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Salary: USD 115,000 - 130,000 / annual
EarthOptics is a growing agtech company combining genomic analysis, data science, microbiology, and remote sensing to revolutionize agriculture and soil health. The company operates across 20 states and two countries with ~100 employees, focused on making traditional soil sampling methods obsolete and helping stakeholders increase yields while improving soil health and climate outcomes.
As a Software Engineering Lead, you will join the Software Engineering team as a senior individual contributor responsible for the Mobile GroundOwl (GO) application and lab automation systems. This role bridges production software and physical systems, requiring ownership across software, electronics, and hardware domains.
Key responsibilities include:
- Take primary engineering ownership of the Mobile GroundOwl field application following a structured handoff
- Maintain a stable, high-quality field application by diagnosing issues, implementing enhancements, managing dependencies, supporting releases, and collaborating with backend engineers on APIs and integrations
- Improve reliability and maintainability through automated testing, observability, documentation, and support tooling
- Ensure dependable operation in low- and no-connectivity field environments with offline data capture, data integrity, synchronization, and recovery
- Design and develop lab automation systems integrating application software, firmware, sensors, motors, actuators, microcontrollers, and custom electronics
- Develop control logic, data-acquisition software, calibration routines, diagnostics, safety interlocks, and operator interfaces
- Contribute software across EarthOptics products including customer-facing applications, backend services, integrations, device software, and internal tools
- Collaborate with product managers, engineers, lab teams, hardware teams, and operations to solve real-world problems
- Apply strong engineering practices including thoughtful design, code review, automated testing, observability, security, and documentation
- Use AI-assisted development tools thoughtfully while maintaining responsibility for correctness, security, safety, and code quality
Within the first 60–120 days, you will complete a structured handoff of Mobile GroundOwl, develop understanding of field workflows and reliability needs, diagnose and address priority field issues, and begin contributing to lab automation initiatives.
The role is hybrid in Raleigh, NC, typically requiring 1–3 days per week onsite with flexibility based on project and hardware-testing needs. Travel is approximately 10% of the time. This is a full-time, exempt position.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or related field—or equivalent practical experience
- 2+ years of professional software engineering experience, or equivalent through internships, co-ops, research, or substantial shipped projects (demonstrated ownership and learning speed valued over precise year count)
- Experience maintaining or shipping a production mobile application
- React Native and TypeScript/JavaScript experience strongly preferred
- Strong Python development and comfort working in C/C++ or another language for embedded, automation, or systems development
- Hands-on experience with sensors, motors, motor drivers, actuators, microcontrollers, data acquisition, and basic electronics troubleshooting
- Rapid prototyping: defining problems, building solutions, testing with real hardware, diagnosing failures, and iterating
- Git, code review, automated testing, and dependable software release practices
- Ability to use AI coding assistants effectively while independently validating output and maintaining high standards for quality, correctness, security, and safety
- Clear communication, documentation, independent operation, and effective collaboration across software, hardware, lab, product, and operations teams
- Must be eligible to work in the United States; visa sponsorship not available
Desirable experience includes: fast-paced startup environment, mobile app release management (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 custom electronics/PCBs using KiCad or Altium, mechanical prototyping, CAD, 3D printing, test fixtures or design-for-assembly, and agriculture or field-deployed technology experience.
