Full Stack Robotics Software Engineer

Overview

Octavian Robotics is solving the #1 complication in the $3T surgical industry. We are building robots for the sterilization of surgical tools. Only now with generalized robotics models have we been able to tackle this problem and save lives.

This company is a spin-out from Sorting Robotics and we are inheriting a decade of robotics infrastructure and know-how. The role is for the first robotics software engineer at the company. You'll be working directly with the founders and learning from the previous team on how to build a robotics company. You'll need to be scrappy, a jack of all trades and a master of one, be able to communicate your ideas quickly and effectively, adapt to changing dynamics, have experience with robotics, and be able to push through the journey of building a new company.

This role is not for the faint of heart. You should expect to work 60+ hours a week, expect for there to be more problems than solutions, expect for you to have very little hand-holding, invent technology that didn't exist 6 months ago, expect to feel the pressure of performance when everyone in the room is depending on you and there are millions of dollars on the line. All this will be true, but you will also be in a room of people that respect you; where everyone is rowing together to achieve the noble goal of saving lives with our robotic systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement software to control machines developed by Octavian Robotics.
• Build and implement the initial infrastructure of the company.
• Work closely with mechanical and electrical engineers and guide design decisions based on what software can effectively accomplish.
• Work closely with customer success and sales staff to translate customer and company needs into software solutions.
• Train entry/mid-level software developers in the development lifecycle of the product lines you're working on.
• Work with engineers and customer success staff to remote and debug logs in the machine and understand customer problems.
• This is an on-site position. You're expected to work on-site with the other team members five days a week. We are based in Los Angeles.

Sometimes, nothing will work, and you'll need to conduct experiments until the problem's root cause (hardware or software-related) is fully understood.

Before writing any code, you must deeply understand complex topics and communicate proposed solutions to a highly technical team. Ideally, you write the minimum number of lines that solve the problem ("spin lock? Why not? It solves this problem" - "I'll just use a JSON file for now as a database so anyone can easily modify it").

Your work will be focused more on clear communication and business impact than on lines of code you can write or cool tech you can use.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with Python
• Familiarity with Git
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, AWS services
• Familiarity with web standards, RESTful APIs, OAuth
• Experience training VLA or inference models for motor control

You will work on different parts of the stack at various times. We expect you to understand where everything goes and why, and we expect you to add to the stack to make the development process more robust.

• Must be AI-Native in all workflows
• Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related fields.
• Experience with Linux (systemd, journalctl, network manager, permissions).
• Hands-on experience in robotics or computer vision
• Experience working with Hardware.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Authorized to work in the US without visa sponsorship.

• $170,000 - $190,000 per year full-time salary.
• 0.5% - 1% equity.
• 401(k), health, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending account, paid time off, parental leave.
• Schedule: 12-hour shift, Monday - Saturday. This job is not for the weak of heart.
• In person, Van Nuys or Los Angeles, CA. Relocation package available.