Robot Software Engineer (Platform and Backend)

Oakland, CA (In Person Only)Full-timeFirst, the good news: The world now has over 1.7 terawatts of cumulative solar capacity and solar PV is the lowest-cost source of energy generation worldwide.The challenge: The world must build 3 terawatts of new solar capacity every year for the next 25 years.Planted is creating new technology to overhaul how the industry develops and builds solar power resources. And we need help. We're expanding our team of ambitious, curious, and hands-on engineers and operators. Come own large parts of product, company, or business development and help power the world with 100% clean energy.About The RoleAs a key member of our Robot Software team, you will design, build, and operate the backbone that keeps our robot fleet online, secure, and productive, owning backend services and APIs for telemetry, data ingest, command and control, and user workflows while bringing up compute with operating systems, drivers, firmware, and device configuration, and creating fleet scale CI/CD that produces reproducible edge images and cloud releases. You will run deployments end to end with safe over the air updates, staged rollouts, health checks, automated rollback, and device configuration while operating and securing cloud infrastructure across compute, storage, networking, private connectivity, and secrets. You are a platform generalist who moves smoothly between Python services, device provisioning, infrastructure automation, and incident response, and you jump into the highest priority gaps to ship outcomes quickly and safely.This position offers the opportunity to collaborate closely with a highly skilled cross-functional engineering team, taking ownership of projects from ideation to implementation to enhance the usability and reliability of our robotic systems in challenging real-world environments.The salary range for this full-time position is $130,000 - $175,000 plus stock options and benefits. Pay within the range is based on candidate experience, job-specific skills, education, and work location. The target experience for the position is 3 - 7+ yearsResponsibilitiesDevelop and maintain backend services/APIs for robot telemetry, data ingest, command/control, and user workflowsBring up compute hardware (x86/ARM/Jetson): OS provisioning, drivers/firmware, and device configurationCreate and run fleet-scale CI/CD pipelines; manage artifacts, versioning, and reproducible builds for edge images and cloud services (containers, cross-compilation)Manage robot fleet deployments: safe OTA updates (A/B), staged rollouts, health checks, automated rollback, and device configurationOperate and secure cloud infrastructure: manage compute, storage, networking, VPNs, security controls, and secretsAdminister and monitor data systems: manage databases and message systems; build observability with logging, metrics, tracing, dashboards, alerting, and clear SLOs with runbooksEnsure security and reliability of our cloud and robot systemsConduct hands-on testing of edge software and system integrations in the field and our testing yard to validate reliabilityWork like a startup generalist across edge, cloud, data, and infra; jump into the highest-priority gaps to ship outcomes quickly and safelyQualificationsBachelor’s or Master’s degree in CS or equivalent3 - 7 years of professional experience in software developmentExcellent communication, collaboration, and teamwork abilitiesExperienced in using Python 3.10+ for backend development, data infrastructure, and automationExperience managing IoT deployments or robot fleetsExperience creating and operating CI/CD pipelinesFamiliarity working in Docker containers and container deploymentWell-versed with developing software for Linux environmentsAdept at writing Bash scripts for automation and system managementKnowledgeable of SQL and database managementExcellent problem-solving and analytical skillsCurious demeanor and excited to learn new technologies when necessaryPrioritizes delivering user value while making pragmatic technical tradeoffsComfortable working as a generalist: spanning multiple domains, moving fast with discipline, and owning problems from design through operationsBased in the SF Bay Area (or willing to relocate) and available on-site 80%.Preferred QualificationsExperience with pub/sub architectures (ROS 2, MQTT, etc)Experience building simple web applications for internal dashboards or toolingExperience implementing observability stacksA note on qualifications: Many people only apply for jobs if they believe they can perform every task in the job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job and will consider equivalent combinations of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.Physical And Sensory RequirementsMostly desk work using standard office equipmentWhat We Offer11 paid company holidays and flexible Paid Time Off (PTO)Company-paid in-office lunchesStock optionsMedical, vision, dental, and other benefitsPre-tax commuter benefits401(k)A chance to have an empowered, meaningful, and early role in climateThis Will Be a Great Fit IfYou want to solve challenging problemsYou are biased towards action and focus on the vital work that drives the most impactYou prioritize the physical and psychological safety of yourself and those around youYou are humble, embrace change, and deliver and receive candid feedbackYou are optimistic about the future and can make tough decisions to help get thereYou have high expectations and coach, develop, and make time to help othersPlanted Solar is an equal opportunity employer committed to growing inclusively, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, medical condition, age, or veteran status. However you identify, or whatever background you bring with you, please apply. We look forward to hearing from you.