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