Software Engineer at Pivot Robotics (San Francisco, CA)

Pivot Robotics· San Francisco, CA·1d ago

Role details

Work type

Onsite

Employment

Full-Time

Job description

Design, implement, and maintain robust, scalable software systems for production automation
Build core libraries and services supporting motion planning, control, and perception pipelines
Architect clean interfaces between software components and hardware-facing systems
Develop vision and sensor-integration software that feeds downstream planning and control stacks
Optimize software for performance, reliability, and deterministic behavior where required
Write high-quality, testable Python code with strong emphasis on readability, correctness, and maintainability
Own software engineering best practices: code reviews, testing strategies, CI/CD, and release processes
Build simulation, testing, and tooling infrastructure to validate behavior prior to deployment
Collaborate with robotics, controls, and hardware engineers to translate system requirements into well-defined software abstractions
Contribute to architectural decisions as the software platform scales across customers and deployments

B.S. in Computer Science or a related engineering field
Strong software engineering experience, especially in Python
Experience designing and maintaining complex software systems (services, libraries, APIs, or pipelines)
Solid understanding of data structures, algorithms, and systems design
Proficiency with Git, debugging, testing frameworks, and modern development workflows
Ability to work independently on ambiguous problems in a fast-paced environment
Due to U.S. export control regulations (ITAR), this position is limited to U.S. Persons (U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents)

Optional Qualifications

M.S. in Computer Science or a related field
Experience working on systems that interact with hardware, real-time constraints, or external devices
Familiarity with robotics, motion planning, control systems, or computer vision (helpful but not required)
Experience with ROS or similar middleware
Knowledge of performance optimization, concurrency, or distributed systems
Experience deploying software to edge, embedded, or hybrid cloud environments

Hard problems with real impact: Work on cutting-edge vision-guided robotics in challenging environments (foundries, aerospace). The code you ship gets used daily in production.
Team: Small, high-caliber team of engineers from Uber ATG, Meta, Google X, Nimble Robotics, and ABB. Founders are former Meta robotics engineers and Carnegie Mellon graduates.
Culture: Ownership mentality, execution focus, comfort with "real-world messiness." They value first-principles problem solving and deep technical expertise.
Work environment: Hybrid workspace – employees combine remote and on-site work. Main office in San Francisco, CA, with a robot operator internship site in New Boston, Ohio.
Perks: Not explicitly detailed, but the culture emphasizes autonomy, cutting-edge robotics, and solving meaningful manufacturing challenges.

One-liner: Pivot Robotics builds AI-powered vision control software for industrial robots that automates dangerous and labor-intensive grinding and finishing processes in manufacturing.
Entity Type: Private (Seed stage, Y Combinator Winter 2024 batch)
Headquarters: San Francisco, California, USA
Founded: 2023
Founders: Siddharth Girdhar and Vignesh Rajmohan

Primary industry/industries: Industrial robotics, manufacturing automation, AI vision, metal finishing
Target customers: B2B – high-mix manufacturing foundries, metalcasting, aerospace & defense, and other precision component manufacturers
Mission or purpose statement: "We're automating operations that demand the flexibility of human intelligence with the consistency and speed of automation. By making systems that see, learn, and adapt, we help manufacturers increase throughput, improve quality, and unlock new production possibilities."

Proteus (Software Platform): AI vision control software that turns off-the-shelf robot arms and vision sensors into adaptive automation systems. It enables zero-shot adaptation to new parts without programming, achieving 1mm precision on cast iron components. Used for grinding, cutting, sanding, machining, and spraying.
Autonomous Finishing Cells: Full robotic workcells deployed in production environments, combining 3D vision, AI, and adaptive control for end-to-end part processing and inspection. Already processing 5k+ parts per week at major foundries.

Valuation/Market Cap: Not publicly available
Key Metric: Total funding – Y Combinator standard ~$500K (Winter 2024) plus an undisclosed round from NuVentures (announced July 2024)
Notable Investors/Partners: Y Combinator, NuVentures, Tyler Bosmeny (YC Primary Partner)
Growth Signals:
- Deploying 10+ Proteus systems at a large cast iron foundry producing over 200 different parts per year.
- Processing 5,000+ parts per week across major North American foundries.
- Team size of 7 as of July 2024, actively hiring for multiple engineering roles.
- Expanding from foundry grinding into aerospace & defense and other precision manufacturing segments.

Vision-first adaptive automation: Uses foundational vision models to adapt to part variation without extensive CAD programming or fixed toolpaths, offering 100x faster setup than traditional automation.
Proven production reliability: Achieves consistent 1mm tolerances on cast iron in harsh foundry environments, with defect detection and gauging on the same perception stack.
Zero-shot learning: New parts can be added to the system without retraining or large data requirements, ideal for high-mix, low-volume manufacturers.
Full-stack solution: Combines inspection and processing in one vision system, allowing for traceable quality data and adaptive finishing end-to-end.

Current priorities: Scaling deployments in metalcasting and foundries, expanding into aerospace & defense, and developing hand-eye coordination for robot arms to automate tasks beyond grinding (e.g., materials handling, assembly).
Growth direction: Building a platform that can work across multiple industries and part types, while maintaining a tight focus on real-world production environments rather than controlled labs.

Sources

pivotrobotics.com – Official website with product description and company overview
pivotrobotics.com/company/about – Mission, approach, and team details
pivotrobotics.com/company/careers – Careers page with open roles and culture
builtin.com/company/pivot-robotics – Company profile on Built In (founded 2023, team size, hybrid workspace)
ycombinator.com/companies/pivot-robotics – Y Combinator profile with founders, product, funding, and news