Senior Software Engineer, Robotics & Physical AI Integration

The posting, as Goddard Technologies wrote it

Our Mission

Through inspired engineering and design, we deliver outstanding solutions that positively impact lives. We use an interdisciplinary development process that combines our diverse engineering experience with creative industrial design solutions. We succeed when our partners succeed – it’s all about solving the most complex challenges by creating transformative technology.

Our Culture and People

At Goddard, our most important asset is our people. We don't just work together; we thrive together. We foster a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, and mutual support. We believe in taking exceptionally good care of each other because great teams build great solutions. If you are someone who embodies the values of accountability, inspiration, dedication, efficiency, innovation, integrity, quality, and reliability, we want you on our team. Come be a part of a workplace where your ideas are valued, your growth is encouraged, and your contributions make a real impact. Join us in shaping the future of transformative technology – together.

The Role

• We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to own the integration layer between our AI/ML models and the physical systems they control. This is not a role for someone who writes glue code and calls it done. You will be expected to own the full stack from industrial fieldbus communication and real-time control loops up through the software interfaces that put trained models to work in the real world. You will work directly with our Machine Learning Engineer to define inference contracts and latency budgets, and with our hardware and mechanical teams to understand what the physical system can and cannot tolerate. If you have strong opinions about how software should behave when it controls hardware that moves, and you debug problems that span firmware, operating systems, and silicon without losing patience, you will thrive here.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement software that integrates ML model inference outputs with physical hardware, including motion controllers, servo drives, actuators, and industrial I/O.
• Develop and maintain ROS 2 nodes, hardware abstraction layers, and device drivers for robotics and automation hardware. Implement and own communication stacks across industrial fieldbuses including EtherCAT, CANopen, Modbus, and Profinet.
• Interface with industrial robot controllers (e.g., FANUC, KUKA, ABB, Universal Robots, Yaskawa) via vendor SDKs, proprietary communication interfaces, and standard industrial protocols; translate controller capabilities and constraints into software integration requirements.
• Interface with low-level embedded hardware over SPI, I2C, UART, GPIO, and CAN, and collaborate with embedded engineers to define cross-boundary interfaces.
• Integrate machine vision and camera systems, including image acquisition pipelines, sensor calibration, and routing vision outputs to downstream control and inference logic.
• Collaborate with

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rship: you own the behavior of the physical system end to end, from fieldbus packet to actuator response, and you do not hand problems off at the first sign of ambiguity.

• Self-motivation: you identify gaps in integration coverage, tooling, and system reliability on your own, and you close them without waiting to be asked.
• Problem-solving depth: you are not satisfied with a system that works most of the time; you understand the failure modes, quantify the risk, and drive to root cause.
• Curiosity and continuous learning: the intersection of AI and physical systems is new territory, and you are drawn to it rather than cautious of it.
• Direct, clear communication: you write well, translate hardware constraints into software requirements for ML collaborators, and surface timing and safety risks early.

Education Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field required.
• Advanced degree is a plus but not a substitute for hands-on experience shipping software that controls physical systems

Our Benefits

Flexible Time Off: Benefit from our generous flexible time off policy. We also provide sick leave and bereavement time because we understand that not all time off is for fun.

Retirement Savings: Invest in your future with a 401(k)-retirement plan. Goddard contributes 3% of your annual salary directly into your 401(k) account—regardless of your own contributions.

Health Coverage: Access to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family. Goddard contributes 80% of monthly premiums for all medical plan options.

Family Support: To take the time you need to welcome the newest member of your family, Goddard offer 6 weeks fully paid parental leave with support of PFML state programs.

Company Engagement: Engage with your colleagues through a variety of regular company and team events, including weekly social hours, Athletic Club outings, and department outings.