Robotics Middleware Engineer (human)

Robotics Middleware Engineer (human)

Neura Robotics • Munich

Shape the Future of Human-Robot Collaboration

In the Software Department, you’ll shape robotic solutions that redefine human‑machine collaboration. You’ll work with cutting‑edge technology, setting industry‑changing standards, and drive innovations forward in an agile, interdisciplinary environment.

Your Mission & Challenges

• ROS 2 stack: driver nodes, ros2_control YAML composition, DDS QoS tuning, Nav2 configuration, launch system architecture, diagnostic framework. Jazzy as the production target; Humble fallback for legacy platforms.
• OROCOS RTT integration: port‑based hard‑RT component model – used for Pinocchio + WBC solver composition pipelines where ROS 2 callback timing variance is unacceptable. Owns the OROCOS robot abstraction adapter shim.
• Apex.OS / Apex.Middleware: deterministic ROS 2 variant relevant to SIL/PLd‑certified deployment paths (Industrial Mobile Manipulator product). Owns the migration story from Jazzy to Apex.OS for safety‑certified configurations.
• DDS infrastructure: FastDDS (current production), Cyclone DDS (Humble default), RTI Connext (some customer environments). Owns the implementation trade‑off analysis and migration paths between them.
• DDS‑RTPS protocol mechanics – the wire‑protocol level where QoS settings actually behave (or fail to behave) as the documentation implies. QoS profile design, discovery tuning, fragmentation, reliability semantics.
• Zero‑copy IPC: Iceoryx integration for sub‑millisecond intra‑host transport. Performance profiling of zero‑copy paths under 1 kHz RT constraints.
• Eclipse Zenoh: emerging alternative for fleet‑scale and edge scenarios where DDS discovery does not scale. Co‑owned with the Robot Connectivity Engineer for fleet‑side integration.
• Cross‑middleware contract design: the robot abstraction layer exposes itself to ROS 2 consumers, OROCOS pipelines, and gRPC clients simultaneously via different backend variants. You own the schema coherence and behavioural equivalence across these surfaces.
• Observation pipeline middleware: synchronising sensor streams by sequence number, handling the middleware‑side of the observation assembly for VLA‑style inference inputs.

What we can look forward to

• C++ depth with real‑time‑safe patterns – lock‑free queues, zero‑copy semantics, allocation discipline, RT‑safe logging.
• Operational understanding of how middleware QoS settings behave at the wire‑protocol level – not just configuration syntax.
• Production experience integrating middleware into a real‑time robot control loop with deterministic timing requirements.
• Production hands‑on in AT LEAST ONE of the four core middleware paradigms (treated as parallel valid entry paths): (a) ROS 2 with ros2_control hardware interface authoring and lifecycle node design (Jazzy or Humble); (b) OROCOS RTT – component authoring, port‑based composition, hard‑RT deployment; (c) Apex.OS / Apex.Middleware – deterministic deployment, especially in automotive or industrial SIL contexts; (d) direct DDS implementation work – FastDDS, Cyclone DDS, or RTI Connext at the configuration‑and‑tuning level (not consumer‑of‑defaults), including QoS profile design for production deployments.

Nice to Have

• Hands‑on across MORE THAN ONE of the four paradigms above – multi‑middleware experience is the role's distinguishing competence.
• Eclipse Zenoh for fleet‑scale distributed messaging or edge scenarios.
• Iceoryx or alternative zero‑copy IPC integration.
• Multi‑middleware bridging patterns: ros1_bridge, OROCOS‑ROS2 component bridging, or custom abstraction layers.
• DDS Security plug‑ins (authentication, access control, cryptographic transformation) for SIL‑grade deployments.
• Open‑source contributions to any of the major middleware ecosystems (ROS 2 core, OROCOS Toolchain, Apex.OS, eProsima FastDDS, Eclipse Cyclone DDS, RTI Connext community).

What you can look forward to

• Creative Freedom and Agility – flat hierarchies, flexible hours, 30 vacation days.
• Passion for Winning – a highly skilled international team aiming to redefine robot assistants.
• Attractive Compensation – competitive salary package and exclusive employee discounts.
• One Team – collaborative culture with company events and town‑hall meetings.
• Professional Growth – support for your personal and professional development.

Location

Neura Robotics office – Obersendling, Munich (central Munich, short distance to city centre and surrounding cultural attractions).