Robotics Software Engineer - II/III at SRI International
Menlo Park, CA
$90,580–$172,115from the description
Jul 6, 2026
Menlo Park, CA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A software engineering role focused on building and maintaining robotic systems spanning teleoperation, autonomy, controls, and machine learning. Day-to-day work involves writing and testing code against design specifications, integrating physical hardware and sensors, and supporting senior researchers on R&D projects and proposals. Suits engineers with hands-on experience in C++, Python, ROS 2, and Linux-based robotic platforms.
Mid level · 2+ years · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · Bachelor's required · Secret clearance · Full-time
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
Posted 2 times — it's one opening, so apply once.
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
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $217,796 (middle half $177,469–$231,052). This posting is about at that midpoint.
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 posting covers two levels: RE II (B.S. + 2 years or M.S.) and RE III (B.S. + 5 years, M.S. + 3 years, or Ph.D.). The salary range spans both levels ($90,580–$172,115). Seniority and the overall years minimum reflect the lower (RE II) entry point; the upper band would be Senior.
Clearance is listed as 'ability to obtain/maintain a security clearance' with a US Citizenship requirement. No specific clearance level is named; Secret is the most common gate for SRI government work and is used here as the best inference.
The Menlo Park, CA location falls within the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CBSA (41940), which is the standard CBSA encompassing Menlo Park.
The 'Desired skills' section is explicitly labeled as such and covers four sub-categories (Robotics & Autonomy, Perception & Machine Learning, Simulation & Digital Twins, Systems & Integration); all skills drawn from these sub-sections are marked preferred.
Linux and Windows are listed together as a single system-software requirement; Linux is named as primary with Windows as an alternative since they are presented as a combined gate.
The alternative occupation code 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) is noted as a runner-up given the specialized robotics/embedded nature of the role, which sits at the boundary of standard software development.
Requires a Secret clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Read the full posting
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