Senior Autonomy Engineer - Ground Robotics

<h3><strong><iframe style="width: 560px; height: 315px;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9T8Kbvvavzs?si=ZyWd9oYcfJWCVw6n" width="560" height="315"></iframe><br><br>About Lucid Bots</strong></h3> <p>Lucid Bots is an AI robotics company building the world’s most productive and responsible robots. Our mission is simple: extend human reach. We design intelligent machines that take on dangerous, demanding, and repetitive work—so people don’t have to.</p> <p>Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, we design, engineer, manufacture, and support our products in the United States. Our production-ready robots are deployed by customers around the world to improve safety, increase productivity, and elevate operational standards.</p> <p>We are one of the fastest-growing manufacturing companies in the United States, recently ranked fourth nationally. Backed by leading investors including Y Combinator (S19), Cubit Capital, Idea Fund Partners, Danu Ventures, and others, we are scaling quickly at the intersection of AI, hardware, and real-world impact.</p> <p>We’re building more than robots—we’re building the future of physical AI.</p> <h3><strong>Our Core Values and How We Work Together</strong></h3> <p data-start="218" data-end="395">At Lucid Bots, we’re building something extraordinary - and how we work matters just as much as what we build. These values guide how we hire, grow, and show up for one another.</p> <ul data-start="397" data-end="852"> <li data-start="397" data-end="515"> <p data-start="399" data-end="515"><strong data-start="399" data-end="422">Expedition Behavior</strong> - We climb as one. No silos, no “that’s not my job.” We protect the team and share the load.</p> </li> <li data-start="516" data-end="627"> <p data-start="518" data-end="627"><strong data-start="518" data-end="540">Grow with Humility</strong> - We’re relentless learners. We seek feedback, own mistakes, and get better every day.</p> </li> <li data-start="628" data-end="750"> <p data-start="630" data-end="750"><strong data-start="630" data-end="648">Lift People Up</strong> - Humans come first. We care fiercely, speak honestly, and design for real people in real conditions.</p> </li> <li data-start="751" data-end="852"> <p data-start="753" data-end="852"><strong data-start="753" data-end="780">Build the Extraordinary</strong> - We take ownership, reject the ordinary, and run toward hard problems.</p> </li> </ul> <p data-start="854" data-end="1074">We live <em data-start="862" data-end="878">Above the Line</em>: we take responsibility, create solutions, and shape the future.<br data-start="943" data-end="946">If these values energize you, you’ll thrive here. If they feel like too much, this may not be the right climb - and that’s okay.</p> <h3>The Role</h3> <p data-start="3899" data-end="3995">We’re hiring a Senior Autonomy Engineer to own the autonomy stack for our ground robot platform.</p> <p data-start="3997" data-end="4219">You’ve done this before — taken a robot from simulation to real-world deployment, and seen what breaks along the way. You understand that autonomy isn’t finished when it works once — it’s finished when it works every time.</p> <p data-start="4221" data-end="4311">You’ll be the technical authority on what “production-ready autonomy” means at Lucid Bots.</p> <h3 data-section-id="16y2vfn" data-start="1354" data-end="1388"><strong data-start="1357" data-end="1388">What You’ll Do</strong></h3> <ul data-start="1390" data-end="2531"> <li data-section-id="wctqma" data-start="4354" data-end="4569"><strong data-start="4356" data-end="4433">Deliver autonomy systems that perform reliably in real-world environments</strong><br data-start="4433" data-end="4436">Own the full autonomy stack — perception, localization, planning, navigation — and ensure consistent performance across deployments</li> <li data-section-id="1likpf9" data-start="4571" data-end="4764"><strong data-start="4573" data-end="4636">Enable parallel development through high-quality simulation</strong><br data-start="4636" data-end="4639">Build and improve simulation environments that allow the team to develop and validate autonomy before hardware is finalized</li> <li data-section-id="18u0nnt" data-start="4766" data-end="4931"><strong data-start="4768" data-end="4812">Systematically close the sim-to-real gap</strong><br data-start="4812" data-end="4815">Quantify where simulation diverges from real-world behavior and drive improvements that increase field reliability</li> <li data-section-id="lg6s23" data-start="4933" data-end="5099"><strong data-start="4935" data-end="4981">Define what “done” looks like for autonomy</strong><br data-start="4981" data-end="4984">Establish clear, measurable performance criteria for autonomous operation — not subjective definitions of success</li> <li data-section-id="14tqp51" data-start="5101" data-end="5254"><strong data-start="5103" data-end="5147">Build systems that scale beyond the demo</strong><br data-start="5147" data-end="5150">Architect autonomy software that performs reliably across many customers, environments, and edge cases</li> <li data-section-id="11u65lj" data-start="5256" data-end="5400"><strong data-start="5258" data-end="5297">Raise the technical bar of the team</strong><br data-start="5297" data-end="5300">Mentor engineers, review code and architecture, and guide the team toward production-grade systems</li> <li data-section-id="y8r1y" data-start="5402" data-end="5559"><strong data-start="5404" data-end="5458">Ensure hardware and autonomy are designed together</strong><br data-start="5458" data-end="5461">Partner closely with hardware engineers to build systems optimized for automation from the start</li> </ul> <h3 data-section-id="xs10nj" data-start="2538" data-end="2567"><strong data-start="2541" data-end="2567">What We’re Looking For</strong></h3> <ul data-start="2569" data-end="3053"> <li data-section-id="10sjpwv" data-start="5597" data-end="5657">5–10 years of experience in robotics or autonomy systems</li> <li data-section-id="1g0o7nw" data-start="5658" data-end="5732">Experience shipping at least one autonomous mobile robot to production</li> <li data-section-id="1jqwc87" data-start="5733" data-end="5774">Strong hands-on experience with ROS 2</li> <li data-section-id="1ca0p3v" data-start="5775" data-end="5873">Deep expertise in at least two of: perception, SLAM/localization, motion planning, or controls</li> <li data-section-id="5ui5cg" data-start="5874" data-end="5950">Experience with robots operating in outdoor or unstructured environments</li> <li data-section-id="1rysss" data-start="5951" data-end="6009">Strong programming skills with production-quality code</li> </ul> <h3 data-section-id="ol6vkq" data-start="3060" data-end="3093"><strong data-start="3063" data-end="3093">What We’re Not Looking For</strong></h3> <ul data-start="3095" data-end="3276"> <li data-section-id="700np2" data-start="6051" data-end="6101">Pure researchers without production experience</li> <li data-section-id="t7tk2h" data-start="6102" data-end="6177">Engineers who have only worked in simulation or controlled environments</li> <li data-section-id="18hbqj0" data-start="6178" data-end="6241">Candidates without experience shipping real robotic systems</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>Why Join Lucid Bots?</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Work directly with the founder of a fast-growing, venture-backed robotics startup.</li> <li>Be part of a team solving real-world problems with frontier technology.</li> <li>Get a front-row seat to fundraising, company building, and startup strategy at scale.</li> <li>Learn more in one year than most people do in five—this is a career accelerant.</li> <li>Help support the culture, pace, and systems of a company scaling fast and building things that matter.</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Benefits:</strong></h3> <ul> <li>Health, dental, and vision insurance</li> <li>3% retirement match</li> <li>15 days of paid time off (PTO)</li> <li>3 sick days&nbsp;</li> <li>11 paid holidays, with 3 of those being floating holidays</li> <li>Employee stock option plan</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>We’d Love to Hear from You!</h3> <div class="p-rich_text_section">Don't just apply. Stand out.</div> <div class="p-rich_text_section"><strong data-stringify-type="bold">The Reality:</strong>&nbsp;On paper, many resumes look the same. We don’t hire paper; we hire people. While a video is technically optional, it is the single best way to separate yourself from the stack.</div> <div class="p-rich_text_section"><strong data-stringify-type="bold">The Promise:</strong>&nbsp;This is not a black hole. If you take the time to record it, we will take the time to watch it.</div> <div class="p-rich_text_section">&nbsp;</div> <div class="p-rich_text_section"><strong data-stringify-type="bold">What to Send (2 mins max)</strong>&nbsp;Please do not read a script. Do not worry about editing or production value. Just open your camera and talk to us.</div> <ol class="p-rich_text_list p-rich_text_list__ordered p-rich_text_list--nested" data-stringify-type="ordered-list" data-list-tree="true" data-indent="0" data-border="0"> <li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0"><strong data-stringify-type="bold">Why here?</strong>&nbsp;Why are you excited about Lucid Bots specifically?</li> <li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0"><strong data-stringify-type="bold">Why you?</strong>&nbsp;What is the one thing about you that a resume can’t capture?</li> </ol> <div class="p-rich_text_section">If you want the highest probability of an interview, send a video.</div>