Senior Research Tooling Engineer

As a Senior Research Tooling Engineer, your primary focus will be to collaborate with a cross-disciplinary team, designing and implementing state-of-the-art tooling for robotics. This includes developing containerization techniques, CI/CD pipelines, and hardware-in-the-loop testing methodologies. You will also work on sensor drivers and camera calibration while ensuring that research is transformed into reusable, modular software. Mentorship of junior engineers and promoting best coding practices through regular code reviews will be key components of your role.

To qualify for the Senior Research Tooling Engineer position, candidates need to have a BS, MS, or PhD in computer science, robotics, or any related engineering field. A minimum of 5 years in a related industry is required. Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++ are essential, along with experience in software tooling and deploying research systems onto physical hardware, preferably within a robotics setting.

Senior Research Tooling Engineers primarily use modern programming languages like Python and C++. Familiarity with tools like ROS 2, Git, and GitHub is also beneficial. Additionally, having experience in developing CI/CD pipelines, visualization tools, and working with perception hardware like sensors and motion capture systems is advantageous for this role.

Mentorship is a crucial aspect of the Senior Research Tooling Engineer role. You will guide and assist junior engineers and researchers in best software practices, helping to enhance their skills and contribute to the team's overall success. By providing regular code reviews and sharing your expertise in developer tooling, you'll foster a collaborative and innovative environment for your colleagues.

This position stands out due to its focus on bridging the gap between advanced research and practical application in the field of robotics. You'll be working in a lively Cambridge, MA setting, tackling groundbreaking challenges in AI as part of a collaborative team. The opportunity to mentor junior engineers and influence best practices in software design adds a rewarding dimension to the role.

In responding to this question, share specific examples of projects where you've successfully developed tooling. Highlight your familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, testing methodologies, and any challenges you faced, emphasizing how you overcame them to deliver effective solutions.

When asked about your programming experience, provide details of the projects where you utilized Python and C++. Discuss the specific tasks you performed, libraries you used and any notable accomplishments achieved through your coding skills.

Explain your mentoring philosophy. Discuss your hands-on approach to training junior engineers, including regular coding sessions, feedback mechanisms, and promoting a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration to empower their growth.

In answer to this question, elaborate on your understanding of best practices, such as code reviews, testing methodologies, documentation, and modular design. Share examples of how implementing these practices has led to project success in the past.

Articulate a particular challenge you faced, detailing the context, your thought process, and the steps you took to arrive at a solution. Highlighting the impact of your actions on the project’s outcome will strengthen your answer.

Share your experience with ROS 2 by detailing projects where you utilized it. Discuss how you integrated ROS 2 into your development processes and the benefits you experienced from using the framework.

Discuss the methodologies you employ to ensure code quality, such as regular code reviews, static code analysis, and continuous integration testing. Emphasize the importance of these practices in maintaining reliability in production.

Describe your collaborative approach with researchers, emphasizing open communication, understanding their research goals, and translating those needs into practical tooling solutions that can be implemented effectively.

Detail your experience with perception hardware by providing specific examples of projects where you utilized sensors and motion capture systems. Discuss how you addressed challenges related to their integration into research projects.

Express your enthusiasm for the company's vision and mission within the field of AI and robotics. Discuss how your career goals align with the role and how you believe your skills can contribute to the company's success.