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Talent@ Beta
Chef Robotics

Senior Software Engineer, Backend

Chef Robotics · Series A · Website
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Role Details

Location
San Francisco
Salary (est. USD)
~$119K - $187K (est. USD)

Estimated based on role seniority, company stage (Series A), and industry benchmarks. Actual compensation may vary.

How is this calculated?
Seniority band Senior / Lead
Base range $140K – $220K
Stage adjustment Series A (−15%)
Adjusted range $119K – $187K

Based on Web3 & AI industry compensation data. Seniority is inferred from role title keywords. Company stage affects ranges: early-stage (−15%), late-stage/public (+10%).

Department
Software
Type
Full-time
Vertical
Robotics

Job Description

Chef Robotics is accelerating the deployment of intelligent machines in the physical world, starting with food production—a sector facing the largest labor shortage in the U.S., with 1.14M unfilled jobs today and 3.1M projected by 2030. These roles cannot be offshored, making robotics essential to keeping production onshore and strengthening America’s manufacturing base. Backed by investors like Kleiner Perkins, Construct, Bloomberg Beta, and Promus Ventures, and supported by a world-class team from companies such as Cruise, Zoox, Google, Tesla, and Amazon Robotics, Chef is rapidly scaling with multiple multi-year contracts and a mission to put an intelligent robot in every commercial kitchen.



About the Role

As a Senior Software Engineer, Backend specializing in database architecture and AI systems, you'll lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of the robust backend services that power our robotics platform. You'll work at the intersection of data management, API development, and AI integration to build scalable solutions that support our robotics systems across customer deployments. This role requires expertise in database optimization, API framework implementation, and a deep understanding of how to architect systems that enable real-time robotics operations. As a senior engineer, you'll mentor team members and drive technical decision-making for backend infrastructure.

Database Architecture & Management

  • Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of database schemas to support robot operations, telemetry, recipe management, and system analytics
  • Develop robust data migration strategies and version control for database schema evolution
  • Implement efficient query optimization and indexing strategies to support high-throughput robot operations
  • Establish data integrity protocols and backup systems to ensure operational continuity across customer deployments
  • Create scalable data access layers that balance security, performance, and maintainability
  • Mentor team members on database design patterns and optimization techniques

    • API Development & System Integration

  • Lead the development and maintenance of scalable APIs to serve robot control systems, dashboards, and monitoring tools
  • Design and implement secure authentication and authorization mechanisms across backend services
  • Develop robust middleware for processing and validating data between robotics subsystems
  • Create service interfaces that enable efficient communication between robotics components and cloud services
  • Collaborate with frontend and robotics engineers to ensure cohesive integration of backend services
  • Establish API design standards and best practices for the engineering team

    • AI & Machine Learning Integration

  • Lead implementation of backend services that support machine learning pipelines for robot vision and motion planning
  • Develop sophisticated APIs for model deployment, monitoring, and version management across robotics fleets
  • Create efficient data storage and retrieval systems for training datasets and inference results
  • Design and implement systems to collect and process performance metrics from AI components
  • Collaborate with ML engineers to optimize data flow for training and inference processes
  • Drive architecture decisions for AI/ML infrastructure and scalability

    • System Reliability & Performance Leadership

  • Lead implementation of comprehensive logging, monitoring, and alerting for backend systems
  • Develop diagnostic tools and dashboards for operational visibility across distributed robotics deployments
  • Establish performance benchmarks and optimize systems to meet latency requirements for real-time operations
  • Implement fault-tolerant design patterns to ensure reliability in production environments
  • Create and maintain technical documentation for backend systems and mentor team on best practices
  • Drive technical initiatives for system scalability and performance optimization

    • Required Qualifications - Technical Expertise

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
  • 7+ years of professional experience in backend development roles with demonstrated leadership experience
  • Expert knowledge of relational databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL) including schema design, optimization, and administration
  • Strong proficiency with Python and JavaScript/TypeScript with advanced software engineering skills
  • Extensive experience leading projects with at least two web frameworks: Flask, FastAPI, Django, Node.js, or

    • About Chef Robotics

    AI-powered food assembly robots for commercial kitchens via Robotics-as-a-Service.

    View company profile

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