Senior Robotics Software Engineer - Localization

Space Technology Company Job PostingOur client is a venture-backed space technology company building the infrastructure that will make permanent human settlements on the Moon and Mars possible. It is already generating significant commercial revenue from its hardware products and is using that momentum to fund its lunar robotics program: autonomous rovers designed to produce essential resources on the Moon's surface.The RoleYou'll own the software that determines and tracks where the company's lunar rovers are as they drive across the Moon. There is no GPS, prior map data is low resolution, lighting swings between blinding sun and deep shadow, the terrain offers few vertical features, and wheels slip in loose regolith.

Solving localization under these conditions takes both a deep understanding of how estimation and mapping algorithms actually work and hands-on experience making them hold up on real robots outside the lab.The right person can choose a technical approach, write the software, test it on hardware and in simulation, measure where it performs well and where it breaks, decide whether to refine or pivot, and run that entire cycle quickly.What You'll DoOwn the localization architecture for the rover, from technical approach through implementation, testing, and iterationDevelop software that estimates rover position from sensors such as IMU, cameras, LIDAR, wheel odometry, star trackers, sun sensors, and terrain matchingHandle calibration, time synchronization, coordinate frames, and sensor health across the sensor suiteTest on rover prototypes at a lunar analog test site and in Gazebo-based mission simulations built on NASA lunar terrain dataDefine metrics and ground truth to quantify drift, accuracy, and consistency, and use field results to drive technical decisionsIntegrate localization outputs and health signals with path planning, hazard avoidance, and recovery behaviorWhat You Bring5+ years of programming experience in Python and/or C/C++Experience developing software that runs on real robotsSubstantive experience with non-GPS localization (e.g., INS, EKF/UKF, factor graphs, SLAM, odometry)A deep understanding of how localization algorithms work, beyond configuring existing packagesA track record of taking a system through implementation, testing, debugging, and measured improvementA degree in Computer Science or a related field, or demonstrated coding excellence through significant professional experienceOutstanding communication skillsA genuine desire to help make humanity a multi-planet speciesNice to HaveLocalization on outdoor robots or autonomous vehicles, especially in natural terrainLIDAR-based localization (LIDAR odometry, LIDAR SLAM, scan matching)Vision-based localization (visual odometry, VIO, VSLAM)Terrain or map matching using elevation or imagery dataROS/ROS2 and simulators such as Gazebo or MuJoCoAerospace software or production deployment experienceYou Don't Need Space ExperienceSome of the best candidates for this role will come from other demanding environments: off-road, agricultural, mining, or defense robots; GNSS-denied autonomous vehicles; drones and visual-inertial navigation; underwater or subterranean robots; LIDAR mobile mapping; or research teams that deployed their algorithms in the field. What matters is real-robot ownership and strong fundamentals.How the Team WorksExtreme ownership: You own problems from root cause to delivered solution.Bias toward action: When something blocks progress, you find a way around it instead of waiting.Mission over ego: Engineering requires disagreement, and the best idea wins regardless of who it came from.This position requires access to export-controlled information. Candidates must be a U.S.

citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, asylee under 8 U.S.C.

§ 1158, or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.This search is being conducted by Samson Rose. All inquiries are confidential.