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Staff SWE (Robotics)

Third Wave Automation

Third Wave Automation

Union City, CA, USA
Posted on Mar 7, 2025

Company Description

Third Wave Automation is a rapidly growing startup that has demonstrated its core technology components, proven its market fit, and just closed its Series C funding. If you are excited about cutting edge machine learning, robotics that affects the real world, and want to join a company where your skills can have a huge impact, you’ll fit right in.

Third Wave Automation is applying modern machine learning to materials handling—delivering site-specific forklift navigation and infrastructure-free pallet handling that continuously adapts to changing floor configuration and warehouse demand.

Job Description

Third Wave Automation is looking for a staff software engineer to help us scale our fleet of autonomous forklifts in customer warehouses. We are developing the world’s most advanced autonomous forklift, and you will be instrumental in scaling our solutions to hundreds of robots across dozens of customer sites. You'll be at the forefront of developing software for our forklifts, using your expertise to drive performance, reliability, and scale. Your work will directly impact how our robots operate efficiently and safely in dynamic warehouse environments.

How You Can Make an Impact

  • Architect and implement high-performance software in C++ and Python.
  • Architect, implement and own robot and fleet systems.
  • Ability to work with every part of our system, from perception to planning, API design to performance optimization, and drivers to machine learning.
  • Write high-quality (documented, tested, and maintainable) code in a highly collaborative setting.
  • Debug and troubleshoot complex software issues in real-time systems.
  • Stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and tools in robotics, machine learning, and perception.

Desired Qualifications

  • MS/PhD or Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 7 years of industry experience in robotics and software engineering.
  • Extensive experience with deploying and maintaining robots.
  • Strong proficiency in C++ and Python.
  • Experience with ROS or similar middleware.
  • Extensive experience in a particular subfield of robotics (e.g. planning, SLAM, perception, real-time systems, etc.)
  • Experience with software engineering principles, including version control, unit testing, build systems, and code review.
  • Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Bonus Points For

  • Experience working in automotive or industrial automation.
  • Experience working on perception systems, computer vision, or sensor processing in robotics.
  • Experience in a startup environment.

Leadership experience, including mentoring junior engineers, and project planning.

The pay range for this position is $158,000 - $238,000/yr+ benefits+equity; however, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Base pay information is based on market location.

More About Working Here

Our Core Values:

  • Safety. We consider safety in everything we do.
  • People. We care about our teammates as people.
  • Encouragement. We encourage teaching, asking questions, and sharing opinions.
  • Transparency. We are transparent and sincere in our actions.

A robust set of benefits and perks:

  • Comprehensive benefits. Health, Dental, Vision, and a 401k matching program, to boot!
  • Flexible working schedule. Be productive when you work best.
  • Show & Tell. We love to learn from one another, and see the cool stuff everyone is working on!
  • Meals are covered. Lunch is provided every day, and dinner for those evenings that run long.
  • Stacks of snacks. Donuts are a main food group, and the snack shelf is always stocked with a wide variety of items.
  • Great teammates. One of the best parts of working here!

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We value each person's expertise and experiences. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

All qualified applicants able to work in the United States are encouraged to apply.