Software Engineer, Physical AI
San Francisco, CAFullstack EngineeringOnsite
Summary
Full-stack engineer building high-performance 3D visualization tools and data pipelines for Physical AI, robotics, and autonomous vehicles. Strong frontend focus with Python/TypeScript experience.
About the role
What you'll do
- Build and maintain high-performance frontend experiences, including rendering complex 3D scenes with thousands of objects at smooth frame rates
- Work across the full stack — from backend data pipelines and storage systems to frontend visualisation and interaction
- Take end-to-end ownership of projects, from product and architectural decisions through to deployment, monitoring, and measuring user impact
- Work with visual, spatial, and sensor data to make sense of the physical world
- Tackle complex domains at massive scale using simple, well-crafted solutions
- Take initiative, be proactive in problem-solving, and continuously seek improvements
Who we're looking for
- Experienced: you've seen a lot and built a lot — personally developed and maintained multiple systems from scratch, with a deep understanding of the trade-offs involved in building reliable, performant software at speed
- At home with challenging frontend work: you're comfortable rendering complex 3D scenes, working with spatial and sensor data, and optimising for browser performance
- Impact-driven: you want your work to have a tangible outcome for people and aren't satisfied by products that don't see the light of day
- A builder: you enjoy all aspects of building a complete product, are comfortable moving across the stack, and love problem-solving from first principles
- Comfortable with uncertainty: happy to tackle problems without a predefined solution, and excited to make decisions autonomously as you go
- A team player: you contribute your best work and actively help others do the same — you enjoy levelling up those around you
Experience requirements
- Strong full-stack engineering experience, with a particular strength in complex, high-performance frontend work
- Experience with 3D rendering, WebGL, or similar technologies for visualising spatial/sensor data is a strong plus
- Proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript; experience with React a plus
- Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (GCP preferred) and containerised deployment (Kubernetes)
- Experience in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or Physical AI is a plus
Tech stack
- Backend: Python
- Frontend: TypeScript and React
- Deployment: Kubernetes
- Infrastructure: GCP
- Machine learning: PyTorch, CUDA, Ray
Why Encord
- Competitive salary, commission, and meaningful equity in a high-growth startup
- Clear, accelerated growth opportunities as the company scales rapidly
- Strong in-person culture: 4–5 days/week in our newly launched North Beach loft office
- Flexible PTO to fully recharge
- 18 paid vacation days in the U.S. plus federal holidays
- Annual learning & development budget
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
- Frequent travel opportunities across the U.S., London, and Europe
- Bi-annual company offsites, twice-weekly team lunches, and monthly socials
Skills
PythonTypeScriptReactWebGLKubernetesGCPPyTorchCUDARay3D rendering