Software Engineer - Systems

Radical AI, Inc. is an artificial intelligence company that is accelerating scientific research & development. We are at the forefront of innovation in the field of materials R&D, a critical driver for advancing our most cutting-edge industries and shaping the future. Breaking away from the traditionally slow and costly R&D process, Radical AI leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to pioneer generative materials science. This innovative field blends AI, engineering, and materials science, revolutionizing how materials are created and discovered. Radical AI's approach speeds up R&D and addresses global challenges, setting new benchmarks in technology and sustainability.

The opportunity

As a Software Engineer (Systems) with the Robotics and Automation group at Radical AI, you will work across the software stack. Your work will encompass interfaces to low-level instruments, high-level scheduling and orchestration suites, and system introspection such as telemetry and dashboarding. 

Your experience and vision will shape both the physical and systematic implementation of lab automation. You will collaborate closely with Mechatronics, Roboticists, Mechanical Engineering and Material Scientists to meet rigorous and sometimes dynamic design requirements at a profound deployment speed. 

Mission

• Design, implement, and maintain hardware drivers for laboratory instruments, sensors, and peripheral actuators used in automated workcells
• Develop robust, well-defined APIs that expose device and subsystem functionality to higher-level automation software
• Integrate low-level drivers into service-oriented architectures, enabling reliable orchestration as workcells mature and scale
• Write unit tests, e2e simulation-based tests, and hardware cycle-testing scripts, including unit tests, integration tests, and scenario or replay-based validation
• Support incremental rollout of new hardware and services as automated workcells come online
• Create and maintain observability dashboards (e.g., Grafana) to monitor lab health, latency, error rates, and system utilization
• Contribute to technical direction, architecture decisions, and best practices across the robotics, perception, and automation software stack
• Bring an attitude of collaboration and openmindedness, to facilitate fearless and creative problem solving that empowers our team to ship world-class technology at an unprecedented speed.

About you

• Four+ years of professional software engineering experience
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
• Strong proficiency in a scripting language like Python as well as systems languages like C++/Go, with experience writing production-quality, hardware-facing software
• Strong CS fundamentals - concurrency, multi-threading & multi-processing 
• Experience integrating hardware systems including robots, sensors, vision systems, and industrial equipment
• Ability to work independently in a hands-on, development-oriented environment.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across engineering and scientific disciplines.

Pluses

• Experience working with industrial or laboratory instrumentation
• Experience with ROS/ROS2 or robotics middleware
• Comfort with a wide variety of industrial protocols - OPC-UA, ModBUS, TCP /IP
• Prior experience deploying software to production robotics or automation environments
• Prior startup experience or ownership of systems from early prototype through production

What we offer

• A competitive compensation package also includes the best in benefits.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family
• Mental health and wellness support
• 14+ company holidays per year
• 401K 
• Work closely with a team on the cutting edge of AI research.
• A mission: an opportunity to fundamentally change the way humanity makes progress through materials science discovery.

Salary Description

Competitive salary + Equity + Benefits; base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Disclosure

Radical AI is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, disability, or veteran status.