Senior Software Engineer - Robotics

About Oishii

Oishii (which means “delicious” in Japanese) is the innovative company behind the world’s largest indoor vertical strawberry farm. On a mission to transform the agriculture industry through the power of smart farming, Oishii harmoniously marries nature with state-of-the-art technology to create the ideal elements—rain, air, heat, light, nourishment and natural bee pollination—for growing in-season produce all year round. Oishii’s beloved Omakase, Koyo and Nikko Berries are grown in pesticide-free vertical farms in the U.S. and proudly bear the Non-GMO Project Verified seal. Founded in 2016, Oishii’s investors include SPARX Group, NTT, Yaskawa, McWin Capital Partners, and Resilience Reserve. Oishii was recognized as one of Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies” in 2022.

Today, Oishii operates farms and research facilities across the United States and Japan, bringing together expertise from both countries to advance the future of agriculture. As a Japanese-founded company with global ambitions, we are building a world-class team dedicated to transforming how premium produce is grown and delivered. For more information, visit www.oishii.com.

About the Role

We grow the world’s BEST Strawberries and that wouldn’t be possible without our incredible engineers!

As part of our Engineering Team, our** Senior Software Engineer, Robotics **drives some of the most cutting edge engineering projects Oishii has to offer. 

We are developing advanced farm systems that leverage robotic harvesting, artificial intelligence, forecasting, and automation technologies to grow and harvest the world’s best strawberries. We are studying every aspect of strawberry production and finding ways to beat the status quo. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Hands-on lead, develop, maintain, and enhance the software stack powering autonomous robotic strawberry harvesting.
• Build and support software across the robotics stack, including perception, motion planning, data analysis tools, and robotic controls.
• Leverage and further develop existing AI Agentic development processes using offline sim, recreation, and visualization into features that are pre-tested before they land on the physical robots
• Quickly ramp up on the existing codebase and contribute through targeted development projects.
• Validate new features and bug fixes through simulation, smoke testing, and field testing.
• Own and continuously improve key areas of the codebase, such as perception, motion planning, robotic interfaces, or controls.
• Partner with Operations to troubleshoot field issues, prioritize software improvements, and drive system reliability.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with robotics, hardware, controls, and operations teams to deliver scalable automation solutions.

Requirements:

**Who will love this job: **_Individuals who identify with our Core Values and exhibit skills within those values will thrive at Oishii. _

• One Team, One Fight!
  • _Ability to quickly shift priorities to meet deadlines and effectively communicate, both verbally and in writing, clearly, concisely and with purpose at various levels of the organization. _
  • _Ability to work cross functionally at all levels including across locations, and collaborate with a focus on supporting & understanding the evolving business needs of a startup environment. _
  • _Ability to lead through others and develop teams with a diverse level of experience to succeed.  _
• Focus.
  • _Ability to remove obstacles in order to prioritize which could include problem solving, working through ambiguity and using fact based or sound judgment in the absence of process or policy. We are building it, but need to manage through the process with good judgment and a bias for action.  _
  • _Ability to synthesize information quickly to aid in the troubleshooting process. _
• GSD (Get Sh** Done!)
  • Possessing an entrepreneurial mindset with the tenacity to develop ideas, process, and policy and implement them rapidly.
  • Capable of prioritizing tasks and  considering the resources available when doing so.
  • A bias for action! Ability to hold yourself accountable and take ownership of driving results that impact company outcomes.
  • Track record of effectively handling complex employee relations issues, and addressing sensitive information and difficult situations with tact, discretion, and confidentiality.

What we look for in a Senior Software Engineer, Robotics:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of backend software engineering experience in any of Python, Rust or C++ with the ability to design and implement scalable solutions for complex technical challenges.
• Experience translating operational issues, code traces, and system data into effective software improvements.
• Proficiency with Linux, shell scripting, and modern software development tools (Git, Jira).
• Experience leveraging AI-assisted development tools responsibly to improve engineering productivity while maintaining software quality.
• Demonstrated complex problem solving process in fields similar to robotics.  Specifically challenging problems with no defined “correct” answer or iterative improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze a complex system, instrument it for collecting meaningful stats and metrics, identify areas of improvement, and act on initiatives that improved system performance.

Additional Details:

• This role may be remote or hybrid depending on the candidate's location.
• Travel of approximately 25% is required (typically monthly or quarterly) to support critical deployments and collaborate with teams at our site in Phillipsburg, NJ.
• While remote candidates will be considered, we strongly prefer individuals who are willing to relocate to the region or spend additional time onsite to support cross-functional collaboration and robotics deployments.

Perks at Oishii:

• Compensation: $140,000-$160,000 and Equity 
• Medical, dental, vision, 401(K) 
• 100% Employer Paid Life Insurance + Long Term Disability Insurance
• Paid Parental leave, Paid Time Off, Paid Sick Time
• Paid Training
• Office social events including happy hours, events, and parties 
• Employee activity groups for basketball players, Yoga Enthusiasts, runners…