Full-Time

Head of Software

Confirmed live in the last 24 hours

Chef Robotics

Chef Robotics

51-200 employees

Robotic solutions for food production automation

Compensation Overview

$185k - $300k/yr

Expert

San Francisco, CA, USA

Candidates are required to work onsite at the office five days a week.

Category
Embedded Engineering
Software QA & Testing
Software Engineering
Required Skills
Machine Learning
Computer Vision
Requirements
  • Degree in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or equivalent industry experience that demonstrates comparable expertise.
  • Over 10 years of hands-on production engineering experience, including roles as a technical lead, manager, or director with responsibility for software on hardware-based products.
  • Proven experience managing managers and overseeing multi-tiered engineering teams.
  • Demonstrated success in leading and scaling engineering teams at various levels.
  • A track record of successfully launching and scaling at least two products to market.
  • Expertise in developing and deploying production-level software systems.
  • In-depth understanding of key domains in robotics, including but not limited to: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Perception and Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Robotic Motion Planning and Control, Cloud Infrastructure.
Responsibilities
  • Lead, grow, and scale the Software/Autonomy team, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence.
  • Drive the development and scalability of Chef’s autonomy stack to ensure reliable performance around key metrics like uptime and utilization across hundreds of deployed units.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with hardware, product, and operations teams to align software initiatives with company goals and deliver results.
  • Set clear and achievable project timelines and ensure consistent execution and on-time delivery.
  • Mentor, coach, and develop engineering talent, creating pathways for team growth and individual success.
  • Ensure Chef robots achieve and maintain high performance and reliability in the field, addressing challenges proactively.
  • Define and execute the technical vision and roadmap for Chef’s software and autonomy stack, aligning it with broader business objectives.
  • Serve as a key member of the leadership team, contributing to the company’s strategy, culture, and overall success.
  • Recruit, onboard, and retain top-tier engineering talent to build a world-class software team.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience scaling software deployed on hardware devices is preferred.

Chef Robotics develops robotic solutions for the food industry, focusing on addressing labor shortages and high turnover rates faced by food companies. Their robots utilize machine learning to adapt to various tasks and environments, allowing for increased production volume and reduced waste. This flexibility sets Chef Robotics apart from traditional automation methods, which often lack adaptability. The company's goal is to help food companies improve efficiency and potentially prevent food shortages in the U.S. by providing versatile robotic solutions that can be easily integrated into existing production processes.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Debt Financing

Total Funding

$77M

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2019

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Chef Robotics raised $43M to scale AI-enabled robotics in meal assembly.
  • Partnerships with companies like Sunbasket improve production consistency and throughput.
  • Growing demand for contactless food preparation boosts Chef Robotics' market potential.

What critics are saying

  • Increased competition from AI and robotics companies threatens market share.
  • Potential backlash from labor unions could lead to regulatory challenges.
  • Supply chain vulnerabilities may delay robotic system production and deployment.

What makes Chef Robotics unique

  • Chef Robotics offers flexible robotics tailored for the food industry's unique challenges.
  • The company uses machine learning to adapt robots to various food production tasks.
  • Chef Robotics addresses labor shortages with innovative automation solutions.

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Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-1%

1 year growth

-3%

2 year growth

3%
Business Insider
Apr 4th, 2025
We got an exclusive look at the pitch deck that landed this AI robotics startup $20.6 million in funding

To that point, Chef, as part of its funding round, announced it received $22.5 million in equipment financing from Silicon Valley Bank, which will be used to continue building out the company's hardware.

Fast Casual
Apr 2nd, 2025
What Chef Robotics' $43M funding means for fast casual automation

Since Sunbasket, a healthy meal delivery company, partnered with Chef Robotics in 2022, it has displaced 10% of production staff and increased consistency by 25% and throughput by 17%.

Chef Robotics
Apr 2nd, 2025
Chef Robotics | Blog | We’ve Raised a $43.1M Series A to Accelerate Our AI-Enabled Robot Deployments

The infusion of funds will enable Chef to further scale customer deployments and build out go-to-market functions

FEI
Apr 1st, 2025
Chef Robotics secures £43M Series A funding to expand AI-enabled meal production

Chef Robotics secures £43M Series A funding to expand AI-enabled meal production.

AgFunder News
Mar 31st, 2025
Breaking: Chef Robotics raises $43m Series A to scale AI-enabled robotics in meal assembly

Chef Robotics has found its sweet spot with companies that have a certain level of complexity, but a meaningful level of throughput.