Staff Software & Integration Engineer

JOB SUMMARY

Apptronik's Production Engineering team owns the engineering last mile — integrating humanoid subsystems into a fully functioning, field-ready system and commissioning it on site under a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT). We are seeking a Staff Integration Engineer to own end-to-end integration, on-site deployment, and reliability of our humanoid robots at Robot Park and at customer sites, beginning with our first external deployments. You will work hands-on across robot operations, teleoperation, networking, and fleet tooling — integrating and validating subsystems, driving root-cause analysis with development teams, hardening bring-up and provisioning, and setting the standards that keep a growing fleet running under real-world conditions. You will also propose and lead the development and integration of new software and hardware capabilities — not just operate within what is already in place. This is a high-ownership, staff-level role blending systems integration, software engineering, and hands-on robotics for someone who thrives commissioning complex robots in the field.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• End-to-End Integration: Own integration of humanoid subsystems into a fully functioning system, deploying and commissioning on site and driving acceptance under Factory Acceptance Test (FAT).
• Innovation & New Development: Propose, lead, and drive the development and integration of new software and hardware capabilities — not just operating within existing systems — identifying gaps and advancing the platform's field-readiness, reliability, and deployment capability.
• System Support & Uptime: Perform software support across system bring-up, troubleshooting, emergent service, and preventative maintenance to sustain high uptime on robotic systems.
• Root Cause Analysis: Lead in-depth root-cause analysis, collaborating with software development engineers and the field team to develop and implement permanent corrective actions.
• Provisioning & Automation: Harden and automate robot provisioning and configuration management (e.g., Ansible playbooks), establishing fleet-parity standards that reduce bring-up variance across configurations.
• Networking & Streaming: Bring up and troubleshoot low-latency networking (DDS, UDP, TCP/IP) and streaming pipelines that sustain teleoperation and control over unreliable field networks.
• Field Tooling & Observability: Build and maintain field tooling, telemetry, and observability that speed deployment, debugging, and reliability tracking across the fleet.
• Cross-Functional Design: Collaborate with software, project, and engineering teams on the design of scalable, resilient, and serviceable systems (Design for Serviceability), documenting findings back into product design.
• On-Site Deployment: Travel to customer sites to lead deployments, repairs, maintenance, and training, including Apptronik's first external humanoid deployments.

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Proficiency in C++ and Python for robotics software, tooling, and debugging, including tracking down challenging issues such as memory leaks and concurrency bugs.
• Proficiency in Ansible, shell scripting (Bash), and Linux, with experience automating robot provisioning and configuration management.
• Strong understanding of networking for robotics — DDS, UDP, TCP/IP — and low-latency streaming (e.g., GStreamer, WebRTC) over unreliable field networks.
• Hands-on experience deploying and commissioning robots on site, including network bring-up and live field debugging.
• Excellent communication skills and demonstrated ability to present to company senior leadership and customer representatives.
• Problem-solving in high-pressure situations at customer facilities against stringent SLAs.
• Ability to work independently or in a cross-functional team setting, and to be an agent of change fostering collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement.
• International travel likely; passport required. Based at Austin HQ / Robot Park with travel up to 25% for deployments.

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience with teleoperation systems, OpenXR/OpenVR VR stacks, or operator interfaces.
• 2+ years of experience with ROS / ROS 2 and ROS concepts.
• 2+ years of experience with containerization technologies (e.g., Docker) and CI/CD.
• Familiarity with issue ticketing, reporting, and tracking with Jira and Salesforce.
• Experience operating in a VR environment; familiarity with Unity, Godot, or other engines and SteamVR/OpenXR.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Robotics, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of software / robotics engineering experience, OR 4+ years of direct humanoid, manipulation, or teleoperation domain experience.
• Demonstrated experience owning on-site robot deployment and commissioning in the field.
• Experience in testing, including integration and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Proven experience in a customer-facing role.

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