Senior Robotics Engineer

We are looking to add a dedicated and detail-oriented Senior Robotics Engineer to join our robotics team.

Joulea is a startup building a software platform that reduces energy consumption in commercial buildings. Buildings consume 40% of the total energy in the United States and emit over 10% more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector combined - vehicles, trucks, aircraft, rail and ships. A significant portion of commercial building budgets are spent and wasted on energy usage. We use the aerospace industry’s product lifecycle management principles in order to create a novel approach to apply them to commercial real estate. Joulea implements holistic, integrated optimization methods that redefine energy efficiency and reduce operating costs within commercial buildings.

We are an ATDC portfolio company backed by WeMarathon, with offices located at ATDC in Midtown Atlanta. Joulea is SOC 2 Type II compliant across all five Trust Services Criteria, reflecting our strong commitment to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. We are seeking team members who are excited to take an already high-performing, security-first platform to the next level as we continue to scale.

Job Description

We are seeking a Senior Robotics Engineer to lead the robotics team responsible for designing, developing, testing, and deploying software for unmanned aerial vehicle UAV autonomy systems. The role involves developing and integrating autonomy software components including localization, mapping, state estimation, and guidance and control to enable reliable autonomous UAV operation.

The position defines the technical direction of the autonomy software stack and includes hands on algorithm development, system integration, and real-world flight validation. The Senior Autonomy Engineer collaborates with cross functional engineering teams, establishes software engineering best practices, and ensures the delivery of robust, scalable autonomy software for operational UAV systems.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and deploy robust autonomy and state estimation systems for drones.

Implement real-time localization and mapping using multi-sensor fusion of IMU, LiDAR, cameras, barometer, and GPS, operating reliably in unstructured and degenerate environments.

Develop and optimize visual-inertial, and LiDAR-inertial odometry pipelines.

Build factor graph-based estimation systems for mapping and state estimation.

Develop robust sensor calibration and hardware synchronization for aerial platforms operating in dynamic environments.

Test, validate, and optimize autonomy software for flight performance and safety

Familiarity with structured software development workflows, including version control, code reviews, unit testing, and hardware-level testing and debugging.

Collaborate with our machine learning team; mentor junior engineers.

Requirements

PhD + 1 year or MS + 3 years of relevant professional experience in robotics or autonomy

3+ years of C++ experience; strong Python skills.

Production experience with ROS / ROS2.

Solid understanding of linear algebra, probabilistic robotics, state estimation, and control.

Experience developing localization and multi sensor fusion systems, including:

Visual or visual-inertial SLAM

LiDAR-inertial odometry and mapping

Factor graph optimization

Experience working with IMU, cameras, LiDAR, barometer, and GPS.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience deploying autonomy on real UAV platforms.

Strong computer vision background.

Familiarity with machine learning, including deep learning for perception tasks such as segmentation.

Experience with simulation, testing, and performance optimization.

Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology in the energy and building inspection sector.

Collaborative and innovative work environment.

Competitive salary and benefits package.

Career growth and development opportunities.

Equity Compensation

Full Health, Vision, and Dental Insurance

International applicants are welcome if they are currently eligible to work in the US, such as with OPT EAD, CPT, or in H-1B status