Principal Software Engineer - AI and Simulation

Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond. We operate at the cutting edge of embodied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better. JOB SUMMARY Apptronik is seeking a Principal Engineer to lead development of high-performance embedded AI systems and simulation infrastructure for humanoid robots. This role focuses on GPU-centric workload orchestration, graphics-driven simulation performance, and robust on-device AI execution. The candidate brings deep experience in graphics, display systems, Linux platforms, and low-level embedded software. This person will be leveraged to scale simulation fidelity and optimize real-time AI workloads on robotic platforms. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES GPU Workload Orchestration Architect and implement a pipeline for efficient GPU utilization across multiple concurrent AI workloads. Design schedulers and runtime systems to orchestrate perception, planning, and control models on-device. Optimize latency, throughput, and power efficiency for real-time robotic operation. On-Device AI Systems Improve robustness and reliability of deployed AI models under constrained embedded environments. Enable efficient execution of multi-model pipelines (vision, tracking, control). Collaborate with ML teams to co-design models and runtime systems. Simulation Performance Lead efforts to significantly improve simulation throughput and realism. Optimize rendering, physics integration, and data pipelines using graphics expertise. Align simulation outputs with real-world deployment requirements. Embedded Systems & Platform Integration Own low-level system integration across Linux based platforms. Work across kernel, drivers, HAL, and user-space layers to ensure end-to-end performance. Drive system-level optimizations including memory, I/O, and device scheduling. Technical Leadership Define architecture for scalable embedded AI infrastructure. Mentor engineers across graphics, embedded systems, and AI runtime domains. Establish best practices for performance engineering and system design. SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS Extensive experience in C/C++ and object-oriented system design Deep expertise in graphics and display subsystems Strong background in Linux platform development, including kernel and HAL layers Proven experience building and optimizing embedded systems at scale Experience with GPU programming and performance optimization Track record of owning complex system components end-to-end (Preferred) Experience with AI/ML model deployment on embedded devices (Preferred) Familiarity with simulation frameworks and real-time rendering pipelines (Preferred) Exposure to robotics systems, perception stacks, or computer vision pipelines (Preferred) Experience with heterogeneous compute (CPU/GPU/accelerator coordination) EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE Bachelor degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science or related fieldAt least 12 years of relevant experience PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen Hearing and speech to communicate The annual salary range is $280,000 - $350,000 *This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations. Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.