Senior Software Engineer - Team Lead Robotics (autonomy)

About SGL

At SGL, we do not just grow grass; we help grounds teams create the perfect pitch for the world’s biggest sports stadiums. Since developing our revolutionary turf optimisation system in 2002, we have become the market leader in sports turf technology, supporting grounds teams in over 600 stadiums worldwide. Our technology helps the teams responsible for the quality of the playing surface grow and maintain world-class turf. We do this through innovations such as high-tech grow lighting systems, smart data monitoring tools, and sustainable grass disease management solutions, such as our autonomous UVC robot. With an international team of more than 70 passionate specialists, we continue to push the boundaries of professional sports turf innovation.

SGL as an employer

Working at SGL means playing in the Champions League. Our team thrives in an informal culture where collaboration, innovation, passion and personal development go hand in hand. We encourage learning, sharing ideas, and taking ownership of your work, so every team member can make an impact. Great work comes from great teams – from Friday drinks and table tennis to team outings that bring colleagues from across the globe together, we make sure there is plenty of fun and connection. At SGL, teams bond in ways that matter to them!

The position

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will take ownership of the robotics software that enables reliable autonomous operation in the field. You are the “playing captain” of the team, with roughly a 70/30 split between hands-on C++ engineering and team leadership/mentoring.

You will work closely with mechanical, electrical, embedded, and cloud teams to deliver production-ready autonomy—not just demos. Your work will have a direct impact on how safely, consistently, and efficiently our robots operate at customer sites.

Key responsibilities

• Lead & Mentor: Lead a small team of engineers, balancing capacity planning and sprint goals without losing the human touch. Establish and uphold engineering best practices, including testing strategies, code reviews, and CI quality gates.
• Build: Design and evolve highly reliable autonomous behavior in C++, including the simulation tooling required for validation.
• Architect: Own the full software lifecycle: from architecture and implementation to testing, integration, and release readiness
• Bridge: Act as the technical bridge between your team and product management, translating functional requirements into technical roadmaps.
• Solve: Improve system reliability through a pragmatic, data-driven approach, leveraging fault analysis, root-cause remediation, and field learnings.

Your profile

We are looking for a team player who brings real value to our team team. Our work culture is open, informal, and friendly—even when working under tight deadlines. We need someone who is proactive, adaptable, and has a practical and pragmatic mindset, with a passion for technology and/or sports.

Your qualifications

• Experience: 8+ years of relevant software development experience, with an emphasis on depth and impact over tenure alone.
• Education: BSc or MSc in Computer Science, Systems & Control, Robotics, or equivalent.
• Tech Stack: Deep experience with Modern C++ (17 and up) in production environments and strong systems engineering instincts and familiarity with Embedded Linux / Yocto, ROS2, SLAM, localization (GPS/Lidar).
• Leadership: 3+ years experience leading technical teams. You are familiar with Agile/Scrum, but you value individuals and interactions over rigid processes.
• Quality Mindset: A track record of building testable software (unit/integration testing, automation, CI mindset).
• Debugging: Strong skills in performance profiling, memory management, and solving hard-to-reproduce bugs in complex hardware/software systems.
• Preferred skills
  • Safety-oriented design.
  • Simulation workflows (Gazebo or similar)
  • AWS IoT Core and device connectivity patterns.

What we offer

At SGL, you’ll join an ambitious team in a dynamic international work environment, developing innovative and unique products used worldwide. This is a role with high responsibility, room for personal growth, and a great working atmosphere.

Our benefits

• A challenging international working environment.
• A versatile role in a young and ambitious team.
• Plenty of responsibility, initiative.
• A competitive salary.
• Bonus structure; the amount is determined based on your personal goals. A standard score of 7 corresponds to a 9% bonus, provided that the company objectives are met.
• 25 vacation days per year.
• Pension scheme.
• Travel allowance. (23ct per km)
• Telephone allowance.
• Home office allowance.
• Work-related training courses to develop skills.
• Healthy work-life balance. Corporate fitness program.
• Fun and team-oriented environment. Hackathons, padel matches, dinners, visiting football games.

We strongly value personal development, and you will have the opportunity to take job-related training to improve your skills and help elevate our the team.

And of course, work should also be enjoyable! That’s why we have fun traditions like ‘Patatdag’ on Fridays, plus regular team bonding activities. Each department receives a budget for team events, so whether it’s a hackathon, a padel match, a dinner, or a football game, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to connect with your colleagues.

Interested?

Would you like more information? Please contact Diederick at 06 103 050 94

Interested? Send us your CV and motivation letter (optional) at hiring@sglsystem.com. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Acquisition in response to this job posting is not appreciated.