Company Description

Third Wave Automation is a rapidly growing startup that has demonstrated its core technology components, proven its market fit, and just closed its Series C funding. If you are excited about cutting edge machine learning, robotics that affects the real world, and want to join a company where your skills can have a huge impact, you’ll fit right in.

Third Wave Automation is applying modern machine learning to materials handling—delivering site-specific forklift navigation and infrastructure-free pallet handling that continuously adapts to changing floor configuration and warehouse demand.

Job Description

Third Wave Automation is looking for a Robot Operations Engineer to be a critical contributor in scaling our fleet of autonomous forklifts. This is a crucial, hands-on role that blends Quality Assurance (QA) testing with System Operations to ensure the reliability and performance of our product. You will be a key link between our development team and our product's performance, working with field Operations and Development engineers to identify, analyze, and resolve performance and functional issues.

This position is based in our company HQ and will be hands-on in our lab testing and supporting our fleet of semi-autonomous robots, ensuring the quality of every software and hardware release. Your contributions will be central to driving the operational maturity required to support our rapid growth and shaping our product roadmap.

What You Will Be Doing

• Own On-Site Testing & QA: Design, execute, and meticulously document rigorous test plans for new software and hardware releases on our in-office autonomous forklift fleet.
• System Operation & Reliability: Proactively monitor and maintain the health and uptime of the test fleet, identifying, reproducing, and tracking potential issues, including providing support for in-field robots.
• Improve Testing Infrastructure: Develop custom software solutions—such as Python scripts, data analysis tools, and automation frameworks—to accelerate testing and improve the efficiency of the QA process.
• Collaborate and Report: Work closely with Autonomy and Product teams to communicate test results, reproduce complex bugs, and drive timely resolution of performance issues.

We are at a critical inflection point. TWA's market-leading solution is ready to scale, and we need engineers ready to build what's next. You will pioneer new solutions while driving the operational maturity to support our rapid growth. Your contributions will be central to both shaping our product roadmap and defining our success.

How You Can Make an Impact

• Own On-Site Testing & QA: Design, execute, and meticulously document rigorous test plans for new software and hardware releases on our in-office autonomous forklift fleet, ensuring the highest product quality.
• Drive System Reliability: Proactively monitor and maintain the health and uptime of the test fleet, identifying, reproducing, and tracking potential system issues, including providing technical support for in-field robots.
• Develop Testing Infrastructure: As a primarily software-focused engineer, you will develop custom tooling—such as Python scripts, data analysis frameworks, and automation—to accelerate testing and improve QA efficiency.
• Perform System-Level Debugging: Dive into complex system logs and networked environments (vehicle, edge, cloud) to troubleshoot low-level performance issues and ensure reliability under real-world conditions.
• Collaborate and Report: Act as the key link between product performance and development, working closely with Autonomy and Product teams to communicate test results and drive timely resolution of bugs.

Desired QualificationsExperience: Experience:

• 3+ years of hands-on experience working with robots, autonomous vehicles, or complex electromechanical systems.
• Testing & QA Expertise: Solid experience with testing software, including developing and executing comprehensive test plans, and proficiency in various testing methodologies (e.g., system, integration, acceptance).
• Technical Stack: Proficiency in Linux and strong skills in at least one key language for scripting and tooling (Python is highly preferred).
• Robotics Hardware: Experience using multiple robot sensors (e.g., Lidar, cameras, IMUs), and mechanical aptitude with the ability to perform basic robot troubleshooting and repairs.
• Soft Skills: Strong planning, execution, and organization skills with a demonstrable history of project ownership and results.

Bonus Points For

• Robotics Ecosystem: Experience with ROS or similar robotics middleware.
• System Environments: Prior experience in autonomous vehicles or other real-time/safety-critical systems.
• CI/CD & Automation: Familiarity with continuous integration (CI) and automated software testing processes.
• Deployment & Debugging: Exposure to automated build, deployment, or infrastructure tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes), including debugging skills in C++ and exposure to real-time networking and distributed systems.
• Growth Potential: Leadership experience, including mentoring junior engineers, and project planning.

The pay range for this position is $118,700 - $162,000/yr+ benefits+equity; however, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Base pay information is based on market location.

More About Working Here

Our Core Values:

• Safety. We consider safety in everything we do.
• People. We care about our teammates as people.
• Encouragement. We encourage teaching, asking questions, and sharing opinions.
• Transparency. We are transparent and sincere in our actions.

A robust set of benefits and perks:

• Comprehensive benefits. Health, Dental, Vision, and a 401k matching program, to boot!
• Flexible working schedule. Be productive when you work best.
• Show & Tell. We love to learn from one another, and see the cool stuff everyone is working on!
• Meals are covered. Lunch is provided every day, and dinner for those evenings that run long.
• Stacks of snacks. Donuts are a main food group, and the snack shelf is always stocked with a wide variety of items.
• Great teammates. One of the best parts of working here!

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We value each person's expertise and experiences. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

All qualified applicants able to work in the United States are encouraged to apply.