Staff Software Engineer - Backend

About Cyngn
Based in Mountain View, CA, Cyngn is a publicly-traded autonomous technology company. We deploy self-driving industrial vehicles like forklifts and tuggers to factories, warehouses, and other facilities throughout North America. To build this emergent technology, we are looking for innovative, motivated, and experienced leaders to join us and move this field forward. If you like to build, tinker, and create with a team of trusted and passionate colleagues, then Cyngn is the place for you. Key reasons to join Cyngn:
We are small and big.
With under 100 employees, Cyngn operates with the energy of a startup. On the other hand, we’re publicly traded. This means our employees not only work in close-knit teams with mentorship from company leaders—they also get access to the liquidity of our publicly-traded equity.
We build today and deploy tomorrow.
Our autonomous vehicles aren’t just test concepts—they’re deployed to real clients right now. That means your work will have a tangible, visible impact.
We aren’t robots. We just develop them.
We’re a welcoming, diverse team of sharp thinkers and kind humans. Collaboration and trust drive our creative environment. At Cyngn, everyone’s perspective matters—and that’s what powers our innovation.
About This Role
As the Staff Software Engineer for our SaaS platform team, you will be crucial in developing Cyngn's cutting-edge fleet management system for autonomous industrial vehicles. You'll collaborate with product and engineering teams to design, implement, deploy, and maintain a robust cloud-based solution that enables real-time control and monitoring of autonomous vehicles in the field. Your expertise will be instrumental in creating a scalable, high-performance system that empowers our customers to optimize their automated workflows and maximize operational efficiency.
What You Will Do In This Role

Architect and lead the development of a sophisticated, cloud-native fleet management system capable of real-time control and monitoring of numerous autonomous vehicles
Design and implement scalable, distributed systems that can handle high-volume, real-time data processing and decision-making
Develop robust APIs and microservices to support integration with various autonomous vehicle platforms and customer systems
Create efficient algorithms for route optimization, task scheduling, and resource allocation across vehicle fleets
Implement advanced data analytics and machine learning capabilities to provide predictive maintenance, performance optimization, and business intelligence features
Ensure system reliability, security, and compliance with industry standards and regulations
Lead a team of skilled engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, code quality, and continuous improvement
Collaborate with product managers, UX designers, and customers to translate business requirements into technical solutions
Mentor junior developers and contribute to the technical growth of the engineering team
Participate in the entire software development lifecycle, from concept and design to testing, deployment, and maintenance
Engage with customers to understand their needs and translate them into technical requirements
Who You Are

10+ years of software development experience, with a strong focus on backend systems and distributed architectures
Extensive experience in building and scaling cloud-native SaaS platforms, preferably in the IoT or robotics domains
Expert-level proficiency in at least one of Python, Go, Java, or C++, with working knowledge of others
Deep understanding of cloud technologies and services (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
Proven experience with event-driven architectures and message queuing systems (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ, Apache Pulsar)
Strong background in database design and optimization, including both SQL and NoSQL solutions
Proficiency in developing scalable WebSocket-based real-time communication systems
Expertise in developing real-time data processing pipelines and analytics systems
Proficiency with containerization and orchestration technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)
Experience with infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD practices (e.g., Terraform, GitOps)
Track record of leading development teams and mentoring junior developers
Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to optimize complex systems
Strong communication skills and ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
Strong collaboration skills with a low ego
Nice to haves

Experience with IoT platforms, robotics frameworks (e.g., ROS), or autonomous vehicle technologies
Solid understanding of network protocols and communication standards relevant to IoT and autonomous systems
Knowledge of AMQP, MQTT, DDS, or other IoT-specific communication protocols
Experience with time-series databases (e.g., InfluxDB, TimescaleDB) for handling large volumes of sensor data
Familiarity with edge computing and fog architectures
Experience with real-time operating systems and embedded software development
Expertise in building and maintaining scalable API platforms
Experience with geospatial data processing and mapping technologies
Knowledge of fleet management software and vehicle telematics systems
Experience with simulation environments for autonomous systems testing
Benefits & Perks

Health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA and FSA (Health & Dependent Daycare), Employee Assistance Program, 1:1 Health Concierge)
Life, Short-term, and long-term disability insurance (Cyngn funds 100% of premiums)
Company 401(k)
Commuter Benefits
Flexible vacation policy
Remote or hybrid work opportunities
Sabbatical leave opportunity after five years with the company
Paid Parental Leave
Daily lunches for in-office employees
Monthly meal and tech allowances for remote employees
$198,000 - $225,000 a year

Please note salary range is for Bay Area residents - we're still accepting remote applicants!
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.