Systems Software Engineer

Our Mission at Scythe

Humanity has lost touch with nature - we’ve traded dirt and trees for asphalt, and we rely on loud, polluting, gas-powered machines to care for our limited natural spaces.

Scythe is forging a new future by building intelligent, all-electric machines that unlock a new superpower: the ability to care for the outdoors pollution-free at enormous scale. From today’s first steps in landscape maintenance to full-fledged re-terraforming in the future, Scythe is pioneering autonomous machinery that supports the ingenuity of humans, multiplying our power to nurture our planet.

At Scythe, you’ll work with a team of world-class experts in everything from computer vision to mechanical engineering, pushing the limits of possibility and growing by overcoming hurdles along the way.

The world needs what we’re building—come join us in making it a reality.

Systems Software Engineer at Scythe

At Scythe, we're leading the way in robotics, and as a System Software Engineer, you'd be an integral piece in making sure that our robots are safe, performant, and easy to upgrade and maintain. This role acts as the bridge between firmware and higher-level software, primarily by maintaining our operating system and foundational software, as well as writing lower-level abstractions and software. The large majority of our code is in Rust, with some C++ and Python.

In this role you will work side-by-side with firmware engineers working on numerous CAN-speaking microcontrollers across the system, perception engineers processing camera data at high rate, and applications engineers streaming robot telemetry to the cloud. If you love learning new technologies, stepping into the unknown and becoming an expert, or otherwise just "getting shit done" this role will keep you plied with interesting and varied challenges!

You’ll work in concert with teammates from across the company to build a rich understanding of product needs and bring those ideas to life. We expect you to be broadly experienced to be able to “see around corners”, to thrive in a fast-paced, self-managed engineering environment, and to be a collaborative, low-ego teammate who helps Scythe realize its big mission.

Note: Due to the need to work and test with robots (and how big they are!), this role *requires* >=50% time onsite at our headquarters in Longmont CO. Relocation available for select candidates.

What you’ll do at Scythe

• Write and maintain software in Rust/Python/C++
  • The majority of the code is in Rust, but prior Rust experience not required!
  • We use the ROS ecosystem
• Bridge the gap between firmware and higher level software
• Maintain the OS and other system-level tools for the robot
• Constantly learning new tools and technologies
• Regularly spend time on-bot, verifying changes and assisting other teams
• Build tools to help us manage an ever-growing fleet of robots, from observability to stability and performance of the entire system

What you know well

• Writing code in compiled languages (Rust, C++, Go, Java, C)
• Building large and maintainable software systems
• Working with and maintaining a complex Linux system
• Debugging large, multi-threaded, multi-disciplinary software systems
• Solving a wide variety of technical problems

What you’ve maybe done

• Worked with robots or ROS
• Written software that was safety-critical
• Worked at the hardware/software interface
• Used and configured Docker infrastructure
• Used Yocto or similar Linux configuration systems
• Built data/analytics dashboards
• Network configuration and management

Why Scythe?

• Scythe is an early-stage but well-capitalized startup. Have a huge impact alongside an awesome team of experts shipping something the world has never before seen
• Competitive salary and equity compensation
• Fully-sponsored medical, vision, and dental insurance, including 75% funded dependent coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan (non-matching today)
• Headquarters near beautiful Boulder, CO. Enjoy the bounties of nature and open spaces close to home with mountain biking, hiking, skiing and more.
• Satellite offices in Austin, TX and Vero Beach, FL
• Flexible paid time-off and flexible schedules to let you do your best work where and when you want
• Highly collaborative learning culture where personal freedom, growth, and responsibility are valued
• An opportunity to have an incredible positive impact on the world

Closing

Scythe is a total compensation company, which provides employees a comprehensive salary, equity, and benefit package. However, only the minimum salary amounts are listed here. Scythe carefully considers a wide range of compensation factors, including education, years of experience, competencies and other relevant business considerations. These considerations can cause your compensation to vary along with your compensation mode preferences. The Systems Software Engineer position has an expected minimum annual cash salary of $130,000 . The actual pay may be higher depending on your skills, qualifications, and experience. Equity and benefits packages are NOT included in this estimate. Please note that this information is provided for those hired in Colorado only, and this role is open to candidates outside of Colorado as well.

^{Scythe is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.}