Senior Software Engineer - NREC

At the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC), it is our engineers and technicians who drive the breakthroughs that define our success. The members of our technical staff collaborate closely with leadership and multidisciplinary teams to design, build, and deploy sophisticated robotic solutions that address complex challenges in industrial, commercial and government sectors. Each project benefits from their expertise, creativity, and hands-on problem-solving, fueling progress and innovation across the organization.

As part of our dedicated team, you will work alongside world-class robotics professionals committed to pushing the boundaries of technology and redefining ideas into solutions for real-world applications. We foster a culture of professionalism, respect, and collaboration, offering a flexible and encouraging environment where you can sharpen your skills, lead impactful projects, and take control of your career development.

We are seeking a dynamic Senior Software Engineer to lead and contribute to the design, development, and integration of a manipulation planner for a large custom industrial robot.  In this role, you will be instrumental in integrating the planner with multiple programmable logic controllers and a safety supervisor using a modern industrial protocol.  The planner must support manual and supervised autonomous operation in the presence of human support staff while operating in demanding environmental conditions.

Your primary responsibilities are:

• Developing a C++ scheduler/planner for commanding 1-6 custom industrial cranes operating in a shared space
• Ensuring the planner supports manual commands to individual cranes alongside autonomous operation
• Writing unit tests to validate the performance of the planner against the prescribed requirements
• Conducting extensive online testing of the planner in different operational configurations
• Conducting extensive simulation testing of the planner in a variety of uncommon configurations
• Documenting the code and supporting materials to facilitate long-term support
• Preparing training materials for system operators and technical support staff
• Registering, prioritizing, and addressing bug reports submitted by fellow team members, test operators, and the sponsor
• Providing on-site support of the planner during testing and commissioning of the system at the sponsor's designated location

Required Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field
• Minimum 10 years of experience developing manipulation planners for autonomous robots
• Minimum 10 years of experience writing, testing, and debugging original code in both C++ and Python
• Minimum 10 years of experience with creating, updating, maintaining, and using simulation environments for testing of robot planners
• Minimum 5 years of experience creating both clients and servers utilizing the OPC/UA protocol
• Minimum 5 years of experience with MySQL database transactions
• Clear, effective technical communication skills
• Ability to collaborate with experts within a multidisciplinary team, including scientists, hardware engineers, and software developers
• Ability to work independently, ask questions and seek input when needed
• Commitment to a respectful and supportive team environment

We especially want to hear from you if you have experience or qualifications in ANY of the following areas:

• Hands-on experience using Softing OPC/UA client and server SDKs
• Hands-on experience with Oracle MySQLX C++ SDK
• Experience with Git version control
• Experience with Atlassian agile development tools (Jira, Bitbucket, Confluence)
• Experience interfacing with B&R Automation industrial controllers
• Experience with planning guaranteed collision-free schedules for multiple robots operating in a shared workspace
   

Other Requirements: 

• Successful pre-employment background check
• Travel Requirements: You should be able to travel domestically and be willing to work outside of normal business hours as needed
   

This position will require work on a variety of projects, including projects that involve military/defense applications and/or are funded by military/defense sponsors.
 

Are you interested in joining our versatile team at NREC where you will have a direct impact on operations and meaningful projects?
 

Join a collaborative environment where your hands-on skills, leadership, and mentorship will directly influence operations and inspire the next generation of innovators.