Principal Solutions Architect – Robotics & Voice AI

Principal Solutions Architect – Robotics & Voice

Location: California Bay Area

Voice AI is reshaping how robots work in the real world, and we are responding to a deep unmet need: giving mobile service robots a voice that holds up against the demands of latency, patchy connectivity, and noisy, unpredictable environments. This is about opening new markets from the ground up. To do it, we are bringing together a team that combines the top commercial and technical talent, with the domain expertise these markets demand. The pace is fast, the technology is new and exciting, and your work moves the business.

Your Impact

• Engage senior technical decision-makers at robotics companies building the next generation of physical AI in mobile and service robotics, from startups to mid-sized players to established names.
• Own the technical core of every opportunity: understand how our voice solution runs on the customer’s hardware, design how it fits, and work through the hard questions that keep a deal moving.
• Clear the technical roadblocks between interest and a signed deal, turning evaluations into commitments.
• Work hand in hand with sales, product, and professional services, translating what you learn in the field into how we sell, deliver, and build.
• Shape the product itself, feeding real customer hardware and conditions back into what we build next.

Why Join the Team

• You get in early on a market about to scale, and help define how voice for mobile service robots is won.
• This is a new business, so you help shape the solution itself. How it works in the real world, on real customer hardware, is still being defined, in large part by you.
• You bring the autonomy of a start-up and the credibility of an established company to every conversation, with the capital, customer relationships, technology, and brand behind you.
• Decisions come fast, obstacles get cleared, and you hold real authority over your part of the business.
• Your impact is rewarded directly, with real financial upside tied to the deals you support.

What You Bring

• A background in computer science, software engineering, or a related engineering discipline, built through hands-on development or a solutions or sales-engineering role, with the ambition to take on more ownership and work closer to the customer.
• Understanding of the robotics software stack — middleware/robot OS (ROS 2, vendor SDKs), the autonomy stack (perception, SLAM-based navigation/Nav2, MoveIt 2 manipulation), the intelligence layer (foundation models, agentic orchestration), and fleet operations & integration (RobOps platforms, VDA 5050, ERP/WMS)
• Working knowledge of the underlying robotics hardware — onboard compute, sensor suites, actuation and end-effectors, power and charging/docking systems, and the robot platforms
• Experience with technical evaluation, POCs delivery. proof of value engagements, onboarding and post-sales hand-off 
• Proficiency in working with cloud-edge hybrid architectures and embedded systems
• A strong communicator who enjoys going deep on technology, holds conversation with engineering teams, and stays structured and credible with senior stakeholders.
• A natural collaborator who works closely with sales, product, and professional services teams.
• Regular travel to customer sites (20%-30%)

Education & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Software Engineering, AI, or a related discipline. 

What we offer 

• We offer a generous compensation and benefits package (in addition to the base salary), including: 
• Salary range $119,350.00 USD - $190,650.00 USD  It is not typical for offers to be made at or near the top of the range. The actual salary will be determined based on experience and other job-related factors. 
• Annual bonus opportunity 
• Insurance coverage (medical, dental, vision, life, and disability) 
• Paid time off 
• Paid holidays 
• Company contribution to the 401(k) plan 
• Equity awards for certain positions and levels 
• Remote and/or hybrid work available depending on the position   All compensation and benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of the underlying plans or programs, as applicable, and may be amended, terminated, or replaced from time to time. 

Cerence Inc. (Nasdaq: CRNC and www.cerence.com) is the global industry leader in creating unique, moving experiences for the automotive world. Spun out from Nuance in October 2019, Cerence is a new, independent company that has quickly gained traction as a leader in the automotive voice assistant space, working with all of the world’s leading automakers – from Ford and Fiat Chrysler to Daimler, Audi and BMW to Geely and SAIC – to transform how a car feels, responds and learns. Its track record is built on more than 20 years of industry experience and leadership and more than 500 million cars on the road today across more than 70 languages.  

As Cerence looks to the future and continues an ambitious growth agenda, we need someone to join the team and help build the future of voice and AI in cars. This is an exciting opportunity to join Cerence’s passionate, dedicated, global team and be a part of meaningful innovation in a rapidly growing industry. 

Cerence is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sex, sex stereotyping, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, protected military or veteran status, genetic information and other protected classifications. Cerence Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

All prospective and current Employees need to remain vigilant when it comes to executing security policies in the workplace. This includes:

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- Encouraging to follow a zero tolerance for workplace violence.

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- Demonstrative knowledge of information security through internal training programs.