ANT Maschinen GmbH develops fully electric, unmanned heavy-duty towing robots for closed environments such as ports, logistics hubs, and automated logistic yards. Our vehicles combine robust industrial hardware with modern autonomy and fleet-level software, developed partly in-house and partly together with specialised external partners.

We are looking for a hands-on robotics software engineer who will act as our in-house technical counterpart and software owner for autonomy-related systems. The role focuses on understanding, integrating, and technically guiding software developed together with partners, while gradually building internal software know-how.

Tasks

Act as the technical owner of the higher-level robotics software stack (above PLC and hardware layers)
Coordinate and technically review autonomy-related software developed by external partners
Translate system-level requirements (vehicle behaviour, interfaces, safety concepts) into clear software requirements
Review architectures, interfaces, and design decisions proposed by partners
Support integration of autonomy, navigation, and fleet-level software with real vehicles
Perform hands-on testing, commissioning, and validation on the robots (including connecting to vehicles, deploying software, and on-site troubleshooting)
Contribute to the gradual transition from externally developed software towards internal solutions, where technically and economically sensible
Help avoid unnecessary complexity, vendor lock-in, and black-box dependencies

Requirements

Practical experience with robotics or autonomous systems software
Working knowledge of ROS2 and common robotics software architectures
Ability to read, understand, and assess other people’s code and system designs
Experience working at the interface between software and physical systems
Confidence communicating with external software partners and internal engineering teams
Structured, pragmatic engineering mindset suitable for industrial environments
Willingness to work regularly on-site with real machines in the Dortmund / NRW area (hybrid work possible)

Nice to have:

Familiarity with VDA 5050
Experience with Autoware or comparable autonomy frameworks
Exposure to fleet management or vehicle coordination systems
Background in industrial, logistics, or mobile robotics

Benefits

Hands-on work with real autonomous machines in operation
Direct influence on software architecture and technical decisions
Close collaboration with experienced hardware, PLC, and systems engineers
Opportunity to build long-term internal software competence from an early stage
Exposure to European academic and research collaborations in robotics and autonomy

If you are interested in working on real autonomous machines and shaping how software is integrated and owned in an industrial robotics product, we would be happy to hear from you.

Please apply with your CV or a short professional profile. The hiring process typically consists of an initial technical discussion, followed by a more detailed exchange focused on system understanding and practical experience.

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