Mediabistro logo
job logo

Sr. Robotics Software Engineer

NaSPA, Inc., Seattle, WA, United States


Your Impact
The Axon Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) team in Brussels in the Robotics New Ventures pillar supports critical drone and robotics offerings for Special Forces and Law Enforcement. These robots work together to provide tactical reconnaissance and an advantage during critical, high‑risk and stressful missions. The product portfolio includes aerial drones (Thor, Scout) and ground robots (Sigyn). Please see https://www.axon.com/products/axon-sky-hero.

We are actively working on truly disruptive next‑generation drone & robotics technology that we strongly believe will advance our mission to Protect Life.

The GNC team is responsible for the software stack that makes these robots fly, communicate, and operate reliably. This includes flight modes, mission logic, integration with the PX4 flight controller, and the middleware and services that tie the system together – all running on Linux in Rust and C++ with ROS 2.

As a Senior Robotics Software Engineer I on the GNC team, you'll be a core contributor to this stack. You'll design and build performance‑sensitive software across flight modes, communication with ground control stations, telemetry, sensor integration and processing, and the middleware that connects it all. You'll improve the reliability of existing systems and help lay the software foundations for future autonomy capabilities.

This is a software engineering role first – you'll bring robotics domain knowledge and apply it to building a robust, well‑architected platform. You'll collaborate closely with firmware, computer vision, and imaging teams across Belgium and Finland, as well as US‑based teams for architecture and integration planning.

Working on these next‑generation robotics products is not only a career‑defining accomplishment, but also a real opportunity to help reach our Moonshot goal: cut gun‑related deaths between police and the public by 50% in 10 years.

What You’ll Do
Location:

Brussels, Belgium

Reports to:

Engineering Manager

Design and develop performance‑sensitive software in Rust and C++

Architect and implement flight modes, mission logic, and middleware services on ROS 2

Integrate with the PX4 flight controller and contribute to its configuration and extension

Identify and drive improvements to software quality, reliability, and architecture

Debug and resolve complex systems issues across the stack – from inter‑process communication to soft real‑time performance

Collaborate with firmware, computer vision, and imaging teams on cross‑functional features

Participate in design discussions and code reviews as a senior technical contributor

Support flight testing and iterate based on real‑world results

Contribute to build systems, CI/CD pipelines, and testing infrastructure

What You Bring
Candidates with active robotics or drone experience writing performance‑sensitive software on Linux will be prioritized. We are looking for a strong software engineer first who brings robotics domain knowledge.

Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent

8+ years of professional experience in systems‑level software engineering

Strong experience with Rust, C++, or C – writing performance‑sensitive code that manages memory deliberately and handles concurrency correctly

Strong Linux experience as a development and deployment platform

Solid understanding of systems fundamentals: memory management, inter‑process communication, multithreading, and synchronization

Professional experience working on robotics or drone systems

Experience with ROS 2

Effective communicator who can articulate technical trade‑offs across teams and time‑zones

Proficiency in English is required; French or Dutch is a plus

Any experience with the following is a plus:

PX4, ArduPilot, Betaflight, or similar flight controller stacks

Communication protocols / middlewares such as MAVLink, DDS, or Zenoh

Path planning, autonomous navigation, or SLAM

Simulation tools such as Gazebo, Mujoco, Isaac Sim, SITL, or HITL environments

CI/CD pipelines and build systems (CMake, Cargo, Bazel)

Yocto, Buildroot, or similar embedded Linux build systems

Hands‑on drone or UAV experience (personal, academic, or professional)

Benefits that Benefit You

Competitive Base Salary

30 Vacation Days per Year

Annual Bonus Eligibility

Restricted Stock Unit Eligibility

Private Health Insurance

Wellbeing Platform

Free snacks in our offices

Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work.

Don’t meet every single requirement? That’s ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long‑term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you’re excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Important Notes
The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.

Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.

We collect personal information from applicants to evaluate candidates for employment. You may request access, deletion, or exercise other CCPA rights at axongreenhousesupport@axon.com or via our Axon Privacy Web Form. For more information, please see the Your California Privacy Rights section of our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice.

Axon’s mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well‑being and safety of its employees as well as Axon’s impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We’re committed to hiring the best talent – regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances – and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email recruitingops@axon.com. Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.

Phishing alert: Axon will never ask you to pay for any part of the hiring process, including training, equipment, or background checks. We do not make job offers via text message, WhatsApp, or instant messaging platforms without a formal interview process. All legitimate job openings are listed on our official careers page at https://www.axon.com/careers. If you receive a suspicious offer or outreach from an email address that is not @axon.com, or if you are asked for sensitive personal information (bank details, Social Security Number) prematurely, please ignore the message and report it to recruitingops@axon.com.

#J-18808-Ljbffr