Robotics Software Engineer - Motion Planning, State Estimation, & Control

Job summary

At TerraFirma, we’re redefining how the world moves earth for construction. Founded by former SpaceX engineers and backed by Bain Capital Ventures, TerraFirma is automating construction to make it faster, cheaper, and safer.

Benefits

Qualifications

• in Robotics, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
• 2+ years of professional or advanced research experience delivering robotic software from first‑principles modelling through hardware deployment
• Proven track record owning large deliverables and driving multi‑disciplinary roadmaps
• Preferred
• Must be willing to work extended hours or weekends when needed to support critical deadlines or triage urgent deployment issues
• Comfortable with working in a fast-paced startup environment
• Must be willing to relocate to Austin, TX if not within commuting distance
• Compensation &

Responsibilities

• You will design and deploy the algorithms that enable heavy machinery to perform complex tasks with advanced automation in dynamic, unstructured environments.
• You will architect systems that fuse data from diverse sensors, optimize movement on challenging job sites, and execute with reliability under real-time constraints.
• State Estimation & Sensor Fusion – Design, implement, and deploy real‑time estimation pipelines that remain robust to sensor noise, vibration, and bias
• Motion / Trajectory / Path Planning – Create high‑level planners and low‑level controllers that optimize for safety, efficiency, and task completion
• Software & System Architecture – Own C++/Python codebases, and MCU firmware that realize Guidance, Navigation & Control functions on production hardware
• Simulation & Tooling – Generate digital twins, Hardware-in-the-Loop setups, and interactive visualizations to validate algorithms before field trials
• Field Deployment – Bring algorithms onto machines, run field experiments, diagnose issues, and iterate rapidly

Degrees

Work schedule

Industry

Company size

Relocation