{"id":127535,"url":"https://alion.io/job/apptronik-staff-software-engineer-humanoid-controls-2","title":"Staff Software Engineer - Humanoid Controls","company":{"id":47983,"name":"Apptronik","domain":"apptronik.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/apptronik","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":83,"open_postings":23,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.478,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":77,"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"}},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"staff","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Sunnyvale, United States","Austin, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":300000,"max":350000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":350000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Model Predictive Control","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Reinforcement Learning","optional":false},{"name":"Reinforcement Learning","optional":false},{"name":"Teleoperation","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-12T18:15:33Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-28","last_verified_at":"2026-10-18T09:23:17Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":66,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":66},"description":"Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.\nWe operate at the cutting edge of Applied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.\nJOB SUMMARY\nApptronik is building robots for the real world - to improve human quality of life and help solve the ever-increasing labor shortage. As a Staff Software Engineer - Humanoid Controls, you will be a senior technical force multiplier on our Motion Control & Planning team - the person who raises the quality of our robotics stack and moves to wherever the hardest problem is. Your scope spans whole-body control for our wheeled-base platform and our biped, learning-based hand control, mobile manipulation, and teleoperation - translating state-of-the-art controls and learning into real capability while setting technical direction for the team.\nESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES\nRaise the quality of the overall controls stack - architecture, algorithms, real-time performance, testing, and long-term maintainability.\nAdvance whole-body control across our platforms - the wheeled-base robot and the biped - coordinating the base or legs with upper-body manipulation.\nFlex across the stack to the highest-impact problems - e.g. learning-based hand control (RL in simulation), mobile manipulation, teleoperation, and estimation.\nTranslate state-of-the-art model-based and learning-based methods into robust capability, from simulation through hardware bring-up and deployment.\nExpand the robot's performance envelope - speed, payload, reliability, and safety - with measurable, defensible improvements.\nSet technical direction across the controls stack, influencing the roadmap and bringing adjacent teams (locomotion, manipulation, teleoperation, RL, estimation) along.\nMentor engineers and multiply team capability through design reviews, code reviews, and best practices.\nCollaborate cross-functionally with hardware, systems, and RL teams to co-develop solutions and diagnose system-level issues.\nSKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS\nDeep robotics fundamentals: kinematics, dynamics, state estimation, and optimization/control theory.\nProven expertise in whole-body control (WBC/OSC, QP-based control, or MPC) for floating-base (legged) or mobile (wheeled) systems.\nHands-on experience with learning-based control / reinforcement learning applied to robotics (training in simulation).\nBreadth across robot control problems - mobile manipulation, dexterity / hand control, and teleoperation - and the versatility to move between them.\nStrong software engineering: real-time C++ and Python for robotic systems.\nIndustry experience developing production-grade controllers, including hands-on experience validating or deploying algorithms on physical robot hardware.\nPreferred: shipping controllers to a production fleet or to market at scale; dexterous / in-hand manipulation; legged locomotion; or safety-critical / certified software (ISO 13849, 10218, IEC 61508).\nEDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE\nMS or PhD in Robotics, CS, EE, ME, or a related field (or equivalent experience).\n8+ years of relevant industry experience (or 4+ with a PhD) in robot controls, with a track record of getting controllers working on physical hardware.\nPHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:\nProlonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer\nMust be able to lift 15 pounds at times\nVision to read printed materials and a computer screen\nHearing and speech to communicate\nCompensation: The annual compensation for this position is $300,000 - $350,000 (USD) \n*This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations. \nApptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4503,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"master","optional":true},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Robotics AI","Robotic Components & Sensors","Humanoid Robots"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-08-12T18:15:33Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 23","filings_12m":23,"filings_prev_12m":20,"green_card_filings_12m":0,"median_offered_wage_usd":157500,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-15T11:24:14+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":51,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.857,"p_room":0.6,"age_days":65,"expected_fill_days":77,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:late","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":350000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/apptronik-staff-software-engineer-humanoid-controls-2","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/apptronik-staff-software-engineer-humanoid-controls-2.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-18T12:35:07Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":18573,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-19T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":47983},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=47983"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fapptronik-staff-software-engineer-humanoid-controls-2"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fapptronik-staff-software-engineer-humanoid-controls-2"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fapptronik-staff-software-engineer-humanoid-controls-2"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/apptronik-staff-software-engineer-humanoid-controls-2\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fapptronik-staff-software-engineer-humanoid-controls-2"}]}