Our Software Engineering Lead will join our Software Engineering team as an individual contributor, helping build and maintain software that connects field applications, laboratory automation, hardware, and data systems. This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys moving between production software and physical systems, takes ownership of the technology they support, and is comfortable solving problems across software, electronics, and hardware.
The digs:
- Job Type: Full time, Exempt
- Work Location: Hybrid - Raleigh, North Carolina. This role requires practical commuting distance to the Raleigh office and typically works onsite 1-3 days per week, with flexibility based on project and hardware-testing needs.
- Travel: 10% of the time
- Compensation: $115,000-$130,000 annually + equity.
*Your actual base pay will depend on your job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
What you'll cultivate as a Software Engineering Lead:
- Take primary engineering ownership of the Mobile GroundOwl (GO) application following a structured handoff. Maintain a stable, high-quality field application by diagnosing issues, implementing targeted enhancements, managing dependencies, supporting releases, and collaborating with backend engineers on APIs and integrations.
- Improve the reliability and maintainability of Mobile GroundOwl through automated testing, observability, documentation, and support tooling. Help ensure dependable operation in low- and no-connectivity field environments where offline data capture, data integrity, synchronization, and recovery are critical.
- Design and develop lab automation systems that integrate application software, firmware, sensors, motors, actuators, microcontrollers or single-board computers, and custom electronics. Develop control logic, data-acquisition software, calibration routines, diagnostics, safety interlocks, and operator interfaces.
- Contribute software across EarthOptics products and platforms, including customer-facing applications, backend services, integrations, device software, and internal engineering tools. Collaborate with product managers, engineers, lab teams, hardware teams, and operational teams to turn real-world problems into practical, maintainable solutions.
- Apply strong engineering practices across prototypes and production systems, including thoughtful design, code review, automated testing, observability, security, and documentation. Use AI-assisted development tools thoughtfully to accelerate implementation, debugging, testing, research, and documentation while retaining responsibility for correctness, security, safety, and code quality.
Within your first 60-120 days, you'll be expected to:
- Complete a structured handoff and establish clear engineering ownership of the Mobile GroundOwl application.
- Develop a strong understanding of Mobile GroundOwl's field workflows and reliability needs, including crash rates, failed synchronization, support escalations, and low-connectivity operation.
- Diagnose and address priority field issues while strengthening testing, observability, documentation, and support practices.
- Begin contributing to lab automation initiatives, progressing from problem definition and prototyping toward reliable systems that laboratory users can operate and maintain confidently.
Are you our soil-mate? You'll bloom in this role if you have experience in:
- A bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field-or equivalent practical experience.
- 2+ years of professional software engineering experience, or equivalent experience through internships, co-ops, research, or substantial shipped projects. We care more about demonstrated ownership and learning speed than a precise year count.
- Maintaining or shipping a production mobile application. React Native and TypeScript/JavaScript experience is strongly preferred.
- Strong Python development and comfort working in C/C++ or another language used for embedded, automation, or systems development.
- Working hands-on with sensors, motors, motor drivers, actuators, microcontrollers, data acquisition, and basic electronics troubleshooting.
- Rapid prototyping: defining a problem, building a solution, testing it with real hardware, diagnosing failures, and iterating.
- Git, code review, automated testing, and dependable software release practices.
- Using AI coding assistants effectively while independently validating generated output and maintaining high standards for quality, correctness, security, and safety.
- Communicating clearly, documenting your work, operating independently, and collaborating effectively across software, hardware, lab, product, and operations teams.
We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor or transfer visas at this time.
Although not required, we'd love to see roots in:
- Prior experience in a fast-paced, start-up environment.
- Mobile application release management for the Apple App Store and Google Play.
- Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, USB, serial, CAN, I2C, SPI, or other device communication protocols.
- Linux-based edge computing, microcontrollers, real-time systems, or embedded firmware.
- Laboratory instrumentation, robotics, industrial controls, motion control, or machine vision.
- Cloud APIs, backend services, databases, or telemetry systems.
- Reading schematics and designing or modifying straightforward custom electronics and PCBs using KiCad, Altium, or similar tools.
- Mechanical prototyping, CAD, 3D printing, test fixtures, or design-for-assembly.
- Agriculture, field-deployed technology, or other environments where software must perform reliably outside a traditional office setting.
Aside from "the green", we can offer you:
- Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance - 90% funded by EarthOptics for benefit-eligible employees and 55% for dependents
- Company-paid LTD, STD, and Life Insurance
- Meaningful equity option grants
- 401k Plan + Employer Match up to 4%
- 17 days of paid time off, plus 11 additional company holidays
- Parental Leave
- Professional Development Stipend + access to learning platforms
- Candidate Referral Program
- Above and Beyond Bonus Program
- Flexible Schedule & Hybrid/Remote Work Environment
- Regular opportunities to give feedback on our benefits offerings
How we stay grounded:
Although we have teammates working in the field, in-office, and at home, we aim to create a cohesive, diverse, and enriching environment for all of our employees. We embrace different tools to enhance our workflows and communicate intentionally, both live and asynchronously. A few quick facts you should know:
- We rely on Slack to communicate. Although there are a variety of team-specific systems to facilitate your work, this is our primary!
- We love both food and emojis at EarthOptics. If hired, you'll come to love (and use many) taco and donut emojis. 🌮🍩
- Our core business hours are Monday through Friday 11am-4pm EST. We have teammates in every time zone, and have some teams that operate outside of that timeframe. As a remote employee, you are asked to honor those hours to ensure enough time to overlap with key cross-functional teams.
- In order to maximize our remote culture, we host company-wide opportunities to connect (virtually and in-person) and create space for focus work. For example, we have a weekly all-hands stand-up meeting on Monday and reserve Fridays as a regular "No Meeting" day.
