Software Engineer

Oakland, CA (In Person Only)
Full-time

First, the good news: The world now has over 1.7 terawatts of cumulative solar capacity and solar PV is the lowest-cost source of energy generation worldwide.

The challenge: The world must build 3 terawatts of new solar capacity every year for the next 25 years.

Planted is creating new technology to overhaul how the industry develops and builds solar power resources. And we need help. We're expanding our team of ambitious, curious, and hands-on engineers and operators. Come own large parts of product, company, or business development and help power the world with 100% clean energy.

As a key member of the Robot Software team, you will design and develop high-performance Qt-based C++ GUIs for Human-Machine Interaction (HMI) with industrial robots. This role involves hands-on testing in both controlled and field environments to optimize user experience and ensure system reliability. You will integrate and commission new compute hardware and software into the existing robot fleet, maintaining seamless deployment and operational robustness.

Beyond GUI development, you will contribute to system automation by writing Python and Bash scripts, managing robot fleet configurations, and troubleshooting hardware-software integration issues. Additionally, you will help establish and maintain hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing infrastructure to improve validation and debugging processes.

This position offers the opportunity to collaborate closely with a highly skilled cross-functional engineering team, taking ownership of projects from ideation to implementation to enhance the usability and reliability of our robotic systems in challenging real-world environments.

The salary range for this full-time position is $120,000 - $145,000 plus stock options and benefits. Pay within the range is based on candidate experience, job-specific skills, education, and work location. The target experience for the position is 3 - 5+ years.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and develop an intuitive, high-performance Qt-based C++ GUI for Human-Machine Interaction (HMI) with industrial robots.
• Conduct hands-on testing of robotic computer systems and GUIs in both field environments and our testing yard to understand user needs and ensure reliability.
• Commission and integrate new compute hardware and software into the existing robot fleet, ensuring seamless deployment.
• Manage robot fleet configurations to maintain peak performance and operational efficiency.
• Develop and maintain Python and Bash scripts for system bring-up, automation, and data processing tasks.
• Diagnose and troubleshoot technical issues related to system builds, hardware-software integration, and HMI functionality.
• Set up and maintain hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing infrastructure to improve validation and debugging processes.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum Bachelor's degree in CS, EE, ME, or equivalent.
• 3-5 years of experience in software development with a hands-on approach.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and teamwork abilities.
• Proficiency in designing and developing QT-based C++ GUIs .
• Deep expertise in modern C++ software development practices, including best practices for performance, memory management, and maintainability .
• Well-versed with developing software for Linux environments .
• Adept at writing Bash and Python scripts for automation, system bring-up, and data processing.
• Working knowledge of SQL.
• Familiarity working in Docker containers.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with x64 and arm architectures.
• Experience with pub/sub architectures.
• Experience with embedded systems.

*A note on qualifications: Many people only apply for jobs if they believe they can perform every task in the job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job and will consider equivalent combinations of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY REQUIREMENTS

• Mostly desk work using standard office equipment
• The position requires some travel and field work for onsite troubleshooting, QA, and user experience testing.

• 11 paid company holidays and flexible Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Company-paid in-office lunches
• Stock options
• Medical, vision, dental, and other benefits
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• 401(k)
• A chance to have an empowered, meaningful, and early role in climate

• You want to solve challenging problems
• You are biased towards action and focus on the vital work that drives the most impact
• You prioritize the physical and psychological safety of yourself and those around you
• You are humble, embrace change, and deliver and receive candid feedback
• You are optimistic about the future and can make tough decisions to help get there
• You have high expectations and coach, develop, and make time to help others

Planted Solar is an equal opportunity employer committed to growing inclusively, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, medical condition, age, or veteran status. However you identify, or whatever background you bring with you, please apply. We look forward to hearing from you.