Virtual Robotics Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Who we are
Pronto AI is a global leader in commercializing autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, deploying Autonomous Haulage Systems (AHS) that automate operations in mines, quarries, and construction sites worldwide. While much of the industry remains in R&D, we deliver real, production-ready autonomy that is already operating in the field.
We are on a mission to make mining operations safer, smarter, and more efficient through cutting-edge technology, and we are building toward becoming the world's first profitable AV technology company.

What you'll do

• Test Platform & Infrastructure - Design and build the core test infrastructure: harnesses, fixtures, runners, orchestration, and test artifact management for our ZMQ/Cap'n Proto middleware stack
• Simulation-Based Testing - Build the simulation infrastructure that lets us run autonomy software against virtual scenarios, with deterministic playback and meaningful coverage of real-world conditions
• CI/CD for Robotics - Build and maintain the testing pipeline that gates code changes - unit, integration, simulation, and replay-based regression - and integrate it cleanly into the developer workflow
• Log Replay & Recorded Scenario Testing - Build infrastructure that converts production logs into reproducible test cases the QA Engineer can curate and the dev team can run

What we're looking for

• 3+ years of software engineering experience, with significant work on testing infrastructure, developer tools, or distributed systems
• Strong Python - you'll write substantial code, much of it touching production-adjacent infrastructure
• Experience designing and building automation pipelines (CI/CD, test orchestration, build systems)
• Deep familiarity with at least one large-scale software platform - comfortable thinking in terms of APIs, abstractions, and platform usability
• Excellent debugging and systems thinking - you'll be reasoning about failures across simulation, networking, serialization, and CI infrastructure
• Comfort building greenfield - much of what you'll work on does not exist today

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other safety-critical systems
• Hands-on experience with simulation environments (Gazebo, CARLA, Isaac Sim, or proprietary)
• Familiarity with pub/sub messaging systems (ZMQ, ROS, DDS) and binary serialization formats (Cap'n Proto, Protobuf)
• C++ familiarity - enough to read and integrate against the autonomy stack
• Cloud infrastructure experience for parallel test execution (AWS/GCP, Kubernetes)
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing or real-time systems
• Performance engineering background - you've debugged and optimized slow CI/test pipelines before

Technical Environment

• Languages: Python
• Test Frameworks: pytest, simulation-based
• Infrastructure: Docker, GitHub Actions, cloud compute for simulation
• Communication/Documentation: Slack, Notion

Example Projects

• Build a simulation harness that runs the full autonomy stack against parameterized mining scenarios in cloud-based parallel execution
• Design a log-to-test-case pipeline that ingests a production log fragment and produces a deterministic replay test the QA Engineer can add to a regression suite
• Build a test platform dashboard that surfaces flaky tests, slow tests, and coverage gaps to the QA Engineer and developer lead

Why join us 

• Work on real, production-deployed autonomy.
• Build technology that directly improves safety, efficiency, and productivity.
• Tackle complex challenges in demanding, real-world environments.
• Be part of a fast-moving team with high ownership and impact.
• See your work deployed and making a difference in the field.
• Collaborate closely with experienced engineers and industry operators.

What else you need to know 

This role is based in our San Francisco office location. As a company driven by innovation and continuous change, close collaboration is essential. We're constantly reimagining our industry, creating new products, and refining our processes, and we do our best work together. That's why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week.

The base salary range for this role is $298,000 - $376,000 per year.

Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for equity awards and an annual performance-based bonus.

Benefits Summary (USA Full-Time Exempt Employees):

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account / Health Savings Account Options
• 401(k)
• Equity
• Sick Time, Unlimited Flexible Time Off, and Paid Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave 
• Pre-Tax Commuter Benefit Plan
• Team lunch in our SoMa office every Tuesday and Thursday

Benefits are subject to change at the company's discretion.
Pronto accepts applications on an ongoing basis.

Ready to join us as we serve those who serve others? 

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