Backend Developer Intern Jobs in Pittsburgh, PA (NOW HIRING)

Who we are
Lab37 Robotics, is a technology company focused on the development and deployment of robots designed specifically for direct-to-customer food production. Our mission is to revolutionize the food industry by creating innovative robotic solutions that enhance efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction. We are passionate about pushing the boundaries of technology to deliver cutting-edge products that meet the evolving needs of our clients.
About the Role
Build software that interfaces directly with robotic hardware, controls, and perception systems, alongside cloud services and robotic production systems. As a Robotics Software Engineering Intern, you will contribute to real engineering projects spanning frontend applications, on-robot services, controller state-machines, and low-level hardware communication. You'll work closely with experienced engineers across software, robotics, firmware, product, and operations while learning modern software engineering practices in a hardware-centric environment.
This is not a project isolated from production. We expect interns to contribute meaningful code, participate in technical discussions, and help deliver software that reaches real users. You'll receive mentorship from experienced engineers while taking ownership of well-defined features and projects throughout your internship.
What you'll do

• Develop production software for robotic control and full-stack systems under the guidance of experienced engineers.
• Implement and test control algorithms, sensor integration, and low-level hardware communication protocols.
• Optimize software for embedded and real-time constraints to ensure reliable robotic performance.
• Build product features, internal tools, dashboards, and operational workflows used by engineering, kitchen operations, and robotics teams.
• Implement APIs, services, and tools using modern engineering practices.
• Partner with software engineers, product managers, and operations teams to understand requirements and translate them into working software.
• Participate in design discussions, code reviews, testing, and technical planning.
• Debug production issues, investigate root causes, and contribute to reliable software solutions.
• Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code.
• Leverage modern AI development tools responsibly to improve engineering productivity while maintaining high software quality.
• Learn and apply engineering best practices including testing, observability, version control, and continuous integration.
• Share ideas, ask questions, and actively contribute to a collaborative engineering culture.

What we are looking for

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Strong programming fundamentals in one or more modern programming languages such as C++, Go, Python, Java, or Rust.
• Understanding of software engineering fundamentals including object-oriented programming, data structures, algorithms, debugging, and software design principles.
• Experience building software through coursework, internships, research, personal projects, or open-source contributions.
• Strong problem-solving skills and curiosity to learn unfamiliar technologies.
• Comfort working in a collaborative team environment and communicating technical ideas clearly.
• Self-motivated with a strong sense of ownership and capacity to learn.

Nice To Have

• Proficiency in C++ and experience with ROS / ROS 2.
• Familiarity with Linux, embedded systems, and real-time operating systems.
• Knowledge of computer vision, sensor fusion, or robotic simulation tools like Gazebo.
• Experience with Git and collaborative software development workflows.
• Personal projects, hackathons, robotics, embedded systems, IoT, or hardware-related software.
• Experience using AI-assisted software development tools to improve productivity.
• Open-source contributions or technical leadership in student organizations.

What Makes This Opportunity Different

• Real Ownership
  • Contribute directly to production software rather than isolated internship projects.
• Learn From Experienced Engineers
  • Work closely with experienced software engineers across frontend, backend, robotics, firmware, and cloud infrastructure.
• Technical Growth
  • Gain experience building distributed systems, operational software, and robotics-adjacent applications while learning modern engineering practices.
• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
  • Partner with product, culinary, operations, robotics, firmware, and software engineering teams to solve real-world problems.
• Meaningful Impact
  • Your work will directly influence software used in real production environments and help shape the future of automated food production.

Why join us

• Demand for online food delivery is growing really fast! In the last 5 years, just in the US, the overall market has expanded 10X from $10B to $100B, and could expand to $500bn- $1T by 2030.
• Changing the restaurant industry: You'll be part of a team that helps restaurants succeed in online food delivery.
• Collaborative environment: You will receive support and guidance from experienced colleagues and managers, helping you to learn, grow and achieve your goals, and you'll work closely with other teams to ensure our customer's success.

What else you need to know
This role can be based in our Los Angeles or Pittsburgh office. As a company driven by invention and continuous change - we are constantly reimagining our industries, building new products, and refining how we operate. We do our best work together. That's why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week.
The base starting rate for this role is $25.00 - $35.00/hour per hour.
Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.
Application Timeline: Getting a head start on your job search? So are we! We're building our candidate pipeline now for our upcoming internship positions. Feel free to submit your resume today, we'll be reviewing applications over the coming weeks and will reach out directly if your background is a match when interviews begin in the Fall.