Humanity's birthright is to become galactic. GRAM exists to serve this mission.

We are a foundational AI and robotics startup building the machines and intelligence necessary to overcome the physical labor bottleneck preventing large-scale space industrialization.

Our first product is a general-purpose insectoid capable of working in large swarms. Over the coming century, our systems will build the critical infrastructure needed for humanity's expansion across the Milky Way.

The Opportunity

As a Founding Robotics Engineer at GRAM, you will be instrumental in bringing our vision to life by leading the design, development, and realization of our core robotic perception and autonomy stack. You will architect the environmental understanding and autonomous decision-making for our general-purpose insectoids, destined for Earth's toughest environments and eventually off-world construction.

This is a unique ground-floor opportunity to define autonomy strategy from day zero, solve extreme challenges in SLAM, sensor fusion, and robust navigation for unstructured environments, and build the intelligent awareness of a system designed for galactic scale. You will have unparalleled ownership and impact, tackling problems in localization, mapping, hazard avoidance, object understanding, and task execution necessary for autonomous swarm operations. If you are a world-class perception and autonomy expert driven by tackling seemingly impossible sensing and navigation challenges for a civilization-level mission, join us at the very beginning.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture, development, and deployment of state-of-the-art perception systems for robust localization, mapping (SLAM), and situational awareness in large-scale, unstructured, GPS-denied environments.
• Pioneer algorithms for terrain analysis, traversability mapping, hazard avoidance, and object recognition/pose estimation using multi-modal sensor data (LiDAR, Vision, IMU, Tactile).
• Design and implement high-performance motion planning, navigation strategies, and behavioral logic enabling complex, long-duration autonomous missions for hexapod swarms.
• Own the perception & autonomy software lifecycle: system design, algorithm implementation (C++/Python), rigorous testing in simulation (Isaac Sim, etc.) and on hardware in challenging analog environments, and data-driven iteration.
• Collaborate deeply with Controls, Manipulation, Hardware, and Software engineers to define system requirements, ensure tight perception-action loops, and achieve overall robotic system performance goals.
• Mentor other engineers (as the team grows) and play a key role in shaping GRAM's perception/autonomy roadmap, technical standards, and engineering culture.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• MS degree in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience demonstrating exceptional ability.
• 8+ years of professional experience developing and deploying perception, SLAM, or navigation systems for real-world mobile robots.
• Deep expertise in relevant algorithms (e.g., filtering, graph optimization, geometric methods, path planning).
• Strong proficiency in C++ and Python.
• Demonstrated experience working with and fusing data from LiDAR, cameras, and IMUs.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field with a focus on robotics perception, SLAM, field robotics, or autonomous navigation.
• Proven track record building and fielding robust autonomy stacks for robots operating successfully in complex, unstructured outdoor, off-road, or planetary analog settings.
• Publications in leading robotics, computer vision, or AI conferences (e.g., RSS, ICRA, CoRL, CVPR, NeurIPS).
• Expertise in modern SLAM techniques (factor graphs, LiDAR-inertial, visual-inertial) and long-term map management/localization.
• Experience applying ML/Deep Learning to robotic perception in challenging, real-world conditions (e.g., terrain segmentation, object detection).
• Deep familiarity with ROS/ROS2 and high-fidelity simulation (Isaac Sim strongly preferred).
• Experience with legged robots or multi-robot systems/swarm coordination.
• A first-principles approach to problem-solving, thriving in ambiguity, and possessing a relentless drive to build truly autonomous systems.
  
  

We welcome applications from individuals even if their background does not match every listed requirement.

Our Culture

We are a small, deeply technical team operating with the urgency and focus required to tackle a multi-generational mission. Expect minimal hierarchy, maximal ownership and impact, intense collaboration, and the unique opportunity to build not just groundbreaking robots, but the culture and foundations of the company itself. We are backed by visionary investors who share our long-term conviction.

Compensation & Benefits

As a critical founding team member joining at the earliest stage, your compensation package is designed to reflect both the significance of your contribution and the inherent risks and rewards of building from zero.

• Competitive Pre-Seed Salary: We offer a competitive base salary benchmarked for founding engineering roles at venture-backed pre-seed/seed-stage startups in the Los Angeles Area, involving a conscious trade-off with equity.
• Substantial Founding Equity: Recognizing your critical role and early commitment, you will receive a significant stock option grant, providing meaningful ownership and upside potential aligned with GRAM's ambitious long-term vision.
• Benefits: Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance; flexible PTO policy; 401(k) plan; other standard startup perks.
  
  

Galactic Resource Advancement Mechanism Technologies Corporation. C. MMXXV. El Segundo, California, United States of America.