Robotics Engineer - Embedded Software at TerraFirma, Inc.
Austin, TX
—
Jul 13, 2026
Austin, TX
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
An embedded systems role at a construction robotics startup, focused on both hardware design and low-level software for autonomous machines. Day-to-day work spans firmware development for microcontrollers, Linux-based real-time systems, driver and sensor integration, and platform bringup for new boards. The position also carries team leadership and mentoring responsibilities, and suits engineers with hands-on embedded experience, ideally in robotics, aerospace, or similarly demanding domains.
Senior level · 2+ years · Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX · Bachelor's required · Full-time
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 3,550 people in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (software developers). range 1,500–5,300
Applicant volume Heavy — This req sits in a large pool with little in its requirements to thin it, and auto-apply tools fire at everything in the occupation. Applying early and leading with the rare skills below is what gets read.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $137,069 (middle half $106,287–$172,440).
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (7)
The title is bare ('Embedded Software Engineer' is implied but never stated), so advertised seniority is Unspecified. However, the role requires leading interdisciplinary teams, mentoring, participating in hiring, and owning large-scale deliverables — scope that supports a Senior classification despite the low stated minimum of 2+ years.
The 2+ years minimum experience threshold is unusually low given the leadership and ownership expectations; the actual candidate bar is likely higher in practice.
Compensation is entirely unspecified — the posting states salaries are determined case-by-case and gives no range.
Real-time systems, robotics domain experience, platform/toolchain development, and CI/CD pipeline experience all appear under the 'Preferred Skills & Experience' heading and are treated as preferred.
The role is on-site in Austin, TX; relocation assistance is offered. Remote work is not mentioned as an option.
SOC confidence is Medium: the role is primarily embedded firmware/software development (15-1252), but the heavy hardware bringup and driver work could also fit 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other), which covers embedded/firmware specialists not cleanly captured by the standard developer code.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): firmware development.
Read the full posting
The employer publishes the full description on their own site — read it there ↗. Or sign in to read it here — it's free, and it also lets you track this application.