Full-Time

Head of Software

Posted on 3/4/2025

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 provides robotic solutions for the food industry, focusing on addressing labor shortages and high staff 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 the ability to adjust to different food production needs. The company's goal is to help food companies improve efficiency and cost savings while tackling the impending labor crisis in the sector.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$77M

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2019

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Raised $43M in Series A funding to scale AI-enabled robotics.
  • Partnership with Sunbasket increased production consistency by 25%.
  • Growing demand for AI-driven food production solutions benefits Chef Robotics.

What critics are saying

  • Increased competition from AI and robotics companies in the food industry.
  • Potential supply chain delays for robotic components.
  • Continuous R&D investment needed to keep up with technological advancements.

What makes Chef Robotics unique

  • Chef Robotics uses machine learning for flexible food production automation.
  • The company addresses labor shortages with adaptable robotic solutions.
  • Chef Robotics' robots can adapt to various tasks and environments.

Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-3%

1 year growth

-5%

2 year growth

1%
NewzChain
Apr 13th, 2025
Chef Robotics Raises $23M After Pivot

Chef Robotics raised $23M in Series A funding after pivoting from fast-casual restaurants to high-mix manufacturing, addressing labor shortages with flexible robots. The company, founded by Rajat Bhageria, has prepared 45M meals and secured marquee customers like Amy's Kitchen. Initially struggling with technical challenges, the pivot allowed them to gather real-world data. With $38.8M raised in total and a $26.75M loan from Silicon Valley Bank, Chef Robotics is set for further growth.

Silverwood Partners
Apr 10th, 2025
Chef Robotics raises $43.1M funding

Chef Robotics raised $43 million through debt and venture funding on March 31, 2025.

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

INACTIVE