Software Engineer - Robotics (Senior / Staff)

hybrid
5296 Bell School Line Burlington Executive Air Park CZBA, Burlington, Ontario, Canada, L7M 0P1
full-time . September 1, 2025

Description

Thank you for exploring opportunities at Ribbit! For more information about our recruiting process, be sure to check our Careers page. We look forward to speaking with you.

Note: the Careers page is under maintenance; actual details and interview process may differ slightly

Note: We read everything that comes our way. Let your outstanding résumé (cover letter and design portfolio encouraged but optional) do the talking. For important questions or comments, contact us at careers@flyribbit.com.

Company

Founded in 2020, Ribbit builds and operates self-flying airplanes to resupply hard-to-reach areas. We’ve developed an autonomous technology stack that performs gate-to-gate operations, including taxi, takeoffs, landings, and in-flight maneuvers. We’ve demonstrated over 230 hours of autonomous flight on two different aircraft, and we are actively maturing our stack while testing with clients. You can check out videos of our flights here.

Our immediate goal is to deliver cargo across northern Canada, where everything from groceries to military equipment must be flown in. In 2023, we signed our first contract with the Government of Canada, and performed Canada’s first hands-free gate-to-gate flight between two airports that same year. We’ve also signed several northern wholesalers worth $42M per year in air freight services, and have active contracts with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and Department of National Defence (DND). In the future, our technology will be used to connect rural, remote, and coastal regions around the world, expanding eventually to passenger travel at large.

The Ribbit Team has years of experience with piloting, commercial drone operations, and autonomous mobile robotics—we're concentrating the world's best software, robotics, and aeronautical expertise to pursue our mission of making air transportation accessible to everyone. If you’re up for the challenge, we want to hear from you.

Position Overview

As a Senior/Staff Software Engineer - Robotics, you will collaborate with peers to:

Contribute to the development of our in-house C++ autonomy stack through the creation of features and updates to existing code in the areas of state estimation, controls, navigation, planning, perception, sensors/hardware, etc.
Create high-quality, safety-critical code, from design and implementation, to simulation and real-world testing using Ribbit’s autonomous aircraft testbeds
Lead technical reviews and mentor engineers to improve coding standards, documentation quality, and testability across the stack
Lead key projects through the entire software development cycle (requirements definition, design, implementation, and rigorous testing in multiple stages)
Join the team for in-person testing and onsite demonstrations, both in Burlington and in various locations across Canada and the world
Execute flight tests, analyze logs, and convert findings into roadmap objectives

Your key objectives will include:

Implementation of advanced software features that will improve our existing autopilot system to expand our operating domain and increase reliability and safety
Contributing to the long-term planning of technical features and roadmaps, providing insight into key areas of improvement that align with the high-level objectives of the company
Producing design docs, interface specs, and runbooks; support field operations and participate in post-incident reviews to drive improvements

Other Details:

No. of Positions: 1
Duration: Permanent Full-Time, starting October 2025
Base Compensation: 146K to 170K
This is a hybrid role involving remote work and on-site presence to support field tests—you must be in the Greater Toronto Area or willing to relocate
Competitive and comprehensive compensation (e.g. 3 weeks of vacation upon joining, credits for personal development, comprehensive health and wellness plans — see our Careers page for more info)
You must be eligible to hold a Government of Canada security clearance at the Reliability or Secret level, and pass security assessment for the Controlled Goods Program

Qualifications

As the ideal candidate, you have strong technical skills and meet the following requirements:

Hold a university degree in a relevant area of engineering or computer science (e.g. EE/CE, robotics, aerospace, and/or autonomous vehicles)
Experience developing major software systems for autonomous vehicles, aircraft, commercial drones, mobile robotics platforms, or subsystems thereof (e.g. autopilots, ADAS, perception) in a commercial context
Expertise in one or more areas of robotics (state estimation, localization, controls, planning, navigation, perception, etc.)
Experience with robotics middleware (e.g. ROS2/DDS, ROS, MAVLink)
Experience with software development practices and supporting tools (e.g. JIRA, Agile, Git, Docker)
Experience developing modern C/C++ (C++17/20) in real-time and safety-critical robotics or embedded systems
Demonstrated ability to gather design requirements, lead design reviews, mentor peers, and write clear and concise documentation

Preferred and bonus qualifications include:

Hold a graduate research degree (e.g. MSc, MASc, PhD) in a relevant area of engineering or computer science
Experience developing and/or operationally testing AVs, drones, or other similar systems in a professional setting (e.g. startup, company, and/or research group)
Experience with development standards (e.g. ARP4754A, ISO26262, DO-178C, or other civil aviation / automotive safety standards)
Experience with C/C++ coding standards (e.g. MISRA, JSF, AUTOSAR)
Solid Linux systems knowledge, concurrency/multithreading

You also possess the soft skills to work in a high-stakes, fast-paced, tight-knit company, such as:

Communication skills
Openness to give and receive feedback
Time management and adaptability
Self-awareness, including knowing one's strengths and weaknesses
Taking initiative to seek, define, and execute tasks with minimal guidance

Compensation

$146,000.00 - $170,000.00 per year

Know someone who would be a perfect fit? Let them know!