Software Engineer - Platform

Who we are:

Paradigm Robotics is an Austin, Texas based robotics startup building rugged, scalable robots for situational awareness in hazardous environments. We serve firefighting, emergency response, public safety, oil & gas, defense, and industrial markets. Our mission is to create a new paradigm of scalable, reliable, and useful robots for real-world hazardous operations - providing critical solutions to the most dangerous problems out there.

We've raised an oversubscribed round from top-tier venture firms. We’re working directly with over 80 of the largest fire departments, law enforcement agencies, industrial teams, and military units across the U.S., including the Air Force, Army, and SERDP. Our robots are built with and for firefighters, first responders, warfighters, and emergency crews.

We’re early - less than 2 years old - a tight-knit team of 10, now building the 5th generation of our robot. After years of prototypes, demos, and pilots, we’re designing our production-ready robot.

These are foundational roles—joining now means helping shape not just the product, but the company, the culture, and the future of our mission.

Why this will be challenging, meaningful, and fun work

We are solving problems that matter. Building robots that operate in fire, heat, debris, water, and chaos is incredibly hard, and building them to scale is even harder. That is why we focus on engineering rigor, rapid iteration, and deep user feedback. We ship real robots into real fires for real customers, which means everyone on the team takes ownership, talks to users, and builds.

We value curiosity, autonomy, and low-ego collaboration, and we celebrate wins while owning mistakes. At the same time, we know how to have fun. From stargazing trips, go-kart races, and off-sites to Tulum, to goldfish pranks that turned into a full aquarium, we work hard and enjoy the ride together. This is a place where you can do your best work, learn a ton, build cool things, and make lifelong friends.

Role Type:

Full-Time

Start ASAP

Role Description:

As a Platform Software Engineer, you’ll be working across the full software stack of the robot. You’ll own everything from the sensor integration architecture, to the network prioritization and optimization, to the teleoperation experience of the platform. You’ll ideate and iterate new features that define how our robot is used; determining what creates that critical value and what doesn’t. You’ll help determine how we develop, deploy, and test software in both simulated and real environments; coordinating with electrical and mechanical members whenever you see fit. You’ll own part of the product, and will have the agency to make it what you think aligns best with the vision. And if something is missing, you won’t need to ask - you’ll take what you need and get it done.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Understand system requirements, negotiating against unnecessary ones and translating the ones that remain into final solutions
• Work with team and users to design hyper-critical features from the ground up - including high-level architecture and workflows
• Prototype, validate, and refine end-to-end features; from sensor integration to networking to SLAM for reconnaissance
• Develop barebones frontends to demonstrate feature utility and user experience concepts
• Test features in both lab and simulated environments to ensure reliability and make functional improvements
• Optimize features like video streaming for network communications in even low bandwidth environments
• Optimize features for hardware when necessary - be it in compute, data transfer, or memory
• Debug complex issues after testing or operation, including those in processing and threading
• Collaborate with hardware system owners for integration and issue-resolution.
• Write essential documentation to communicate design intent, intended framework/SDK use, and post-test recommendations.
• Make your code readable and useable, but not necessarily a work of art.
• Stay up to date on users, best practices, and emerging tech
• Communicate directly with users as necessary to determine engineering direction for specific features

Who we are looking for:

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree preferably in computer science or an engineering discipline
• 1-3+ years of experience developing with hardware, preferably in industry
• Fluent in C/C++, and some fluency in Python or another scripting language
• Some familiarity, even if limited, with frontend technologies (HTML, CSS, JS)
• Base understanding of algorithms, data structures, and software design patterns
• Experience with Linux
• Understanding of communication buses and protocols (CAN, USB, I2C, Ethernet, etc.)
• Comfortable using lab instruments (Oscilloscopes, logic analyzers)
• Some experience utilizing open-source libraries for complex tasks like computer vision
• Some familiarity, even if very limited, of ROS 1/2
• Developed projects beyond the scripting phase, preferably into some form of production/release

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical or Computational Engineering, or some other engineering
• 5+ years software experience with preferably robotic systems
• Worked at a high-growth startup
• Fluent in C/C++, Python, and some frontend development language (JS or some framework, HTML, CSS)
• Previously worked with ROS 1/2
• Experience with CV, SLAM, and other perception methods
• Deep understanding of Linux
• Experience implementing real-time software
• Good knowledge of computer architecture
• Deep understanding of communication buses and protocols (CAN, USB, I2C, Ethernet, etc.)
• Comfortable using lab instruments (Oscilloscopes, logic analyzers)
• Experience in networking and wireless communications
• Experience implementing CI/CD infrastructures
• Experience with Docker
• Familiar with Agile and Test driven development
• Strong entrepreneurial track record being an engineer, founder, or operator at a 0 to 1 startup; able and prepared to support scaling across all aspects of engineering, operations, and business

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Willing to work long hours, especially when necessary for critical milestones
• Hands-on in design, coding, testing, and in-field deployments
• Eager to implement best practices, and fast to communicate needs and desired process changes
• Willing to provide feedback to management and team early and often

Work Environment:

Austin, Texas

In-Person (open to remote)

Monday - Friday/Saturday (5/6 days a week)

40-60+ hours a week

Compensation and Benefits:

$100,000-$150,000+ (Depending on experience)

0.5%-1.5% Equity

Healthcare (Medical, Dental, Vision)

Unlimited PTO

Relocation Support Offered

Free meals, swag, and more!

Contact:

Please contact talent@paradigmrobotics.tech with any questions. Do not send an application through this email - it will not be screened.

At Paradigm Robotics, we believe the best ideas come from working side by side. We're an office-first team because building breakthrough tech that rolls into burning buildings takes tight feedback loops, fast iteration, and real-time collaboration. That said, we trust our team with autonomy. If you need to work from home once in a while, that's totally fine. What matters is that we deliver together.

We're building robots to keep first responders safe and change how emergency response works. To do that, we need a team with a range of perspectives, backgrounds, and lived experiences. We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and committed to a culture where everyone feels ownership, respect, and belonging. If our mission resonates with you, we’d love to meet you.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $100,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Referral program
• Relocation assistance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person