Robotics Software Engineer

Cosmoserve Space is seeking a Robotics Software Engineer to develop, maintain, and evolve the software stack powering its robotics laboratory for proximity operations research.

The role focuses on ROS 2 software development, C++ and Python programming, robotics hardware integration, experiment automation, simulation, and reliable production software for robotic systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain large-scale ROS 2 based software systems.
• Develop custom ROS 2 packages for robot control, state management, sensor processing, and inter-system communication.
• Apply robot kinematics and dynamics to coordinate transforms, trajectory execution, and hardware interfaces.
• Write clean, modular, well-documented C++ and Python code.
• Implement unit testing, integration testing, code review, version control, and CI/CD practices.
• Integrate robotic hardware, manipulators, actuators, motion platforms, and sensors into ROS 2.
• Develop or adapt hardware drivers and hardware abstraction layers.
• Work with EtherCAT, CAN bus, Modbus, serial communication, TCP/IP, and DDS.
• Integrate cameras, IMUs, encoders, and force/torque sensors.
• Develop calibration and sensor data synchronization pipelines.
• Support hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop testing.
• Integrate RL/ML models into ROS 2 systems while meeting real-time performance requirements.
• Develop experiment configuration, launch, recording, playback, and post-processing frameworks.
• Implement safety supervision, workspace monitoring, joint limit enforcement, and emergency stop logic.
• Maintain logging, monitoring, diagnostics, operational runbooks, and technical documentation.
• Own software systems through development, testing, deployment, maintenance, and documentation.

Required Skills

• Strong proficiency in C++.
• Strong proficiency in Python.
• Knowledge of CMake and Bash scripting.
• Strong ROS 2 experience.
• ROS 2 node architecture.
• ROS 2 launch system.
• Topics, Services, and Actions.
• Lifecycle nodes.
• ros2_control.
• Nav2.
• MoveIt 2.
• ROS 2 bag.
• Git and version control.
• CI/CD using GitHub Actions or GitLab CI.
• Unit and integration testing.
• Code review and documentation.
• Robotic hardware integration.
• Hardware abstraction layers and driver development.
• EtherCAT, CAN bus, Modbus, and serial protocols.
• Camera, IMU, encoder, and force/torque sensor integration.
• Sensor calibration and data synchronization.
• Linux/Ubuntu.
• Docker.
• Systemd services.
• TCP/IP networking.
• DDS/FastDDS.
• Multi-machine ROS 2 setups.
• Gazebo/Ignition and RViz 2.
• URDF/XACRO.
• Understanding of robot kinematics and dynamics.
• Forward and inverse kinematics.
• Jacobians and DH parameters.
• Understanding of equations of motion and force/torque relationships.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills.
• Experience maintaining complex robotic software systems.

Preferred Skills

• Real-time Linux and PREEMPT-RT.
• Real-time middleware such as Orocos or micro-ROS.
• NVIDIA Isaac ROS.
• GPU-accelerated perception pipelines.
• Multi-robot systems.
• Distributed ROS 2 deployments.
• DDS middleware configuration.
• Foxglove Studio or web-based robot monitoring dashboards.
• WebSocket and REST interfaces.
• Space proximity operations.
• Relative motion dynamics or orbital mechanics.
• Robotics laboratory or research facility software infrastructure.