Staff Software Engineer
Job Description
Build the data infrastructure for robots operating in the real world.
Robotics is moving from research labs into production across factories, warehouses, vehicles, and field deployments. When robots fail, behave unexpectedly, or need to be improved, engineers rely on data to understand what actually happened.
At Foxglove, we build the observability, visualization, and data infrastructure that makes that possible. Our tools are used by robotics and autonomous systems teams to ingest, store, query, replay, and analyze massive volumes of multimodal sensor data from live systems and from production fleets.
About the Role
We're looking for a product-minded Software Engineer who is equally comfortable reasoning through a user problem and diving deep into a performance-critical systems codebase. You'll work across our desktop and web visualization app, our data ingestion and streaming backend, and the on-robot client libraries that tie everything together.
This is a generalist role, you'll follow the work wherever it takes you, whether that's optimizing a decode path in Rust, extending our MCAP tooling in C++, wiring up a new data source in TypeScript, or partnering with customers to understand what's slowing them down.
Key Responsibilities
Build and ship product features end-to-end, from understanding customer needs to writing, reviewing, and deploying code
Work across our technology stack — from on-device Rust/C++ libraries to cloud backend services to the browser-based visualization app
Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks in data-intensive pipelines: ingestion, decoding, streaming, and rendering
Contribute to MCAP and other open-source libraries that the broader robotics community relies on
Collaborate directly with customers and the robotics community to understand requirements and validate solutions
Help maintain the high engineering bar and culture of ownership that defines the Foxglove team
What We're Looking For
5+ years of experience writing production software
Strong proficiency in C++ and/or Rust, you've shipped systems-level code that handles real load
Experience writing highly performant, memory-efficient code
A product instinct: you care not just about correctness but about whether the thing you built actually solves the user's problem
Comfortable moving across the stack, you may not be an expert in every layer, but you can get oriented quickly and contribute meaningfully
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, small team environment
Bonus Points:
Experience in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or related embedded/real-time systems
Familiarity with ROS, ROS 2, or other robotics middleware
Experience with data serialization formats or binary protocols (MCAP, Protobuf, CDR, etc.)
JavaScript/TypeScript and frontend experience
Familiarity with public cloud infrastructure (GCP, AWS, Azure) or Kubernetes
What We Offer
$300 monthly budget towards commuter benefits or building your personal workspace (remote only)
Competitive equity grant in a Series B company
Medical, Dental, Vision, and Term Life insurance coverage at 100% for employees and 75% for dependents
401(k) matching up to 4%
4 weeks vacation, plus holidays and winter break
All expenses paid company off-sites 1-2× per year
Why Join Us
Impact: Own growth at a fast-growing, high-leverage moment for the company.
Mission: Accelerate the development of the next generation of robotics and embodied AI.
Team: Work with world-class engineers, designers, and researchers passionate about open-source and developer tools.
Ownership: Drive initiatives end-to-end, with high autonomy and visibility.