Software Engineer (Volunteer) — NVIDIA Jetson & ROS2 Data Pipeline

Engineering Cambridge, MA, USA Full-time Volunteer

Software Engineer (Volunteer) — NVIDIA Jetson & ROS2 Data Pipeline

Freaking Aliens | Remote (US-based, prefer MA) | Volunteer

We're looking for a Software Engineer to join our engineering team and help build the core data processing pipeline that powers our intelligent sensor nodes. You'll be working alongside other engineers and scientists, developing on NVIDIA Jetson hardware to refine and extend our edge AI system that:

  • Ingests data from multiple sensors (cameras, radar, environmental sensors, acoustics, etc.)
  • Synchronizes multi-sensor streams using precise time protocols
  • Processes and routes data through ROS2 for real-time detection, tracking, and identification
  • Delivers machine-readable intelligence to our unified perception network
  • Optimizes performance using NVIDIA's DeepStream SDK and GPU acceleration

With our MVP nearly ready, this is your opportunity to contribute to a functioning system, make critical technical decisions, and see your work deployed in sensor nodes around the world.

What You'll Be Working On

  • Sensor integration layer — Pull data from diverse sensors via I2C, SPI, UART, USB3, CSI, RTSP/ONVIF
  • ROS2 data pipeline — Design nodes and topics for multi-sensor synchronization and processing
  • Time synchronization — Implement PTP (IEEE 1588) and/or NTP for precise sensor alignment
  • Video processing — Leverage GStreamer and DeepStream SDK for real-time video ingestion and analysis
  • Containerized deployment — Package everything with Docker and NVIDIA Container Toolkit for reproducible deployments
  • Network integration — Connect edge nodes to our unified perception layer and backend systems

You'll contribute to this pipeline end-to-end, from raw sensor data to high-value machine-readable intelligence, working with existing code and extending it to meet new requirements.

What We're Looking For

Required

  • Strong software engineering fundamentals — You write clean, maintainable code and understand system architecture
  • Python and/or C++ — Comfortable in at least one, ideally both
  • Linux/Ubuntu experience — You can navigate the command line and understand system-level programming
  • Passion and drive — You're excited about building AI infrastructure and ready to dive in headfirst
  • Self-starter mentality — You don't wait to be told what to do; you see problems and solve them
  • Commitment — Full-time volunteer hours, flexible schedule

Strongly Preferred

  • ROS2 experience — You've built distributed robotic systems before
  • Embedded systems background — You understand hardware constraints and real-time processing
  • Sensor integration — You've worked with camera feeds, serial protocols, or industrial sensors
  • Experience with:
    • GStreamer for video pipeline management
    • NVIDIA DeepStream SDK or similar GPU-accelerated frameworks
    • Docker containerization
    • Time synchronization protocols (PTP/NTP)
    • DDS (Data Distribution Service) communication

If you don't have all the "preferred" skills, that's okay. We're looking for smart, motivated engineers who are eager to learn. If you have strong fundamentals and genuine enthusiasm, we'll help you bridge the gaps.

What We Offer

This is a volunteer position with significant upside:

  • Equity opportunity — Potential to become a paid employee with equity package as we scale beyond our pre-seed funding
  • Skill development — Grow your expertise in ROS2, embedded systems, AI edge computing, and multi-sensor integration
  • Real hardware access — We'll provide remote access to NVIDIA Jetson development hardware
  • Cutting-edge tech stack — Work with the latest in AI, robotics, and edge computing
  • Meaningful impact — Build the infrastructure that will power the autonomous future
  • Collaborative environment — Work alongside experienced engineers and scientists on a mission-driven team

We're a pre-seed startup building this company to last. Early team members who prove themselves will have the opportunity to grow into leadership roles with meaningful equity stakes.

Practical Details

  • Location: Remote, US-based (preference for Massachusetts)
  • Time commitment: Full-time volunteer hours, flexible schedule
  • Hardware: Remote access to NVIDIA Jetson provided (no need to purchase your own)
  • Start date: Immediately

Why Join Now?

We're at one of the most exciting stages of a startup — we have a near-functioning MVP and are raising our pre-seed round, but there's still unlimited room to shape the product, influence key technical decisions, and make an impact. You'll be joining early enough to define how this platform evolves while working with a foundation that's already proven.

As AI models become more capable and accessible, intelligence itself is becoming a commodity. The true differentiator is access to unique, real-time, real-world data. We're building that layer — and we need exceptional engineers to help us do it.

If you're the kind of person who wants to build infrastructure that matters, work with cutting-edge technology, and be part of a team building the essential utility for the autonomous world — we want to hear from you.

Let's build something incredible together.

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