Senior Software Engineer, Robotics Task Planning
About the position About this role: Pickle is seeking a dynamic Senior Software Engineer to join the team and focus on enhancing the speed and performance of our truck-unloading robot. This role requires advanced expertise in robotics and machine learning to further elevate the intelligence of our systems. What You’ll Accomplish: Research, prototype, and develop functions and algorithms that unlock new capabilities for our autonomous truck unloading robots, allowing them to handle increasingly complex tasks with greater efficiency. Enhance the existing capabilities of our robots, driving improvements in both speed and reliability to optimize unload performance. Characterize the system’s performance across a vast quantity of data and use it to inform future work, building better understanding of the system’s current and potential performance. Collaborate with cross-functional software engineering teams to seamlessly integrate your contributions into broader hardware and software systems. Play a key role in designing and contributing to the architecture of scalable software systems that support the deployment of multiple robots in diverse and dynamic environments. Take ownership of key subdomains of the task planning system, providing context and guidance for fellow engineers who are less familiar with those aspects of the system About Pickle Robot Want to get in on the ground floor of a fast-growing, VC-backed robotics company? Join Pickle Robot! We build systems that companies and their teams love. Pickle robots unload trucks. Every day, millions of trucks and containers are loaded and unloaded, often requiring manual labor—tough, dirty, dangerous, and hard to staff. Pickle automates this process using AI, machine learning, and robotics to deliver reliable products. Our Unload Systems work with teams on loading docks to make the job safer, faster, and more efficient. Pickle provides best-in-class benefits including health, dental, & vision insurance; unlimited vacation, along with all federal and state holidays; 401K contributions of 5% your salary, travel supplies, and other items to make your working life more fun, comfortable, and productive. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us. Responsibilities • Research, prototype, and develop functions and algorithms that unlock new capabilities for our autonomous truck unloading robots, allowing them to handle increasingly complex tasks with greater efficiency. • Enhance the existing capabilities of our robots, driving improvements in both speed and reliability to optimize unload performance. • Characterize the system’s performance across a vast quantity of data and use it to inform future work, building better understanding of the system’s current and potential performance. • Collaborate with cross-functional software engineering teams to seamlessly integrate your contributions into broader hardware and software systems. • Play a key role in designing and contributing to the architecture of scalable software systems that support the deployment of multiple robots in diverse and dynamic environments. • Take ownership of key subdomains of the task planning system, providing context and guidance for fellow engineers who are less familiar with those aspects of the system Requirements • A seasoned Software Engineer with 5-7 years of experience, preferably within robotics or a closely related field. • A graduate with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in robotics, computer science, or a similar discipline—Master’s degree preferred. • An engineer with a proven track record in developing autonomous robotic systems. • Highly proficient in object-oriented programming with Python (or C++), with experience in other relevant languages as a plus. • Experienced in motion and behavioral planning for robots or other autonomous systems, with a deep understanding of these key areas. • Experienced in working with complex algorithms and data pipelines, capable of optimizing for performance and scalability. • Some experience with aggregation and analysis of data, with a good eye for recognizing trends and turning them into actionable responses. • A strong, clear communicator who centers discussion on ideas and experiments. • Willing and able to work from our Charlestown, MA office at least three days per week. Benefits • health, dental, & vision insurance • unlimited vacation, along with all federal and state holidays • 401K contributions of 5% your salary • travel supplies, and other items to make your working life more fun, comfortable, and productive Apply tot his job