Staff Software Engineer

Job Title: Staff Software Engineer
Department: Software Engineering
Job Level: L6
FLSA: Exempt

Job Summary:

The Staff Software Engineer at Bear Robotics is a senior technical leader responsible for driving the design, architecture, and delivery of critical software systems that power our autonomous service robots and cloud infrastructure. This role requires both deep technical expertise and strategic leadership to guide teams in building scalable, reliable, and high-performance solutions. As a Staff Engineer, you will work across teams, mentor engineers, and play a central role in shaping the future of our platform in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.

Key Duties/Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership:

• Define and drive the technical vision for major projects and initiatives.
• Set engineering standards, guide architecture decisions, and foster technical excellence across teams.
• Lead design and code reviews with a focus on high-impact, long-term solutions.

System Design & Architecture:

• Architect robust, maintainable, and scalable systems across cloud, edge, and robotic platforms.
• Evaluate and select technologies that best meet product and infrastructure needs.
• Identify and address architectural risks and trade-offs.

Hands-on Software Development:

• Write high-quality, performant, and testable code.
• Build prototypes and lead implementation of critical software components.
• Demonstrate best practices in software development, CI/CD, and test automation.

Cross-functional Collaboration:

• Collaborate with Product, Hardware, QA, Design, and Operations teams to deliver end-to-end features.
• Translate business goals and product requirements into effective technical strategies.
• Drive alignment and clarity in multi-stakeholder projects.

Technical Problem Solving:

• Break down complex problems into clear, actionable steps.
• Provide deep technical analysis and innovative solutions under ambiguity.
• Ensure root cause resolution of critical issues.

Mentorship & Coaching:

• Serve as a mentor and coach to junior and mid-level engineers.
• Promote a culture of learning, experimentation, and continuous improvement.
• Support onboarding and skills development across the engineering organization.

Quality & Reliability:

• Champion high standards for performance, reliability, and maintainability.
• Guide teams in building observability, monitoring, and fault-tolerant systems.
• Implement and advocate for automated testing and deployment practices.

Continuous Learning:

• Stay ahead of emerging technologies, tools, and industry trends, especially in robotics, AI, and cloud systems.
• Share knowledge across teams and encourage innovation and experimentation.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Lead or contribute to strategic company-wide engineering initiatives.
• Perform other duties or lead specialized initiatives as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• None

Required Skills/Abilities/Qualifications: 

• 8+ years of professional experience in software engineering, with a record of delivering complex projects.
• Deep expertise in at least one major programming language or tech stack (e.g., Java, C++, Python, Go, etc.).
• Strong background in system design, distributed systems, and software architecture.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives and mentor engineering teams.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to convey technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Commitment to quality, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.

Preferred Skills/Abilities/Qualifications: 

• Experience in robotics, real-time systems, computer vision, or AI/ML.
• Familiarity with startup environments and the ability to thrive in rapid iteration cycles.
• Knowledge of ROS, robotics middleware, or simulation tools is a plus.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in computer science, software engineering, electrical engineering, or robotics engineering.
• Equivalent experience in lieu of formal education may be considered.

Physical Requirements: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Prolonged periods of sitting/standing at a desk and working on a computer. The employee routinely is required to sit; stand, walk; talk and hear; use hands to keyboard
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• Ability to lift 30 lbs. 

Bear Robotics, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state or federal law or local ordinance.

The pay range for this position is $210K - $262K + discretionary annual performance bonus. Pay is dependent on the applicant's relevant experience.