Job description

FieldAI ’s Irvine team is where embodied AI meets real robots, real sensors, and real field deployments. Based in the heart of Southern California’s robotics ecosystem, we build risk-aware, reliable, field-ready AI systems that solve the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the full potential of embodied intelligence. If you want your work to ship, get tested on hardware, and improve through real deployments, Irvine is the place. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-only architectures, combining rigorous engineering with learning systems proven in globally deployed solutions that deliver results today and get better every time our robots run in the field. As a Senior Software Engineer in Behavior & Interaction, you will own the software systems that turn raw autonomy into finished missions. You operationalize that autonomy into repeatable, user-facing missions, design how humans task and collaborate with our robots, and deliver the insights our customers actually act on. You will architect and ship the behavior orchestration, robot interaction, and mission-to-insight pipelines that operate in some of the world's challenging industrial environments. This is a senior role for an engineer who wants to own systems end to end,and see their work run in the field. What You Will Get To Do Own the behavior and mission layer that operationalizes autonomy: design and build the software that turns core autonomy capabilities into repeatable, reliable, customer-facing missions. Architect behavior orchestration for autonomous missions: mission definition and execution, and robust fallback and recovery behaviors for unstructured environments. Design and build human and robot interaction behavior. Validate behaviors on physical platforms in real customer conditions, then close the loop from field data back into the product. Lead design reviews, make architecture decisions, and raise the engineering bar across the team. Mentor engineers and collaborate across autonomy, perception, product, field deployment, and customer-facing teams. What You Have Master's degree or PhD degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related technical field, and significant experience building and shipping production-quality software (senior-level; typically 5+ years, with meaningful robotics or autonomy work). Expert-level Python and C++, writing clean, efficient, maintainable code using modern best practices. Deep, hands-on experience with ROS2, designing, building, and deploying custom nodes and complex systems into production robots. Proven experience building behavior orchestration systems (behavior trees, state machines, task/mission planning and execution). Experience building human-in-the-loop or operator-facing systems: HRI, teleoperation, supervisory control, dashboards, or tasking and monitoring tools. Strong system design skills across APIs, inter-process communication (IPC), middleware, networking, and real-time data pipelines. A track record of shipping to production and iterating from real-world use, including turning field data into product improvements. Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail, able to lead independently while managing multiple priorities. Highly self-motivated, with excellent written and verbal communication skills and a strong collaborative mindset. What Will Set You Apart Experience deploying robotic software in production industrial environments. Background in robotics reasoning, planning, or HRI. Experience with fleet management or multi-robot coordination. Familiarity with perception and machine learning. Background on computationally constrained platforms and optimizing for real-time performance. Understanding of safety standards and compliance in robotics. Our salary range is generous and we consider each individual’s background and experience when determining final compensation. Base pay may vary based on role scope, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and the Irvine, California market. Why Join FieldAI in Irvine? In Irvine, you will work where the robots are. Our local team builds and tests systems on real hardware with real sensors, then ships them to operate in unstructured, previously unknown environments around the world. We are solving one of robotics’ hardest challenges: reliable deployment outside the lab. Our Field Foundational Models™ raise the bar for perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, with an emphasis on explainability and safety for real-world use. You will collaborate with a world-class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. We bring deep experience from organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, along with a track record of field deployments and strong performance in DARPA challenge segments. Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution We are looking for builders who want their work to leave the whiteboard and show up on robots. If you enjoy tackling tough, uncharted questions and working across disciplines, you will find your people here. Our teams span AI, software, robotics engineering, product, field deployment, and technical communication, all focused on shipping systems that perform in the real world. Our headquarters is in Irvine, and we partner closely with teams there as well as colleagues across the US and around the world. Join us in Southern California and help define what dependable, field-ready autonomy looks like. We value diverse perspectives and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We evaluate candidates and employees based on merit, qualifications, and performance, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.

Requirements

Must-haves

What You Will Get To Do
Own the behavior and mission layer that operationalizes autonomy: design and build the software that turns core autonomy capabilities into repeatable, reliable, customer-facing missions.
Architect behavior orchestration for autonomous missions: mission definition and execution, and robust fallback and recovery behaviors for unstructured environments.
Design and build human and robot interaction behavior.
Validate behaviors on physical platforms in real customer conditions, then close the loop from field data back into the product.
Lead design reviews, make architecture decisions, and raise the engineering bar across the team.
Mentor engineers and collaborate across autonomy, perception, product, field deployment, and customer-facing teams.
What You Have
Expert-level Python and C++, writing clean, efficient, maintainable code using modern best practices.
Deep, hands-on experience with ROS2, designing, building, and deploying custom nodes and complex systems into production robots.
Proven experience building behavior orchestration systems (behavior trees, state machines, task/mission planning and execution).
Experience building human-in-the-loop or operator-facing systems: HRI, teleoperation, supervisory control, dashboards, or tasking and monitoring tools.
Strong system design skills across APIs, inter-process communication (IPC), middleware, networking, and real-time data pipelines.
A track record of shipping to production and iterating from real-world use, including turning field data into product improvements.
Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail, able to lead independently while managing multiple priorities.
Highly self-motivated, with excellent written and verbal communication skills and a strong collaborative mindset.
What Will Set You Apart
Experience deploying robotic software in production industrial environments.
Background in robotics reasoning, planning, or HRI.
Experience with fleet management or multi-robot coordination.
Familiarity with perception and machine learning.
Background on computationally constrained platforms and optimizing for real-time performance.
Understanding of safety standards and compliance in robotics.
Why Join FieldAI in Irvine?

Nice-to-haves

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Keywords to mirror

aigopythonmachine learning

Platform: lever
Effort: quick