Sr. Software Engineer

About the role

Senior Software Engineer

Wheeled Controls

Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company focused on developing AI-powered robots to support people in everyday settings. The company's flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is designed for collaboration with people, beginning with manufacturing and logistics and later expanding into healthcare, home settings, and other applications. Apptronik operates at the intersection of Applied AI and full-stack robotics, addressing significant societal challenges through safe, scalable, and reliable automation.

This role centers on the Senior Software Engineer

Wheeled Controls, a position responsible for delivering high-performance motion control systems that power Apollo's mobility. The role owns the software layer that synchronizes wheeled base movement with upper-body manipulation, ensuring stable and precise operation in complex, real-world conditions. You will guide entire lifecycles of robotic platforms, from initial algorithm design to commercial deployment, managing the coordination between base dynamics and arm/torso behavior while maintaining robustness for mission-critical use.

The essential responsibilities include designing and tuning whole-body controllers that integrate wheeled mobility with manipulation tasks. You will implement state-estimation methods such as EKF and UKF, develop base controllers using MPC and PID techniques, and manage arm and torso trajectory tracking with dynamic coupling compensation. You will build low-level software interfaces that connect high-level planning stacks with wheel drives and upper-body actuators, ensuring deterministic performance, low latency, and synchronized multi-degree-of-freedom control.

You will also lead productization and safety efforts, implementing safety-rated speed monitoring, emergency stop logic, and compliance with standards such as ISO 13849, ISO 10218, and ANSI/RIA R15.08. Close collaboration with perception and autonomy teams will be required to integrate mobile manipulation planners, aligning base repositioning with grasp and task planning for seamless locomotion-manipulation behaviors. Further duties include refining sensor fusion for IMU, wheel encoders, and LiDAR to achieve accurate and resilient odometry, as well as leading field testing across diverse surfaces, inclines, and payload configurations. You will maintain production-grade C++ code, lead peer reviews, and ensure comprehensive documentation of the controls architecture.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in control theory as applied to coordinated mobile base and manipulator dynamics. You will have extensive experience with Kalman filtering and multi-sensor fusion, including IMU, encoders, and LiDAR. Strong proficiency in modern C++ for real-time systems, with attention to memory safety and performance, is required. You will have worked with custom middleware capable of hard real-time performance and have a track record of taking complex robotic systems from pilot runs to mass production.

This position is based in Austin, Texas, and operates as a full-time engagement. The compensation range is $140,000 to $180,000 USD annually. The role involves designing and tuning estimators for mobile manipulation in varied environments, coordinating wheel-drive and arm actuators through low-latency interfaces, and building safety-compliant C++ stacks. You will validate performance on slopes, tiles, and varied payloads, maintain documentation for long-term architecture stability, and own release pipelines that deliver safety-critical updates without regressions. Monitoring speed and emergency stop logic will be part of ongoing responsibilities to satisfy certification and customer expectations.

Candidates must hold a strong understanding of control theory for mobile bases and manipulators, with direct experience in Kalman filtering and sensor fusion. Demonstrated history in developing high-performance real-time systems in C++ and working with custom middleware is essential. Prior experience shipping complex robotic systems through pilot production to mass deployment is required. Familiarity with the Apollo platform and human-centered robotics use cases is preferred but not required.

What you'll do

• Architect and tune whole-body control systems that tightly integrate wheeled mobility with manipulation tasks for Apollo.
• Implement robust state-estimation pipelines using extended and unscented Kalman filters to achieve accurate localization and odometry.
• Develop and refine base controllers using model predictive control and proportional-integral-derivative techniques to ensure stable motion.
• Design low-latency software interfaces that bridge high-level planning stacks with low-level wheel drives and upper-body actuators.
• Coordinate arm and torso trajectory tracking while applying dynamic coupling compensation to maintain system stability.
• Lead the productization of control features, embedding safety-rated speed monitoring and emergency stop logic to meet ISO 13849 and ISO 10218 standards.
• Partner with perception and autonomy teams to align mobile base repositioning with manipulation planners for cohesive locomotion-manipulation behaviors.
• Refine multi-sensor fusion involving IMU, wheel encoders, and LiDAR to enhance odometry accuracy and resilience in diverse operating conditions.
• Conduct validation testing on varied surfaces, inclines, and payload configurations to verify performance boundaries and edge cases.
• Maintain production-grade C++ codebases, ensuring memory safety, deterministic execution, and real-time performance across robotic stacks.
• Own the release pipelines for controls software, enabling safe and reliable delivery of updates without introducing regressions in safety-critical behaviors.
• Document the controls architecture and interfaces to support long-term maintainability and knowledge transfer across engineering teams.
• Lead peer reviews of control algorithms and software implementations to uphold code quality and system reliability standards.
• Guide junior engineers in best practices for real-time systems, sensor integration, and safety compliance within the robotics stack.
• Participate in on-call rotations to address critical issues in field operations and contribute to incident response procedures.

Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Demonstrate extensive experience with control theory for mobile bases and manipulator dynamics in real-world robotic systems.
• Show a strong track record of implementing Kalman filtering and multi-sensor fusion using IMU, encoders, and LiDAR.
• Exhibit advanced proficiency in modern C++ for real-time and safety-critical applications, with a focus on memory safety and performance optimization.
• Have hands-on experience developing custom middleware capable of hard real-time performance in robotic deployments.
• Prove ability to take complex robotic systems from pilot production through mass deployment in industrial environments.
• Maintain deep understanding of safety standards relevant to robotics, including ISO 13849, ISO 10218, and ANSI/RIA R15.08.
• Demonstrate commitment to deterministic software design, low-latency communication, and synchronized control across multiple degrees of freedom.

Nice to have

• Prior experience with the Apollo platform or similar human-centered robotic systems.
• Familiarity with human-centered robotics use cases in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, or home environments.

Practical notes

• Full-time employment based in Austin, Texas.
• Compensation range is $140,000 to $180,000 USD annually.
• The role may involve travel to field test locations as required.
• Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship for this position.