Robotics Software Engineer

Company Description

At Lely, we believe in achieving a sustainable, profitable and agreeable future for dairy farmers by combining robotisation, engineering and farming expertise.

It all started with a dream cherished by two brothers in Maassluis 75 years ago, and ever since, we have worked to become innovative market leaders in automated systems for dairy farmers across the globe. With a team of 2,500 professional specialists, we work constantly to bring about revolutionary solutions for the agro industry. We are based at our Maassluis Campus, a building which features the highest sustainability performance possible, not just in the Netherlands, but on a global scale. Our overall objective: making dairy farming interesting, also for the coming generations.

Job Description

Our mission is to enable farmers to work more efficiently, enjoyably, and sustainably. By developing software for advanced robotics, you contribute directly to animal welfare, food quality, and the future of sustainable agriculture.
When you join us, you help create innovations that have a meaningful impact on farms worldwide and improve the safety, efficiency, and well-being of both farmers and animals.

As a Robotics Software Engineer, you will play a direct role in advancing our autonomous agricultural robots that are transforming dairy farming. You will join a multidisciplinary team of robotics, software, systems, electronics, and mechanical engineers working on robots that operate in real-world farm environments. Your primary focus will be on robot simulation, system validation, testing infrastructure, and software quality, ensuring that our autonomous systems perform reliably before they reach the field. At the same time, you'll contribute to the future of our autonomy stack, helping shape capabilities such as navigation, motion planning, and intelligent robot behavior.

We are looking for someone who thrives on collaboration, enjoys taking responsibility, and gets excited about building practical robotics solutions with societal value.

Your main responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain simulation environments that accelerate robotics development and validation.
• Design and build automated test frameworks, system-level validation pipelines, and CI/CD workflows for robotics software.
• Develop tools that enable faster integration, debugging, performance analysis, and regression testing.
• Drive software quality through code reviews, automated testing, and engineering best practices.
• Help define the future of our autonomy stack, contributing to areas such as navigation, path planning, motion control, and robot behavior.
• Take ownership of technical solutions from concept through deployment on real robots.

Qualifications

We are looking for someone with a broad interest in robotics who feels comfortable in an environment where learning and collaboration are central. You enjoy working on solutions that are both technically strong and practically applicable.

If you recognize yourself in most of the points below, we encourage you to apply:

• A bachelor's or master's degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a similar field.
• Experience with Embedded Linux, Git, and C++.
• Robot simulation environments (Gazebo, Isaac Sim, Webots, or similar).
• CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices for robotics software.
• A system-wide perspective when analyzing and solving problems.
• Openness to feedback, curiosity about new ideas, and motivation to keep learning
• Comfortable asking questions, expressing concerns, and contributing to a supportive team environment.

Additional Information

Working at Lely means contributing to sustainable progress within one of the most innovative organizations in the Netherlands. You help make the agricultural sector future-proof. We make sure you have the space, resources, and support you need to grow and do your best work.

• An international environment where collaboration, initiative, and diverse perspectives are valued
• A culture that encourages learning, experimentation, and ownership of ideas.
• Excellent working conditions, including up to 8 weeks of vacation per year and a good pension scheme.
• A full-time salary scale with room for growth:
  - Junior developers: €4,200 – €6,000 gross per month
  - Medior developers: €5,000 – €7,100 gross per month
• Moreover, we love to celebrate. Whether it's an anniversary or our Christmas party, at Lely, we know how to celebrate! For a feel of the atmosphere, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WA3e0WHbxE
• Control over your own development, with access to a wide range of courses through the Lely Academy
• Daily access to excellent sports facilities on the Lely Campus: an indoor gym, outdoor padel courts, basketball and volleyball courts, table tennis, and table soccer. You can join Hyrox workouts or sign up for personal training - and challenge your colleagues during an active break.
• Fresh coffee and tea from our own barista (with milk from our farm) and a healthy, affordable company restaurant

Work-life balance

• A healthy work-life balance thanks to our hybrid work policy: you work at least three days a week on Campus, with flexible working hours and plenty of room to spend extra time on site (between 06:00 and 20:00).
• A free shuttle bus will take you to and from the metro in Maassluis, so your workday starts and ends smoothly.
• Moreover, we love to celebrate. Whether it's an anniversary or our Christmas party, at Lely, we know how to celebrate! For a feel of the atmosphere, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WA3e0WHbxE

We are also proud that our efforts and vision have been rewarded by winning the Rotterdam Entrepreneur Award 2025!

Recruitment & Selection Agencies

We appreciate your interest, but we recruit all candidates directly. All unsolicited profiles submitted for Lely vacancies will be treated as direct applications.