Our Mission
At Laelaps AI, we believe robotics is entering a transformative decade, much like the arrival of the internet. Advances in AI, cloud computing, and hardware are reshaping what autonomous systems can do. Our mission is to build the intelligent software that powers physical security in the real world - enabling robots and sensors to handle dangerous and critical tasks that humans shouldn't have to. By engineering the orchestration layer for intelligent security, we aim to create a world that is safer, more secure, and more resilient.
We're a strong founding team based in Zurich, backed by visionary investors and advisors. We are engineering the future of security today!
The Role
As an Autonomy Engineer, you'll own the autonomy stack that turns our robots into reliable field operators. You'll work end-to-end across navigation, planning, controls, SLAM, and sensor fusion, building the software that lets our platforms move safely and intelligently through complex outdoor environments where edge cases are the norm, not the exception.
This role is deeply hands-on. You'll ship code that runs in the field on real robots, alongside a small, senior engineering team. Expect to split your week between debugging perception edge cases on data captured in the field, sharpening the planning stack, and hardening the autonomy pipeline against real-world failure modes.
What You'll Work On
Sensor fusion across cameras, LiDAR, IMU, and GPS for robust localization in outdoor environments.SLAM and mapping in unstructured, dynamic sites.Global and local planning across complex terrain and operational constraints.Motion controls and behavior layers that connect high-level intent to low-level actuation.Sensor drivers, calibration, and integration of new hardware into the autonomy stack.Field debugging and reliability: turning one-off failures into reproducible tests and durable fixes.Who We're Looking For
We're looking for a strong autonomy engineer who has shipped robots that operate outside the lab. You don't need to be world-class at every layer of the stack, but you've shipped real work in at least two of {SLAM, planning, controls, sensor fusion, perception}. You think about edge cases first, write code that fails gracefully, and have opinions about how to ruggedize a navigation stack against the messy reality of the field.
Your Background:
3+ years building autonomy software for mobile robots, drones, or autonomous vehicles.Strong C++ and/or Python. Comfortable in Linux-based development environments.Hands-on experience with ROS 2 and modern robotics tooling.Demonstrable expertise in at least two of: SLAM, planning, controls, sensor fusion, perception.Track record of shipping robotics code that ran in production or in real-world field tests.Strong debugging instincts, especially for the gap between sim and reality.Nice to Have:
Experience across multiple mobile robot platforms (legged, wheeled, aerial).Background in outdoor field robotics (security, agriculture, inspection, defense).Familiarity with simulation tools (Gazebo, IsaacSim) and Docker-based workflows.Exposure to learning-based components (RL, imitation learning, VLAs) within an autonomy stack.What We Offer
Mission: Build the foundation models that decide how robots see, reason, and act in the real world. Research with deployment, not papers without impact.Autonomy: Real independence on what to train, how to evaluate, and how to ship.Compute: Access to the compute and field data you need to do serious work.Team: Work alongside PhD-level co-founders in AI, Robotics, and Physics, plus a strong founding engineering team.Location: In-person in Zürich, Switzerland. Visa and relocation support available.Culture: Small, international founding team that's serious about building, but doesn't take itself too seriously. Curiosity and quirks welcome.
