Development Engineer Jobs in Philadelphia, PA
Development Engineer jobs in Philadelphia are concentrated in the Navy Yard, University City, and Center City corridors, with strong demand in defense, pharmaceuticals, and advanced manufacturing. Employers hiring right now include Comcast, Esri, and Burro. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Burro is the leading robotics company in the world by number of robots working outdoors in the field with real customers. Our mission is to free people from tedious work and solve the critical labor shortages faced by farmers and others that work outdoors.
To accomplish our mission, we need a world-class, diverse team where everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas. With this in mind, we strive to create a work environment where every employee can be themselves and express their perspective – this enables us to deliver the most creative and innovative solutions to problems our customers face.
Headquartered in Philadelphia with an office in central California, and backed by top Agtech and autonomy investors, including S2G, Catalyst, Translink, Cibus, FPrime, Toyota Ventures, FFVC, Xplorer, and Radicle, Burro was created to solve the labor shortages facing farmers using robotics.
Burros can be described as Disney's Wall-E for agriculture and work outdoors, in a 1.0 format. They function, today, as computer vision based autonomous ground vehicles for carrying, towing, and scouting, and are designed to lay the base for the fully autonomous future of work outdoors. We have a growing triple digit fleet deployed in paid commercial use within vineyards, nurseries, berries, and beyond, and demand for our product is accelerating, so we are growing our team.
Reporting to the Director of Software Platform & Integration, we are seeking a highly motivated Senior Software Development Engineer in Test with experience in robotics and autonomous systems to join our team. In this role, you will play a crucial part in ensuring the quality and reliability of our robotics software, working closely with our User Acceptance Testing, Infrastructure, and Engineering teams to ensure seamless development, testing, simulation, and deployment workflows, and helping to design, build, and deploy cutting-edge agricultural and industrial autonomous robots.
We are looking for a teammate who shares our enthusiasm for working with collaborative robots made to handle the tedious and physically demanding parts of agricultural work, has a passion for delivering a high-quality end-to-end user experience, and maintains a collaborative attitude that supports and uplifts everyone they work with.
Responsibilities:
- Extend and maintain simulation-based testing frameworks with Isaac and Gazebo, creating scenarios for our virtual fleet in industrial and agricultural environments.
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Create and maintain ROS-based testing frameworks for C++ and Python robotics software applications, including functional, regression, integration, performance, acceptance, and stress testing on amd64 robotic platforms in both simulated and real-world environments.
- Develop and execute comprehensive test plans, test cases, and test scripts to validate software functionality and performance across robotic systems, including embedded software, and cloud-based services.
- Drive the integration of QA processes into continuous integration, deployment, and testing (CI/CD/CT) pipelines, ensuring consistency and reliability.
- Build and maintain internal tools and dashboards to monitor the health and performance of testing systems, collaborating with the Platform team on shared monitoring infrastructure to provide critical insights.
- Identify, document, and track software defects and bugs, working closely with development teams for efficient resolution.
- Support field testing and validation of autonomous systems in agricultural and industrial settings.
- Collaborate effectively with engineering, product, and other cross-functional teams to understand product requirements and specifications, to define and validate user acceptance criteria, and to provide timely feedback.
- Advocate for overall product quality and promote best practices across the engineering organization.
- Conduct periodic on-site physical testing of robots (a few days per month), involving physical activity and requiring year-round presence at both the Philadelphia office and the outdoor Phoenixville test farm. Serve as backup for the User Acceptance Technician as needed.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
- 3+ years of experience in Quality Assurance or test engineering, preferably in robotics, embedded systems, or autonomous systems.
- Strong experience designing and implementing software testing methodologies, including unit, integration, system, and acceptance testing.
- Exceptional problem-solving skills and a keen attention to detail.
- Experience with robotic simulation tools such as NVIDIA Isaac or Gazebo.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills to work effectively within a dynamic team environment.
- Familiarity with ROS (Robot Operating System) or similar robotics middleware.
- Proficiency in Python, Typescript/Javascript, C++, and shell scripting for test automation.
- Proficiency with Linux-based development environments.
- Proficiency with version control systems (e.g., Git).
- Experience with CI/CD tools such as GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or GitLab CI.
- Experience robustly testing robotic software systems in simulation and data-replay settings that may not be deterministic.
- Experience working with 3D assets as used in simulation software.
- Knowledge of computer vision and machine learning testing practices.
- Familiarity with safety standards and compliance testing for autonomous systems.
- Experience testing hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and software-in-the-loop (SIL) systems.
- A background in agricultural technology, industrial automation, or outdoor robotics.
Perks:
Competitive salary and benefits package (medical/dental/vision)
Early-Stage Equity
401K Plan
Unlimited PTO
Paid parental leave
See All 98 Development Engineer Jobs in Philadelphia
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Find Development Engineer JobsDevelopment Engineer Job Market in Philadelphia
Who's Hiring
- Comcast25

- Esri8

- Burro8

- Bohler8

- Augean Robotics8

Top Industries Hiring
- Government & Public Sector
- Consulting & Professional Services
Development Engineer Jobs in Philadelphia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a development engineer job in Philadelphia?
Target Philadelphia's defense contractors in the Navy Yard, pharmaceutical and biotech firms along the I-76 corridor, and advanced manufacturing companies in the surrounding Delaware Valley region. Roles in product development and process engineering see the steadiest local demand. Candidates with hands-on prototyping experience, familiarity with regulated industries such as medical devices or defense, and connections through programs at Drexel or Penn tend to move faster through the hiring process here.
Which companies hire development engineers in Philadelphia?
Employers hiring development engineers in Philadelphia right now include Comcast, Esri, and Burro, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Philadelphia's mix of large defense primes, specialty chemical producers, and growing biotech firms means openings exist at both enterprise and mid-size employers across the region.
Are there remote development engineer jobs in Philadelphia?
Yes, though remote availability is limited for hands-on development engineering roles that require lab access, prototyping equipment, or on-site collaboration. About 0% of development engineer openings tied to Philadelphia are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with hybrid arrangements more common than fully remote. Software-side development engineering and analytical or simulation-heavy roles within Philadelphia's tech and pharma sectors are the most likely to offer flexible location arrangements.
How can I get a development engineer job in Philadelphia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in Philadelphia is through co-op programs at Drexel University or internships at the Navy Yard's defense and advanced manufacturing tenants, which regularly hire students and recent graduates. Entry-level titles such as junior development engineer, process engineer associate, or product development technician are common starting points at mid-size manufacturers and contract research organizations in the Delaware Valley. A portfolio of project work, even from coursework, gives candidates a clear edge.
Which industries hire the most development engineers in Philadelphia?
Most development engineer openings in Philadelphia sit in Government & Public Sector and Consulting & Professional Services, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Philadelphia's legacy as a hub for defense manufacturing, life sciences research, and specialty chemicals means these sectors consistently drive the largest share of local development engineering demand.
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