Robotics Software Engineer
Scout AI is hiring a Robotics Software Engineer in Sunnyvale, United States. It pays $145k-$220k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Scout AI.
Level's read on this job
- Builds AI ●●●● is how Level rates this software engineer role: the job is building AI systems.
- The posting mentions AI agents among its tools and skills.
- Scout AI has 24 other open roles on Level.
AI in this role
The future of defense will be decided by those who field intelligent machines at scale. At Scout AI, we’re developing Fury, the first robotic foundation model for defense, to give U.S. forces overwhelming, adaptable, and autonomous power across every domain. Fury enables human operators to command fleets of robots through natural language, and empowers those machines to sense, decide, and act together as one. This mission will ask everything of us: urgency, precision, and relentless work.
The Role
We’re looking for a Robotics Software Engineer to design and build the software that powers intelligent robotic systems. You’ll work on perception, autonomy, control systems, and infrastructure that allow robots to operate reliably in complex environments. This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy solving real-world problems at the intersection of robotics, AI, and scalable software systems. Your work will run on robots in complex, adversarial environments. Expect to move fast, test ideas aggressively, and break new ground as we create the first robotic foundation model for defense. We’re a startup. You’ll be moving fast, context-switching daily, and helping define the culture and process as we go. This is a rare opportunity to come in early and architect the future of defense.
Responsibilities
Design and deploy software for advanced drone hardware, promoting autonomous flight capabilities and delivery operations
Develop software for robotic perception, planning, and control
Develop dynamic memory, communication, and tool use faculties for AI agents
Build and maintain robotics infrastructure, simulation, and testing environments
Integrate sensors such as cameras, LiDAR, and IMUs into robotic systems
Implement and optimize algorithms for localization, mapping, and navigation
Work on autonomy pipelines from perception to action
Collaborate with hardware, AI, and product teams to ship robotic capabilities
Improve system reliability, performance, and real-world robustness
Contribute to deployment and monitoring of robotic systems in production environments
Qualifications
Strong programming skills in C++, Python, or similar languages
Experience developing robotics systems or autonomy software
Experience working with real-world robotics hardware or simulation environments
Strong debugging and system-level problem-solving skills
Ability to work across multiple layers of the robotics stack
Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities
Passion about defense of the United States and its allies
May be expected to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance
Why Join Scout
Work on the world’s most important frontier, ensuring U.S. and allied dominance in the age of intelligent machines
Be a core part of a team building the first defense-specific robotic foundation model
Collaborate with some of the top engineers in autonomy, AI, and national security
See your work deployed on real systems
Help define the future of intelligent defense systems
Backed by Draper Associates, Booz Allen Ventures, and other top investors
Benefits
Competitive Cash Compensation
Meaningful equity
Premium medical, dental, and vision plans with $0 paycheck contribution
Competitive PTO and company holiday calendar
Catered lunch daily and fully stocked kitchen
EV charging
Relocation assistance (depending on role eligibility)
How we rate this
Robotics Software Engineer at Scout AI rates 89 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Also common in software engineer jobs at this level
Pay
- This job starts at
- $145k
- Typical software engineer job
- $168k
This posting starts 14% below the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- How do you decide when an AI agent can act on its own versus asking for approval first?
- How would you decide a model or AI system is ready to ship?
- Tell me about a time a model underperformed in production. How did you find out, and what did you change?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: AI agents. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.
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