---
title: 'Robotics Software Engineer, Autonomy Integration at Contoro Inc.'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-software-engineer-autonomy-integration-contoro-inc-austin-1f0ny694pbcq'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Robotics Software Engineer, Autonomy Integration at Contoro Inc.

- **Company:** Contoro Inc.
- **Location:** Austin, TX
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-04
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/contoro/fe0acfe2-10eb-4846-89cb-47ad4ebb4cc2

## Job description

JOIN CONTORO ROBOTICS – REVOLUTIONIZING WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION WITH CUTTING-EDGE ROBOTICS

At Contoro Robotics, we're on a mission to solve labor challenges through advanced robotic solutions. Headquartered in Austin, TX, our fast-growing startup is transforming the supply chain industry with our flagship warehouse automation technology. Our team is made up of top-tier experts in robotics, AI, and logistics, working together to push the boundaries of automation.

We’re looking for talented and ambitious individuals to join us on this journey—helping shape the future of robotics while growing alongside a world-class team. If you're passionate about innovation, problem-solving, and making a real-world impact, we want to hear from you!

## ABOUT CONTORO

Contoro Robotics is an Austin-based startup focused on warehouse automation. We design and deploy autonomous truck-unloading robots that handle heavy and highly variable payloads in real customer environments.

## THE ROLE

We are hiring a robotics software engineer to improve how our autonomous robots execute motion and coordinate work across planning, robot control, end effectors, sensors, and material-handling equipment. You will develop production software that connects high-level autonomy decisions to reliable physical execution, with a focus on reducing cycle time, eliminating unnecessary delays, and improving recovery from real-world failures.

This role is well suited for an engineer who enjoys working across software and hardware boundaries, diagnosing system-level problems, and turning performance data into practical improvements on deployed robots.

## RESPONSIBILITIES

- Develop and improve software for robot trajectory execution, task sequencing, and hardware coordination
- Profile robot cycles and reduce delays across motion planning, trajectory execution, end-effector operation, sensing, and conveyor interaction
- Build and maintain reusable, validated robot motions for common operating scenarios and integrate them with online planning
- Extend behavior trees or state machines for autonomous task execution, event-driven coordination, fault handling, and recovery
- Integrate motion-planning outputs with industrial robot controllers, hardware interfaces, and safety constraints
- Diagnose production issues using logs, telemetry, simulation, and testing on physical robots
- Add instrumentation, automated tests, regression tests, and hardware validation for execution and autonomy software
- Collaborate with perception, motion planning, controls, hardware, test, and deployment engineers on cross-system improvements
- Participate in design reviews and contribute to system architecture and technical planning

## QUALIFICATIONS

- B.S. or M.S. in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience
- 3+ years of professional experience developing software for deployed robotic or automation systems
- Proficiency in modern C++ and Python in a production environment
- Experience developing with ROS or ROS 2 on Linux
- Hands-on experience integrating software with physical robots, actuators, sensors, or industrial automation equipment
- Working knowledge of robot kinematics, motion planning, trajectory execution, and controller interfaces
- Experience with behavior trees, state machines, or similar task-orchestration frameworks
- Strong debugging skills across software, communications, controls, and hardware interfaces
- Ability to design, test, and deliver reliable software across subsystem boundaries

## PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Experience with industrial manipulators such as KUKA, ABB, FANUC, Universal Robots, or similar platforms
- Experience with MoveIt, Pilz, OMPL, Ruckig, ros2_control, or comparable robotics frameworks
- Experience profiling and improving robot cycle time, throughput, latency, or trajectory execution
- Familiarity with robot communication and industrial protocols such as EtherCAT, CAN, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, or OPC UA
- Experience with behavior-tree design, event-driven automation, or production recovery logic
- Experience building simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, or automated regression-testing systems
- Familiarity with Docker-based deployment and cloud-based logging or monitoring
- Prior work in warehouse automation, manufacturing, logistics, material handling, or robotic pick-and-place applications

## About Contoro Inc.

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Contoro provides an AI-powered, human-in-the-loop robotics service to autonomously unload floor-loaded trailers and shipping containers for the logistics industry.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A)
- **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Youngmok "Mok" Yun (CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Robotics Engineering / Industrial Automation / Logistics
- **Target Customers**: B2B (warehouses, distribution centers, freight companies, and supply chain operators)
- **Mission**: To transform the future of work by delivering reliable, affordable, and safe robotics solutions, starting with the most physically demanding task in the supply chain – unloading non-palletized boxes from trucks and containers.

## Products & Services
- **Autonomous Container & Trailer Unloading Service**: A robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) offering where a mobile robot autonomously enters a trailer or container, uses a patented articulated gripper (DuoGrasp) and a Kuka industrial arm to unload mixed-SKU boxes (8" to 30" in dimension, up to 65 lbs), and places them onto an onboard conveyor belt. The service is charged per container unloaded, with no upfront capital expense.
- **Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) AI Platform**: A proprietary system that augments the robot's AI with remote human teleoperation for edge cases. This creates a continuous learning loop to improve AI reliability over time, targeting 99%+ success rates required for industrial use.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Total Funding**: USD 22.0 million across 4 rounds:
  - Pre-Seed (2022): USD 1.3M led by Village Global
  - Seed (June 2023): USD 7.2M led by SV Investment Corp
  - Corporate Round: Led by Coupang (amount undisclosed)
  - Series A (April 2025): USD 13.5M led by Doosan Investment
- **Key Metric**: 43 employees (as of mid-2025), with 83.3% year-over-year headcount growth
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Doosan Investment, SV Investment Corp, Coupang, Village Global
- **Growth Signals**: 83.3% YoY headcount growth; active commercial pilot program for qualified customers; presence in the US, South Korea, UAE, and India; 4 active job postings (up 300% YoY).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) Reliability**: Contoro's core moat is its ability to handle the "endless edge cases" of trailer unloading (diverse box sizes, containers, and layouts) by combining AI with remote human operators. This guarantees 99%+ reliability in real-world industrial environments, a bar that pure AI solutions struggle to meet.
- **Patented Hardware**: The "DuoGrasp" articulated gripper provides a two-sided box grasp for stability, allowing the robot to handle heavy, multi-dimensional boxes without damage.
- **No-Capex Business Model**: Charging per container unloaded (RaaS) removes the capital barrier for customers, making the service "affordable and predictable" and easy to scale up or down.
- **Rapid Deployment**: The robot's mobile base and built-in connectivity allow it to be moved from dock to dock via remote control or forklift, with "short deployment time & high reliability from day 1."

## Strategic Focus
- **Commercialization & Scaling**: The company is currently accepting qualified customers for a 12-week commercial pilot program, indicating a shift from R&D to market deployment.
- **Vertical Expansion**: While starting with trailer/container unloading, the company's platform is designed to tackle other physically demanding tasks in logistics and beyond.
- **AI Evolution**: Accelerating the AI learning loop through teleoperation data to reduce reliance on human operators over time.

## Why Work Here
- **Cutting-Edge Technology**: Work on real-world AI and robotics problems (perception, motion planning, manipulation) with industrial-grade hardware (Kuka arms).
- **High Growth Trajectory**: A Series A startup with 83% headcount growth and a clear path to commercial scale. The team is small (43 people), offering significant ownership and impact.
- **Culture & Values**: The company emphasizes **Reliability**, **Collaboration**, **Commitment**, **Independent Problem Solving**, and **Contribution**.
- **Benefits**:
  - 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance
  - 401k plan with matching
  - Flexible work hours
  - Pet-friendly office (Austin HQ)
  - Gym membership reimbursement
  - Continuous education support (book purchases, online courses, Lunch & Learns)
  - Employee recognition program with gift card rewards
  - Paid parental and marriage leave
- **Work Model**: Office-based in Austin, Texas with flexible hours. The engineering culture is hands-on, with a focus on building and deploying real hardware.
- **Global Exposure**: Offices in the US, South Korea, UAE, and India.

## Sources
1. [contoro.com](https://contoro.com/)
2. [contoro.com/about-us](https://contoro.com/about-us/)
3. [contoro.com/career](https://contoro.com/career/)
4. [linkedin.com/company/contoro-inc](https://www.linkedin.com/company/contoro-inc)
5. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/contoro](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/contoro)

## Other roles at Contoro Inc.

- [Business Development Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-manager-contoro-inc-buena-park-st7qdm7tjwmj) — Buena Park, CA
- [Office & People Operations Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/office-people-operations-coordinator-contoro-inc-austin-pd6k8ys93tjr) — Austin, TX
- [Robotics Test & Validation Intern](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-test-validation-intern-contoro-inc-austin-nd5td8hgn463) — Austin, TX
- [Sr. Robotics Engineer, Perception](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-robotics-engineer-perception-contoro-inc-austin-w7btpsjbn1qa) — Austin, TX
- [Sr. Robotics Engineer, Motion Planning](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-robotics-engineer-motion-planning-contoro-inc-austin-k7sk7q61jxrg) — Austin, TX
- [Data Engineer, Cloud Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/data-engineer-cloud-platform-contoro-inc-austin-1rh10zprevbv) — Austin, TX
- [Robotics Engineer, Motion Planning](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-engineer-motion-planning-contoro-inc-austin-g1xqjkwb34zj) — Austin, TX
- [Robotics Engineer, Autonomy](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-engineer-autonomy-contoro-inc-austin-07tcy2s2jy6x) — Austin, TX