Senior Robotics/Automation Engineer - Technical Lead

Arlec; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Arlec's Advanced Robotics team in Australia seeks a hands-on Senior Robotics/Automation Engineer - Technical Lead to own technical delivery, mentor engineers and translate innovative tech into practical customer solutions.

You will lead software development, system integration and autonomous capabilities, guide design from concept to deployment, and drive improvements across projects while working closely with customers and internal teams.

Qualifications

• Hands-on robotics engineering experience.
• Proficient with ROS/ROS 2, Python and C++.
• Experience in hardware integration and deployment.
• Ability to mentor engineers and lead technical work.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership and Mentoring: Lead, support and develop junior engineers, providing technical guidance and promoting high engineering standards.
• Robotics Software and System Integration: Develop, configure and troubleshoot robotics applications using ROS/ROS 2, Python and C++, integrating robotic platforms, sensors, cameras, end-effectors and control systems.
• Autonomous Systems Development: Implement and support autonomous robotics capabilities, including navigation, perception, localisation, mapping and motion planning, as required.
• End-to-End Project Delivery: Own projects from requirements gathering and solution design through planning, development, testing, commissioning, deployment and customer handover, ensuring milestones and deliverables are met.
• Customer Engagement and Continuous Improvement: Collaborate with customers and internal teams to resolve technical challenges, maintain documentation and testing standards, support demonstrations and exhibitions, and improve engineering processes.

Skills

Python

C++

Robotics integration

Autonomous systems

Debugging

Mentoring

Communication

Project delivery

Tools

ROS/ROS 2

Job description

Senior Robotics/Automation Engineer - Technical Lead

Help shape the future of robotics and automation in Australia.

Are you an experienced robotics/automation engineer who enjoys solving complex technical challenges, integrating emerging technologies and helping other engineers grow?

Advanced Robotics is expanding, and we are looking for a hands-on Senior Robotics Engineer - Technical Lead to lead the technical delivery of our robotics projects, mentor our engineering team and help turn innovative technologies into practical customer solutions.

This is an opportunity to play a key role in a growing robotics business, working across software development, robot integration, autonomous systems and real-world customer deployments.

About Arlec's Advanced Robotics Team

Advanced Robotics provides robotics and automation solutions to Australian businesses, helping customers adopt advanced technologies to improve productivity, efficiency and operational performance.

We work with emerging robotics technologies and international technology partners to deliver solutions suited to the needs of Australian customers.

As our project pipeline is growing, we are looking for an experienced Senior Robotics / Automation Engineer - Technical Lead who can strengthen our technical capability, guide our engineering team and ensure projects are delivered successfully from initial concept through to deployment.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Managing Director, you will take technical ownership of robotics projects, working closely with a small team of engineers to turn customer requirements into reliable, practical solutions.

This is a hands-on role combining software development, system integration and technical problem-solving with project coordination and mentoring. You will guide engineering decisions, help the team work through challenges and see projects through from initial design to testing, commissioning and customer handover.

If you enjoy building systems that work in the real world and helping other engineers do the same, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to a growing robotics business.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership and Mentoring: Lead, support and develop junior engineers, providing technical guidance and promoting high engineering standards.

Robotics Software and System Integration: Develop, configure and troubleshoot robotics applications using ROS/ROS 2, Python and C++, integrating robotic platforms, sensors, cameras, end-effectors and control systems.

Autonomous Systems Development: Implement and support autonomous robotics capabilities, including navigation, perception, localisation, mapping and motion planning, as required.

End-to-End Project Delivery: Own projects from requirements gathering and solution design through planning, development, testing, commissioning, deployment and customer handover, ensuring milestones and deliverables are met.

Customer Engagement and Continuous Improvement: Collaborate with customers and internal teams to resolve technical challenges, maintain documentation and testing standards, support demonstrations and exhibitions, and improve engineering processes.

About You

You are an experienced robotics or software engineer who enjoys working at the intersection of software, hardware and real-world applications. You are comfortable taking ownership of technical challenges and helping others find solutions.

You will ideally have:

Several years of hands-on experience in robotics engineering, software development or autonomous systems integration.

Strong practical skills in ROS/ROS 2, Python and/or C++, robotics hardware integration, debugging and deployment.

Understanding of autonomous robotics, including navigation, localisation, mapping, perception and motion planning.

Proven ability to mentor engineers, coordinate technical work, manage priorities and deliver projects successfully.

Excellent problem-solving, communication and collaboration skills, with a proactive, hands-on approach and strong ownership of project outcomes.

Experience with robotic arms, collaborative robots, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), machine vision, AI-enabled robotics, simulation environments or cloud-connected robotic systems would be an advantage.

Formal people management experience is not essential. We are particularly interested in someone who can lead through technical expertise, practical guidance and the ability to bring a team along.