Forward Deployed Robotics Engineer

WHAT WE DO Gecko Robotics is helping the world’s most important organizations ensure the availability, reliability, and sustainability of critical infrastructure. Gecko's complete and connected solutions combine wall-climbing robots, industry-leading sensors, and an AI-powered data platform to provide customers with a unique window into the current and future health of their physical assets. This enables real-time decision making to increase the efficiency and safety of operations, promote mission readiness, and protect the environment and civilization from the effects of infrastructure failure. ROLE AT A GLANCE Our robots climb boiler walls, storage tanks, and ship hulls to collect ultrasonic data that tells customers how much life their infrastructure has left. This role builds the software our operators use to run those robots and capture that data in the field. You will work on the system operators actually touch on site: driving the robot, watching data come in live, and knowing whether the run is good before anyone leaves. It runs on hardware at the job site, often in difficult conditions, and it has to work the first time. Right now the team is extending that software to support a new robot, an underwater system used for ship hull inspection. We are working with vendors to develop a solution specific to this application. Your job will be to take what they deliver and make it real: integrate it, harden it, and make the results legible to an operator standing on a pier. WHAT YOU WILL DO - Build software that works in the field. Networks drop, sensors disconnect, and there is no one to escalate to at 6am on a customer site. You will design for that. - Own the seams between systems. Our field software coordinates multiple services and talks to robots we build and robots we do not. Much of the work is making those boundaries reliable. - Take other people's work across the finish line. Prototypes, research deliverables, and partner code arrive in a state that is not shippable. Turning those into something operators depend on is a core part of this job. - Make data understandable. Operators need to see where the robot has been and what it found, in three dimensions, while the run is still happening. - Go to the field. You will see your software used, which is the fastest way to learn what is wrong with it. TECHNOLOGIES WE USE - Python and JavaScript - Svelte on the front end for field software, React elsewhere at Gecko - Message-based services, real-time streaming data, 3D visualization in the browser - ROS, Docker, Linux, macOS, and Windows, edge hardware on site ABOUT YOU Required - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience. - 5+ years building production software. - Strong Python. - Comfortable in a modern JavaScript front-end framework. We use Svelte for field software and React elsewhere; we care that you are strong in one, not which one. - Experience with real-time or streaming data, meaning systems where information arrives continuously and timing matters. - Experience integrating with hardware, robots, or third-party systems you do not control. - Willing to travel to customer sites, up to 20%. Nice to have - Robotics experience, especially ROS. - 3D visualization in the browser (Three.js, WebGL, or similar). - Familiarity with how robots estimate position: sensor fusion, filtering, or navigation. You do not need to have built these from scratch, but you should be able to read someone else's work, find the problems, and build on it. - Experience deploying to embedded or edge hardware. WHO WE ARE At Gecko, our people are our greatest investment. In addition to competitive compensation packages, we offer company equity, 401(k) matching, gender-neutral parental leave, full medical, dental, and vision insurance, mental health, ongoing professional development, family planning assistance, and flexible paid time off.  Gecko values collaboration, innovation, and partnership, and we believe we do our best work when we're together in person. We’re an office-first culture but understand that sometimes you may need to work from home. Many people are in the office five days a week, others need a bit more flexibility. Ultimately, we care about the outcomes we achieve - and creating a culture of autonomy and trust that enables that impact. Gecko is committed to creating a culture of inclusion and belonging, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  We believe it is our collective responsibility to uphold these values and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to join us in our mission to protect today’s infrastructure and give form to tomorrow’s. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law. If you are passionate about what you do and want to use your talents to support our critical mission, we’d love to hear from you.