Senior Software Engineer

About the opportunity

The Australian Centre for Robotics (ACFR), has been instrumental in developing breakthrough technologies, conducting world-renowned research and developing field robotics principles and systems.

We are currently seeking to hire a Senior Software Engineer to contribute to the development, testing, and field deployment of software systems for ground robots operating in extreme field environments. Working under broad supervision, you will deliver software contributions across the platform's framework, autonomy stack, and data pipelines, supporting research and field trials across multiple application domains.

You will work as part of a small, collaborative team alongside Mechatronics Engineers, Postdoctoral Research Fellows, and senior technical leads who set technical direction. The appointment is offered initially for 12 months. The programme is funded across multiple years and there is strong potential for extension subject to performance and continued funding.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• design, build, and test software components for ground robotic platforms in field robotics applications
• contribute to the core software framework, including middleware, sensor drivers, communications stack, and platform control software
• implement and integrate autonomy components in collaboration with research staff
• contribute to data pipelines for capture, transmission, and storage of field-collected research data
• write portable, reliable and maintainable source code in C++ and Python, targeted for ROS2 and Linux, conforming to a style guide and with unit tests
• support the analysis and resolution of technical issues, escalating complex matters to senior technical leads
• prepare, conduct and support tests of robots in the field and debug code in the field if required
• collaborate with Mechatronics Engineers on the software-mechatronics interface
• support the Project Manager in planning, risk management, field trials, and reporting
• occasionally travel to rural areas and/or interstate to support fieldwork

Requirements:

• tertiary qualifications in Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronic Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent training and experience
• strong programming experience in C++ and Python with at least 3 years' experience
• experience with robotics middleware such as ROS or ROS2 (or equivalent)
• experience with Linux systems
• knowledge of object-oriented design and multithreaded or multiprocess applications
• ability to work independently to deliver assigned work and to solve technical problems in the field
• ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams
• experience with embedded systems, sensor drivers, or real-time software (desirable)
• experience with sensor fusion, point cloud or image processing, path planning, or machine learning applied to robotics (desirable)
• field deployment experience and in-field debugging on autonomous platforms (desirable)