Robotics Software Engineer at Formic

Who We Are:

At Formic, we’re on a mission to revolutionize American manufacturing and create more abundance in the world. We believe in continuing the American legacy of innovation by making automation accessible to all manufacturers and increasing their factory productivity by 10x.

Built upon deep expertise in robotics and manufacturing, our unique full service automation solutions combine the best automation technology, software, and analysis tools for manufacturers with best in class uptime, support, and maintenance services. We are creating a new era of supercharged efficiency and competitiveness for US manufacturers.

As the world faces growing pressure from tariffs, rising costs, and labor shortages, Formic is uniquely positioned as the industry leading solution to overcome these challenges. Fueled by our vision for a re-industrialized domestic supply chain, everything we do is aimed at growing “Made in America” products. And we’re growing fast - achieving 7x growth in production hours YoY.

Supporting us in our mission, with investments thus far totaling over $60 million, are backers including Lux Capital, Initialized Capital, Blackhorn Ventures, Mitsubishi HC Capital NA, and CEOs and founders of multiple Fortune 50 companies.

About the Engineering team:

As part of the Engineering Team you will be working on designing, building and improving industrial robotic systems. We are disrupting how these systems are built, maintained, and operated and looking for engineers who are not afraid to question the status quo within industrial automation and bring AI, modern robotics and software development solutions to industrial robotics while continuing to expand their intelligence to make them more effective as well as easier to operate and maintain

As Robotics Software Engineer, you will:

Contribute to development of in-house built robotics systems
Develop complex robotics algorithms based on traditional and machine learning techniques
Create digital twins and simulations using tools such as IssacSim, MuJoCu, etc
Work with computer vision systems
Use Python/C/C++ as needed
Work with existing frameworks and libraries such as ROS and Linux
Work on both POCs and production level modules
Help integrate robotic systems with the rest of the software
Write unit and integration tests as needed
Participate in Scrum ceremonies

What makes you a great fit:

Bachelor’s degree in CS or equivalent experience/training
5+ years of relevant experience within the robotics or embedded field
Experience with AI/ML/VLM frameworks and algorithms
Experience developing or integrating computer vision systems
Knowledge of Python/C/C++/Rust
Experience working with PLCs
Knowledge and experience with multiple robot brands and APIs
Knowledge of ROS and other robotics frameworks
Located in the greater Chicago, IL or San Francisco, CA areas and able to work on a hybrid basis (3+ days/week) in Formic offices (Woodridge, IL or San Francisco)

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What we look for:

We’re building a company from the ground up, so every single person we hire has a massive impact on our team, culture, and ability to accomplish our mission. While each individual brings their own unique skills and perspectives to Formic, we look for people who share our vision and act in alignment with our Operating Principles. If this sounds like you, Formic could be the place for you!

Fearless Optimism: You share our ambitious vision of what we can accomplish. You’re aware of the challenges we will face as a startup doing new things in an old space, but you’re energized by the incredible opportunity we have to drive change for our customers, and for the manufacturing industry at large.
Factories First: You have a strong customer focus, no matter who your customer is. You seek to make things easier and better for our customers, even if it makes your job a little harder.
Today, Not Tomorrow: There are always plenty of projects to tackle in a startup, but you prioritize, take accountability for work, and have a bias toward action.
Be Right Often: You don’t do things just because that’s how they’ve always been done. You keep looking for ways to improve, seek out feedback along the way, and back your decisions up with data.
Made of Rubber: Just like rubber, when you fall you bounce back up. You know there’s going to be a lot of challenge and change in our work ahead but you are adaptable, resilient, and ready to thrive through it all.
Good Baton Passes: You work with a desire to make things easier and better for your team members. You use empathy to understand the needs and goals of others and support each other so Formic can be successful together.

Equal Opportunity

Formic is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or religious creed, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, family or parental status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. All employment decisions are based on a person’s merit, business needs, and role requirements. If you require further accommodations or have questions regarding accessibility of our roles, please reach out to [email protected].

AI Use

At Formic, fairness and transparency are at the heart of our hiring process. We use AI-powered tools in some interviews to help our teams evaluate candidate responses, but all final hiring decisions are made by humans. You can learn more about how AI is used in our recruitment process by reviewing our AI Hiring Disclosure linked here.

**Important Notice on Recruitment Scams

Formic has been made aware of fraudulent outreach claiming to represent Formic through various scam or phishing attempts. Please note that all communications from Formic will come from a verified @formic.co email address or verified LinkedIn account. Formic will never ask you to download unsolicited documents, schedule interviews via third parties without prior application, or share personal or financial information. If you receive suspicious outreach, please disregard it and report it to [email protected].

Robotics Software Engineer

AI overview