Principal Solutions Architect – Robotics & Voice AI

AI That Moves the World. Careers That Move You Forward . At Cerence AI, you’ll help transform advanced AI into trusted, real-world solutions that make complex technology – think vehicles, robots, smart manufacturing, and emerging intelligent devices – more natural, reliable, and useful. Building on decades of innovation and global deployment in automotive, we are extending our expertise into new products, markets, and intelligent systems.

As part of our global team, you’ll work alongside leading innovators, researchers, engineers, and business leaders to solve meaningful challenges and turn breakthrough ideas into technology people use every day. You’ll have the opportunity to make a visible impact, help shape Cerence AI’s next chapter, and move your own career forward.

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 AI (NASDAQ: CRNC) helps people and intelligent systems work together naturally and reliably. Proven at global scale in automotive, Cerence provides the trusted interaction and action layer connecting people, machines, and intelligent systems. Its AI platform enables natural interaction and dependable action across complex real-world environments where reliability, safety, security, and performance are critical. Working with customers and partners worldwide, Cerence transforms advanced AI into trusted solutions that bridge the gap between AI potential and real-world performance.

For more information, visit www.cerence.ai .

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

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:

- Following workplace security protocols and training programs to familiarize with the ways to maintain a safe workplace. - Following security procedures to report any suspicious activity. - Having respect for corporate security procedures to allow those procedures to be effective. - Adhering to company's compliance and regulations. - Encouraging to follow a zero tolerance for workplace violence.

- Basic knowledge of information security and data privacy requirements (e.g., how to protect data & how to be handling this data).

- Demonstrative knowledge of information security through internal training programs.