Forward Deployed Engineer, Robotics

About OpenMind

OpenMind is building the software that enables intelligent robots to perceive, understand, and operate in the physical world.

We develop and deploy AI-powered robotics solutions across diverse industries and environments. We're looking for a Forward Deployed Engineer who can take a robot from a working prototype to a reliable system in the field. You'll work directly with customers and our engineering team, solving problems across software, autonomy, and hardware - and taking responsibility for making the whole system work.

What you Will Do

• Own customer deployments end-to-end, from understanding requirements and preparing robots to on-site integration, testing, and ongoing improvements.
• Write and debug software that connects robot hardware, sensors, autonomy systems, and customer workflows.
• Diagnose and resolve real-world failures across software, networking, compute, sensors, and mechanical and electrical components.
• Build, modify, and repair hardware, using rapid prototyping tools to test ideas and solve deployment challenges.
• Turn field observations into reproducible issues, practical engineering improvements, and reusable deployment tools.
• Work directly with customers to communicate progress, explain technical trade-offs, and establish clear acceptance criteria.
• Take considerable ownership in the field, including international travel and independent decision-making when conditions change.

What We're Looking for

• You've built a robot yourself. You've designed, built, and tested a rover, drone, or fixed-wing aircraft in the real world. We want to understand what you built, the decisions you made, and what happened when you tested it.
• You've written the software that makes it work. You have a GitHub repository containing software you wrote to control, guide, or make your robot autonomous, and you can explain its architecture and implementation.
• You're ready for responsibility and international travel. This is a field role. You're comfortable owning deployments, working directly with customers, and troubleshooting in unfamiliar environments.
• You're enthusiastic about learning across the full stack. You're willing to work across software, autonomy, and robotics hardware, including areas you haven't mastered yet.
• You're comfortable with your hands. You're good at taking things apart, finding what's wrong, and fixing them.
• Degrees, schools, and certifications don't matter to us. We care about what you've built, how you solve problems, and your ability to learn and deliver.

Work & Benefits

• Full-time, based on-site in San Francisco, with international travel for field deployments
• Considerable responsibility and ownership of real-world robotics projects
• Unlimited PTO
• Compensation: $130K - 180K
• Offers Equity
• Opportunity to build and deploy Physical AI solutions on real robots across diverse applications