Job Description
Who we are:
Formic is on a mission to reshape American manufacturing by making automation accessible to every factory. As labor constraints rise, costs increase, and global competition intensifies, automation is no longer optional for manufacturers that want to stay competitive.
We deliver automation through a Robotics-as-a-Service model that combines industrial robotics, proprietary software, and full-service support into a single, integrated solution. By removing the traditional barriers of cost, complexity, and risk, we enable manufacturers to deploy automation quickly and realize measurable gains in throughput, safety, and operational efficiency without large upfront capital investment.
Backed by leading investors including Lux Capital, Initialized Capital, Blackhorn Ventures, and Mitsubishi HC Capital North America, Formic is scaling rapidly and building the foundation for a new era of high-performance, Made in America production.
About the team:
The Software Engineering Team builds and operates the systems that power Formic’s Robotics-as-a-Service platform. The team develops the monitoring, provisioning, and data infrastructure that enables real-time visibility across a growing fleet of deployed industrial robotic systems. Engineering works to ensure systems are observable, resilient, and remotely diagnosable at scale. The focus is on building production-grade edge and cloud systems that support reliable data collection, remote troubleshooting, live video streaming, and continuous system improvement. The team’s work directly impacts fleet uptime, service efficiency, and customer outcomes by ensuring Formic’s monitoring infrastructure is scalable, reliable, and continuously evolving.
About this role:
As a Full Stack Software Engineer focused on Monitoring Infrastructure, you will help design, build, and scale Formic’s end-to-end monitoring stack for industrial robotic systems. You will work across edge and cloud environments to enable system provisioning, telemetry collection, remote diagnostics, and real-time fleet visibility. This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys distributed systems, production reliability, and solving real-world problems that directly impact uptime and customer outcomes.
In this role you will:
- Contribute to the design and development of Formic’s end-to-end monitoring stack
- Build systems that support provisioning, data collection, and remote troubleshooting
- Work closely with the Robotics team to understand and design monitoring interfaces
- Develop software across edge and cloud environments to enable robust data collection and processing
- Troubleshoot monitoring and data collection issues on deployed systems
- Provision and maintain cloud infrastructure as needed
- Write unit and integration tests to ensure reliability and maintainability
- Participate in Scrum ceremonies and code reviews
What makes you a great fit:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience
- 5+ years of experience building complex distributed systems in domains such as IoT, robotics, automotive, or similar
- Strong proficiency in Python and Django
- Deep understanding of Linux-based systems
- Experience with AWS, ideally AWS IoT
- Familiarity with observability tools such as Grafana, Datadog, or similar
- Experience working with video streaming systems
- Experience with React or other front-end technologies strongly preferred
- Located in or willing to relocate to the Chicago, IL (Woodridge) or San Francisco, CA (Oakland) areas and able to work in a hybrid environment (3+ days per week)
What we look for:
We’re building this company from the ground up, and every person we hire has an outsized impact on our culture, performance, and trajectory. While each team member brings unique strengths and perspectives, we look for people who align with our Operating Principles and embody them in action. If this sounds like you, Formic may be the right place for you!
- Fearless Optimism: You make bold bets and default optimistic. You believe in the mission, aren’t paralyzed by risk, and fear inaction more than failure. You see ambiguity as opportunity and bring energy to building what doesn’t yet exist.
- Create the Magic: You absorb complexity so customers don’t have to. Whether your customer is external or internal, you focus on delivering experiences that are clear, fast, value-added, and outcome-driven. You don’t say “not my job.” You make things work.
- Today, Not Tomorrow: You have a bias to action. You close the loop. You take extreme ownership. You understand that speed compounds, and you don’t confuse activity with results.
- Seek Truth: You think from first principles. You value data over ego and strong opinions loosely held. You’re willing to challenge assumptions, including your own, in pursuit of the best answer.
- Made of Rubber: You are resolute and adaptable. When things break or priorities shift, you rebound stronger. You treat setbacks as learning moments and move forward with grit.
- One Formic: You operate without silos. You practice radical helpfulness, document clearly, and make clean handoffs. You assume positive intent and prioritize team success over individual credit.
Equal Opportunity Employment:
Formic is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or religious creed, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, family or parental status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. All employment decisions are based on a person’s merit, business needs, and role requirements. If you require further accommodations or have questions regarding accessibility of our roles, please reach out to [email protected].
AI Use:
At Formic, fairness and transparency are at the heart of our hiring process. We use AI-powered tools in some interviews to help our teams evaluate candidate responses, but all final hiring decisions are made by humans. You can learn more about how AI is used in our recruitment process by reviewing our AI Hiring Disclosure linked here.
