Lead Robotics Software Engineer

About Erthos (www.erthos.com)

Erthos is an energy technology company dedicated to providing the world’s lowest-cost green energy. Creator of Earth Mount Solar™ PV, a revolutionary approach to utility-scale solar that dramatically reduces land and material requirements, Erthos has also developed highly innovative breakthrough technologies, as yet unannounced, that promise to change the way entire industries make and use clean fuel.

Erthos has adopted a highly focused, yet flexible strategy to introduce our products and services to markets around the world, beginning with the US. Our success relies on hiring the best and brightest people for every role in the company, and then collectively focusing them on our mission to deliver the world’s lowest-cost clean energy to everyone on the planet.

For more information on Erthos — including leadership profiles, white papers, news articles, and details

about how our technology works — visit the company website at www.erthos.com.

Position Summary

Reporting directly to the VP of Manufacturing & Product Development at our Chandler R&D facility, you will design and implement the software architecture for an autonomous robotics system that integrates computer vision, real-time computing, artificial intelligence, and industrial controls into a unified platform. As our Lead Robotics Software Engineer, you will develop mission-critical software to continually enhance and enable the guidance, navigation, and full automation systems of our solar panel cleaning robot. You will work closely with a cross-functional team of software, electrical, and mechanical engineers to define requirements, implement solutions, test, and debug software to ensure a highly reliable and scalable system. This role also includes driving best practices in software engineering, mentoring team members, and contributing to a repeatable, systematic, and data-driven development process.

LOCATION NOTE: Although this hybrid role offers partial work-from-home flexibility, candidates must reside within the Phoenix or Tucson metropolitan areas to participate in on-site, hands-on testing at our Chandler, AZ R&D facility and Mesa, AZ test site.

What You’ll Be Doing

- Collaborate within a cross-functional engineering team in a fast-paced, start-up-like environment.

- Design, develop, and maintain robotics software systems from concept through production, applying real-time computing principles.

- Implement robotic perception, motion planning, path planning algorithms, and control systems to achieve fully autonomous outdoor operation.

- Develop and integrate ROS/ROS2-based modules for navigation, obstacle avoidance, and precise robotic actuation.

- Utilize computer vision algorithms, sensor fusion techniques, and data-driven performance improvements.

- Optimize software for efficiency, memory usage, and reliability across varying field conditions.

- Build simulation environments (Gazebo, RViz) to test and validate algorithms prior to field deployment.

- Conduct field trials at solar power plants to test, debug, and refine software for real-world performance.

- Lead software engineering best practices, including CI/CD, version control, code reviews, and documentation.

- Create and maintain technical documentation, system design specifications, and user guides.

- Mentor junior developers and promote continuous improvement in processes and development standards.

- Apply Agile methodologies to manage sprints, features, and backlog effectively.

- Occasionally travel to deployment sites for testing and system validation.

Desired Qualifications:

- Strong collaborative mindset with a team-first approach and ability to thrive in a start-up culture.

- Proven ability to deliver high-quality, robust, and efficient software for real-world environments.

- 5+ years of experience in robotics, embedded systems, or autonomous platforms. - Proficiency in C++, Python, and familiarity with JavaScript, and ROS2. - Hands-on experience with Linux-based systems (5+ years).

- Knowledge of industrial controls, networking protocols (CAN, Serial, USB, Ethernet)

- Experience developing and optimizing motion planning, path planning, and computer vision algorithms.

- Strong understanding of sensor integration and sensor data handling.

- Familiarity with AI algorithms and autonomous navigation techniques.

- Experience with CI/CD tools, source control (Git, SVN), and software verification/validation processes.

- Skilled in technical documentation and system design specifications.

- Strong problem-solving and technical troubleshooting abilities.

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

- Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and passionate about continuous improvement.

- Hands-on experience with electronics lab tools (oscilloscope, multimeter).

- Willingness to travel for field testing and deployment as required.

Desired Education and Technical Knowledge

- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a related field (Master’s preferred).

- 7+ years of software development experience in robotics or embedded systems. - 3+ years of experience developing in C/C++, plus strong experience in Linux environments.

Bonus Points For:

- Prior experience with mobile robotics or autonomous vehicle software.

- Expertise in AI/ML for robotics (perception, decision-making).

- Familiarity with systems engineering and requirements methodologies.

- Knowledge of safety-critical software development standards

Compensation and Benefits

- Base salary will be commensurate with your level of expertise. We are targeting a base salary of between $120,000 - $145,000.

- Stock options granted to all employees.

- Annual bonus potential.

- Erthos pays 90% of all medical, dental and vision insurance premiums for its employees and their spouse and children.

- Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO).

- 401(K)