Principal Software Engineer

We are seeking a Principal Software Development Engineer to lead the autonomy stack for Fauna Robotics. You will own the full system that lets a mobile robot build a map of its environment, know where it is, and move safely through the entire space of diverse, unstructured environments that humans operate in.

This role requires both deep technical ability and the judgment to set direction for a team of senior specialists. You will contribute directly to the most complex components, define long-term technical vision, and partner closely with research scientists on novel SLAM, navigation, and perception algorithms. The autonomy stack is the backbone of everything the robot does; you will integrate the pieces that make it work.

Key job responsibilities Lead the integration of the full autonomy software stack: mapping, localization, odometry, path planning, obstacle avoidance

Set technical direction for a team of senior specialists working on individual autonomy sub-problems

Integrate novel SLAM, navigation, and perception algorithms from research into the production stack

Define the long-term autonomy roadmap and decompose the architecture across multiple workstreams

Represent autonomy in cross-functional architectural decisions: sensor selection, compute budget, hardware constraints

Establish testing and validation methodology: metrics, regression benchmarks, simulation-based testing, and field-readiness criteria

Do you have experience in Team management?, 10+ years of non-internship professional software development experience

5+ years of building and shipping autonomous navigation systems on physical robots or vehicles (autonomous vehicles, drones, mobile robots, humanoids, or similar)

Experience in two or more of: SLAM, visual/inertial odometry, path planning, obstacle avoidance, map representation

Experience with ROS/ROS2 in production or near-production settings

Experience programming in C++ and Python

2+ years of experience technically leading a team of engineers (setting direction, mentoring, hiring)

Experience delivering autonomy systems from prototype to production on physical hardware, Experience with multi-sensor fusion (LiDAR, camera, IMU, wheel encoders) for robust state estimation

Experience deploying learned models (visual odometry, semantic segmentation, learned planners) within a classical autonomy stack

Familiarity with simulation-based testing and validation for navigation (Gazebo, Isaac Sim, or equivalent)

Background in consumer or commercial robotics where reliability and user experience matter as much as algorithmic novelty

Experience scaling an autonomy stack from single-robot to fleet

Experience with people management: hiring, performance development, and career growth for senior engineers

3.53.5 out of 5 stars New York, NY $220,100 - $297,700 a year - Full-time, Pulled from the full job description

• AD&D insurance
• Parental leave
• Health insurance
• 401(k) matching
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance, The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits. USA, NY, New York - 220,100.00 - 297,700.00 USD annually

Fauna Robotics, an Amazon company, is building capable, safe, and genuinely delightful robots for everyday life. Our goal is simple: make robots people actually want to live and interact with in everyday human spaces.

We believe that future won’t arrive until building for robotics becomes far more accessible. Today, too much effort is spent reinventing the fundamentals. We’re changing that by developing tightly integrated hardware and software systems that make it faster, safer, and more intuitive to create real-world robotic products.

Our work spans the full stack: mechanical design, control systems, dynamic modeling, and intelligent software. The focus is not just functionality, but experience. We’re building robots that feel responsive, expressive, and genuinely useful.

At Fauna, you’ll work at the frontier of this space, helping define how robots move, manipulate, and interact with people in natural environments. It’s an opportunity to solve hard problems across hardware and software with a team focused on making robotics accessible and joyful to build.

If you care about making robotics real for everyone and building systems that are as delightful as they are capable, we’d like to hear from you.