Head of Technology - Applied Robotics

Confidential Careers; Dubai; On-site; AED 550,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential Careers is seeking a Head of Technology for its Applied Robotics Research Centre in Dubai. This senior role owns the technology roadmap, unifying manipulation, autonomy, perception, and systems integration into field-ready systems.

This hands-on authority leads architecture reviews, integration work, and code, not mere oversight. You will mentor senior engineers and help hire top robotics talent while pursuing IP and partnerships for commercialisation.

Qualifications

• PhD in robotics, autonomous systems, mechatronics, computer science (robotics focus) or closely related field.
• 15+ years of progressive robotics R&D across academic and industrial settings.
• Robust track record of robotic systems deployed in real environments, not just demonstrations.
• Hands-on competence with ROS/ROS 2, simulation environments and CI/CD for robotic systems.
• Strong publication record with patents, deployed systems or commercial outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver the centre-wide technology roadmap with the Director, translating progress into system readiness and TRL milestones.
• Resolve cross-programme technical blockers like sensor-actuator integration and real-time perception pipelines.
• Set engineering standards for software architecture, data management, simulation, and hardware-software interfaces.
• Own end-to-end systems integration, deployment Design-of-Experiment scenarios, and testing protocols for deployment readiness.
• Champion an impact-first culture: capture and protect IP, and work with industry partners on commercialisation and spin-offs.
• Mentor senior engineers and technical leads, and assist in hiring world-class applied robotics talent.

Skills

Robotics R&D leadership

Systems integration

CI/CD for robotics

Edge/cloud integration

Education

PhD in robotics or related field

Tools

ROS/ROS 2

Simulation environments

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

Head of Technology, Applied Robotics Research Centre | Dubai, UAE

A well-funded, internationally connected applied robotics research centre in Dubai is hiring its most senior technical authority. This is a confidential search.

The role

The centre's mission is to turn world-class research into robots that work in the real world. As Head of Technology, you will own the technology roadmap and make sure work across manipulation, social robotics, autonomy, perception and systems integration converges into field-ready systems rather than siloed academic outputs.

This is a hands-on role. You'll be in the architecture reviews, the integration problems and the code, not directing from a distance.

What you'll do

• Define and deliver the centre-wide technology roadmap with the Director, and translate research progress into clear system-readiness and TRL milestones.
• Resolve cross-programme technical blockers such as sensor-actuator integration, real-time perception pipelines, human-robot interaction stacks, multi-robot coordination and edge-cloud partitioning.
• Set engineering standards for software architecture, data management, simulation (including Real2Sim2Real) and hardware-software interfaces.
• Own end-to-end systems integration, deployment Design-of-Experiment scenarios, and the testing protocols and acceptance criteria that prove deployment readiness.
• Champion an impact-first culture: capture and protect IP, and work with industry partners on commercialisation, licensing and spin-offs.
• Mentor senior engineers and technical leads, and help hire world-class applied robotics talent.

What you bring

• A PhD in robotics, autonomous systems, mechatronics, computer science (robotics focus) or a closely related field.
• 15+ years of progressive robotics R&D across academic and industrial settings.
• A proven record of robotic systems that were commercialised or deployed in real operational environments. Lab demonstrations alone are not enough.
• Deep expertise in at least three of: manipulation, autonomous navigation and planning, perception and sensor fusion, social/service robotics and HRI, and real-time systems integration.
• Experience leading R&D or product programmes, including budget, timeline and technical risk.
• Hands-on competence with ROS/ROS 2, simulation environments and CI/CD for robotic systems.
• A strong publication record, backed by patents, deployed systems or commercial outcomes.

Also valued:

cloud-robotics, edge or fleet-management experience; knowledge of safety and regulatory frameworks for autonomous systems; Gulf/MENA experience; success securing competitive or industry-sponsored research funding; technology transfer or spin-off experience.

We welcome applicants of all backgrounds.

Emiratisation candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.