Founding Engineer - Robotics
San Francisco, California
Full time, In-person
Company Overview
Cosmic Robotics is building autonomous systems to accelerate the construction of renewable energy infrastructure and transform field construction. Our first product, Cosmic-1, is a fully autonomous equipment designed to install solar panels 10x faster than current methods. To meet the growing demand for electricity and U.S. renewable energy targets, over 600 million solar panels need to be installed on utility-scale projects by 2030. Cosmic-1 is a critical technology to achieving this goal.
The Role
We are looking for a Founding Engineer to join our team of ex-NASA, SpaceX, Google, Amazon, Autodesk, Built Robotics, and Relativity Space team in building the world’s most advanced outdoor autonomous construction equipment and a company that will transform the construction industry.
You are a self-starter who thrives in ambiguity, is comfortable working in both an office setting and in the field, and is excited to build the future of humanity.
Responsibilities
Own a Cosmic-1 subsystem such as:
Vehicle (navigation, localization, SLAM, controls)
Perception (pose estimation, obstacle detection)
Systems (distributed systems, optimization, safety)
Build, deploy, and test robotics software in our San Francisco office and customer sites
Work closely with hardware to develop robust, integrated vehicle solutions
Set milestones, plan roadmaps, and deliver on ambitious timelines
Travel regularly to customer sites to deploy, test, and iterate on the platform
Help recruit and build a world-class engineering organization
Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in an engineering field
3+ years of professional engineering experience
Strong proficiency in C++, Python, and developing in a Linux environment
Excellent communication and project management skills
Strong drive to push boundaries and deliver on ambitious timelines
Willingness to work in outdoor field conditions
Nice to have but not required
Advanced degree in an engineering field
5+ years of professional engineering experience in robotics
Experience developing with ROS 2 and associated packages (Nav2, Moveit)
Experience in robotics simulation packages (e.g., Gazebo, Isaac Sim)
Experience with NVIDIA hardware and Isaac ROS