Question 1

How do I apply for this position?

Accepted Answer

You can apply directly at https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.workatastartup.com%2Fapplication%3Fsignup_job_id%3D92638&defaults[signUpActive]=true&defaults[waas_company]=30973.

Question 2

What does a Founding Robotics Engineer do at General Astronautics?

Accepted Answer

## Founding Robotics Engineer

General Astronautics is building autonomous dexterous robotic arms for microgravity environments. Our systems enable orbital science and manufacturing that isn't possible on Earth, and we're doing it without humans in the loop. We're looking for a Founding Robotics Engineer to own the full robotics stack: controls, perception, software, and simulation. You will guide how our arm thinks, sees, and moves, and ensure that behavior is validated in simulation before it ever reaches orbit.

## Responsibilities

1. Own the robotics software stack from low-level control through high-level autonomy
2. Design and implement motion planning, trajectory generation, and real-time control systems for a dexterous robotic arm in microgravity
3. Develop and maintain simulation environments in NVIDIA Isaac Sim for algorithm validation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and operator training
4. Build perception pipelines using cameras, depth sensors, and other modalities to enable object localization, manipulation planning, and environment understanding
5. Architect the controls and software framework for autonomous task execution, grasping, assembly, manipulation, without human intervention
6. Integrate with vision-language-action (VLA) models and other learned policies for generalized manipulation
7. Define software interfaces between the autonomy stack, onboard compute, and mechanical/avionics systems
8. Collaborate with the mechanical engineer to co-optimize actuator selection, sensor placement, and system architecture
9. Support hardware testing and commissioning, put hands on the robot

## Basic Qualifications

1. Bachelor's degree in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline
2. 2+ years of experience in robotics software development, including controls, motion planning, or perception
3. Strong proficiency in ROS2 and real-time Linux environments
4. Experience with robot kinematics, dynamics, and trajectory planning
5. Proficiency in Python and C++
6. Hands-on experience integrating and commissioning robotic hardware

## Preferred Skills and Experience

1. Experience with NVIDIA Isaac Sim or comparable simulation platforms (Gazebo, MuJoCo, PyBullet)
2. Experience with dexterous manipulation, grasp planning, or force/torque-controlled assembly
3. Familiarity with vision-language-action models or other learned manipulation policies
4. Experience with multi-camera perception systems, AprilTag or fiducial localization, or SLAM
5. Experience with Franka, Kinova, UR, or similar research/industrial arms
6. Background in space robotics, surgical robotics, or other high-reliability autonomous systems
7. Familiarity with libfranka, MoveIt2, or similar frameworks
8. Experience designing for fault tolerance, safe autonomy, and graceful degradation
9. Strong communication skills, you'll interface heavily with the mechanical, avionics, and science teams

## ITAR / Citizenship Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Question 3

What are the requirements for this Founding Robotics Engineer position?

Accepted Answer

Required skills: Robotics, Python, C++, ROS2, Embedded Linux. Experience level: 0-3 years.

Question 4

Is this Founding Robotics Engineer position remote?

Accepted Answer

This position is located in San Francisco, CA, US.

Question 5

What is the salary range for this Founding Robotics Engineer position?

Accepted Answer

The salary range is $120,000 - $180,000 per year.

Founding Robotics Engineer

General Astronautics

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