Robotics Engineer

About the company

Clera is a talent-matching platform that replaces traditional job applications by connecting candidates and hiring teams through curated introductions.

About this role

ABOUT THE ROLE A seed-stage, Y Combinator–backed humanoid robotics software company is looking for a Robotics Engineer to join a tight-knit, three-person engineering team in San Francisco. This company builds the "social brain" for humanoid robots — software that enables natural, intelligent human-robot interaction, including perception, emotional awareness, on-device decision-making, and autonomous locomotion. You'll work hands-on with cutting-edge humanoid hardware, develop real-world autonomy software, and advise robot manufacturers on sensor placement and hardware design. This is a high-ownership, high-impact role where your work ships directly to customers. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Develop autonomy software for humanoid robots deployed in real-world, customer-facing environments. - Advise robot manufacturers on sensor placement, hardware interfaces, and operational design for next-generation humanoids. - Work hands-on with premium humanoid hardware (robots that cost more than most cars). - Implement and improve camera-based 3D perception, including object detection, tracking, gesture recognition, body language understanding, and speaker identification. - Improve locomotion systems for safe walking in public environments. - Collaborate with animators to make robot movement, body language, and gestures more fluid and natural. - Deploy and maintain onboard C++20 and offboard Python 3.14 code on humanoid platforms upfit with custom hardware. - Iterate rapidly on software deployed to customer robots in live, real-world settings. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR Must-haves: - 3+ years of professional robotics engineering experience delivering autonomous robotic systems. - Background in a relevant robotics domain — humanoids, self-driving vehicles, drones, off-road robotics, or similar. - Strong hands-on experience with C++ (C++20) or Rust. - Proven track record shipping robotics products into real-world deployments. - Comfortable working with, debugging, and interfacing with physical hardware. - High ownership mindset — you take full responsibility for the features you build. Strongly preferred: - Experience deploying software on humanoid robot platforms (e.g., Unitree G1 or equivalent) with custom hardware integrations. - Camera-based 3D perception: detection, tracking, gesture recognition, body language understanding, and/or speaker identification. - Experience iterating on software deployed directly to customer robots in production environments. - Locomotion engineering for navigating safely in public or unstructured environments. Nice to have: - Python offboard software development experience. - Experience with sensor placement and hardware interfacing in robot system design. - Collaboration experience with animators or motion designers on robot behavior. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS - Salary: $150,000 – $225,000 USD annually, depending on experience. - Work visa sponsorship is available. - Opportunity for significant early-stage equity and outsized impact at a seed-stage company. LOCATION This is a full-time, on-site role based in San Francisco, California. Candidates must be willing to work from the San Francisco office. Work authorization sponsorship is available for qualified candidates.