Core Robotic Software Engineer - Platform and Middleware

Starting Date: Nov / Dec 2026           Location: Europe / US (Remote / Hybrid)  About Company: Contact Intelligence Labs Inc. (Ci Labs) is solving the final frontier of robotics: autonomous, fine, dexterous manipulation with unit economics at scale. Built on over $20M, Ci Labs established a bespoke, first-principles, end-to-end stack of Physical  AI methods and algorithms for reliable dexterous manipulation called Contact Intelligence™. We believe the next scaling law in robotics is interaction, not just trajectories.     Our co-founders include the founding architect of modern dexterous manipulation and veterans from Dyson Robotics, Bosch, Etteplan, the UK National Nuclear Lab, Birmingham University and Cranfield University - integrating over a decade of breakthrough research with extensive commercial deployment expertise of Physical AI at scale.      We're partnering with selected industrial and national security leaders on deployment-scale Physical AI systems.    We are a hybrid-first company operating globally, U.S. HQ Delaware C-Corp with established offices in Poland and upcoming locations in London and San Francisco. Contact Intelligence Labs is operating in stealth with limited public disclosure. About Role: We're looking for a hands-on Robotics Software Engineer (Architect / Tech Lead) to build the software stack and algorithms enabling dexterous, contact-rich robot manipulation. In this role, you will combine robotics research with engineering, create high-performance real-time systems, implement advanced control and manipulation algorithms, and turn new ideas from simulation into reliable performance on real robots. You will contribute across the full research-to-deployment pipeline, from designing software architectures and experimenting with new approaches, through simulation and algorithm validation, to integration and debugging on real robotic platforms. Working closely with the founding team, you'll help transform state-of-the-art robotics research into practical capabilities that allow robots to perform complex tasks involving precise interaction with the physical world. In this pivotal role, you will have significant ownership over both technical direction and execution, directly shaping our proprietary robotics stack and driving core advancements across our deep-tech platform. Joining our growing engineering team, you'll have significant ownership over both technical direction and execution, shaping our proprietary robotics stack and playing a central role in advancing our technology. Key Skills (Mandatory):

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in software engineering, robotics, or high-performance systems
• 2+ years of professional experience in on-board software architecture design, with practical experience designing low-latency and deterministic real-time software for robotics or transferable fields, ideally with closed-loop motion control systems at its core (e.g., ROS 2, thread synchronization, memory pre-allocation) 
• “Modern” SoCs/application processors (e.g. x86, ARM)​ experience
• Practical knowledge and experience with Requirements Engineering (especially around traceability and functional safety) alongside UML/SysML experience (MBSE)
• Creative mindset with proven ability and motivation to come up novel but robust architectural software concepts to satisfy complex and evolving market and customer requirements
• Strong programming proficiency in Modern C++ (C++17/20) with a deep understanding of OOP, modern software design paradigms, sound architecture principles, and building maintainable, production-grade codebases
• Practical experience with POSIX OS / Linux environments across two key areas:
• As a host development environment for daily work, tooling, simulation setups, and cross-compilation
• As a target deployment OS for on-board software, including lightweight or embedded Linux distributions and real-time aspects (e.g., PREEMPTRT patches, kernel tuning, process isolation, and thread scheduling configuration)
• Proven record of developing software for hardware integration and low-level sensor/actuator communication
• Demonstrated ability to build production-grade, maintainable codebases using high-level software engineering standards and sound architecture principles.
• Experience with Docker and setuping CI/CD (eg. GitHub Actions)
• Hands-on experience deploying, debugging, and operating software on physical systems, ideally robot platforms Bonus Skills (Nice to Have):
• SDK architecture design and implementation experience on POSIX system and optionally Windows (Windows 11 IoT) system
• Networking protocols experience: CAN, Ethernet, EtherCAT
• ROS/ROS2 middleware and/or DDS experience
• Robotics fundamentals (e.g. manipulator kinematics, motion planning, perception)
• Functional safety/process know-how and experience
• Proficiency in Python (or willingness to learn) for rapid prototyping, scripting, and C++ bindings
• Ability to implement, debug, and run manipulation / control algorithms
• Practical expertise with high-fidelity simulation environments (e.g., NVIDIA Isaac Sim, MuJoCo, Gazebo, or comparable physics engines)
• Familiarity with libraries such as OpenCV, PCL or Open3D Resources:
• In-house frontier Robotics Lab Facilities (contact-rich manipulation focus)
• State-of-the-art tools & work equipment, conference & training budget
• World-class experts and industry veterans in contact-rich manipulation, novel robotics learning, Physical AI, Software Engineering, Sensing, Industrial Tech from top places such as Bosch, Dyson Robotics, Stellantis, the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory, Aerialtronics, Emotech, Advanced Protection Systems, Etteplan, University of Birmingham, Cranfield University. Why Join Contact Intelligence Labs?
• Impactful role in shaping the trajectory of a rapidly scaling U.S.-based Physical AI company.
• Opportunity to solve fundamental challenges in autonomous dexterous manipulation with global industrial significance.
• Highly competitive compensation, meaningful equity via share options, and a comprehensive benefits package.