Sr. Robotics Software Engineer

Join Axon and be a Force for Good. At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other. Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter. Join Axon and be a Force for Good At Axon, we're on a mission to Protect Life. We're explorers, pursuing society's most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other. Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you'll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter. Your Impact The Axon Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) team in Brussels 🇧🇪 in the Robotics New Ventures pillar supports critical drone and robotics offerings for Special Forces and Law Enforcement. These robots work together to provide tactical reconnaissance and an advantage during critical, high-risk and stressful missions. The product portfolio includes aerial drones (Thor, Scout) and ground robots (Sigyn) — please see: https://www.axon.com/products/axon-sky-hero. We are actively working on truly disruptive next-generation drone & robotics technology that we strongly believe will advance our mission to Protect Life. The GNC team is responsible for the software stack that makes these robots fly, communicate, and operate reliably. This includes flight modes, mission logic, integration with the PX4 flight controller, and the middleware and services that tie the system together — all running on Linux in Rust and C++ with ROS 2. As a Senior Robotics Software Engineer I on the GNC team, you'll be a core contributor to this stack. You'll design and build performance-sensitive software across flight modes, communication with ground control stations, telemetry, sensor integration and processing, and the middleware that connects it all. You'll improve the reliability of existing systems and help lay the software foundations for future autonomy capabilities. This is a software engineering role first — you'll bring robotics domain knowledge and apply it to building a robust, well-architected platform. You'll collaborate closely with firmware, computer vision, and imaging teams across Belgium and Finland, as well as US-based teams for architecture and integration planning. Working on these next-generation robotics products is not only a career-defining accomplishment, but also a real opportunity to help reach our Moonshot goal: cut gun-related deaths between police and the public by 50% in 10 years. What You’ll Do Location: Brussels, Belgium Reports to: Engineering Manager • Design and develop performance-sensitive software in Rust and C++ • Architect and implement flight modes, mission logic, and middleware services on ROS 2 • Integrate with the PX4 flight controller and contribute to its configuration and extension • Identify and drive improvements to software quality, reliability, and architecture • Debug and resolve complex systems issues across the stack — from inter-process communication to soft real-time performance • Collaborate with firmware, computer vision, and imaging teams on cross-functional features • Participate in design discussions and code reviews as a senior technical contributor • Support flight testing and iterate based on real-world results • Contribute to build systems, CI/CD pipelines, and testing infrastructure What You Bring Candidates with active robotics or drone experience writing performance-sensitive software on Linux will be prioritized. We are looking for a strong software engineer first who brings robotics domain knowledge. • Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent • 8+ years of professional experience in systems-level software engineering • Strong experience with Rust, C++, or C — writing performance-sensitive code that manages memory deliberately and handles concurrency correctly • Strong Linux experience as a development and deployment platform • Solid understanding of systems fundamentals: memory management, inter-process communication, multithreading, and synchronization • Professional experience working on robotics or drone systems • Experience with ROS 2 • Effective communicator who can articulate technical trade-offs across teams and time-zones • Proficiency in English is required; French or Dutch is a plus Any experience with the following is a plus: • PX4, ArduPilot, Betaflight, or similar flight controller stacks • Communication protocols / middlewares such as MAVLink, DDS, or Zenoh • Path planning, autonomous navigation, or SLAM • Simulation tools such as Gazebo, Mujoco, Isaac Sim, SITL, or HITL environments • CI/CD pipelines and build systems (CMake, Cargo, Bazel) • Yocto, Buildroot, or similar embedded Linux build systems • Hands-on drone or UAV experience (personal, academic, or professional) Benefits that Benefit You • Competitive Base Salary • 30 Vacation Days per Year • Annual Bonus Eligibility • Restricted Stock Unit Eligibility • Private Health Insurance • Wellbeing Platform • Of course, we have free snacks in our offices Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work. Don’t meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long-term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you’re excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. Important Notes The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions. 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