonomy on real hardware: cameras, IMUs, encoders, gimbal/turret, laser. Timing, threading, latency and reliability in the field matter more than elegant architecture.

What You'll Do

• Write and own critical production C++ across the robotics stack
• Own timing and safety contracts across the whole system, from perception to control — not just one subsystem
• Take the stack from prototype to reliably fielded software: release process, packaging, deployment, CI/CD, QA and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)
• Mentor and grow the robotics team while staying hands-on
• Debug problems that only show up on real hardware, including at weekly field tests on our private 400-acre range

What We're Looking For

• 10+ years of hands-on robotics software engineering and shipped systems
• Production C++ that ran on a real physical system, with recent hands-on code
• Has taken a robotics stack from prototype to repeatable release in repeated field, operator, fleet or customer use
• Breadth across the stack: sensors, perception, tracking, control, middleware, deployment
• Has mentored or grown a team while still coding
• US Person required (export control)
• On-site in San Francisco 5 days/week; range days included

Nice to Have

• ROS/ROS2 experience
• Cameras, IMUs, encoders, gimbal/turret systems
• Defense, aerospace, or safety-critical background (DO-178, ISO 26262, MIL-STD)
• Active security clearance

The Culture

Urgency, ownership, and shipping. We're not a PhD lab — proven science pushed past the usual comfort zone. Core hours 9–6, with sprints before demos and field tests. You'll be in the room with the people who built this system.