Robotics Engineer (80%)

EPFL; Vaud; On-site; CHF 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Attractive employment conditions

International environment

Job summary

EPFL’s Robotics Center seeks a robotics expert to bridge laboratories and industrial partners. You will understand lab capabilities, assess industrial challenges, and present demonstrations to inspire collaborative research opportunities.

Role combines practical engineering with clear communication to researchers, partners, and visitors, supporting technical follow-up and opportunity scoping.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in robotics with specialization in robotics.
• Hands-on engineering experience in robotics: integration, programming, testing, troubleshooting.
• Strong skills in robotics software/hardware including ROS/ROS 2, C++, Python, sensors and actuators.

Responsibilities

• Develop, adapt, and improve prototypes and demonstrators to showcase robotics technologies and maintain technical documentation.
• Integrate lab demonstrators into event setups, including on-site installation and calibration.
• Build and maintain detailed knowledge of laboratories’ robotic platforms and experiments.
• Keep a technical map of lab capabilities and readiness levels, including contacts among PhD students and postdocs.
• Work with lab engineers to keep demonstrators operational, transportable and ready to show.
• Serve as the technical contact for industry requests, clarifying needs and matching labs.

Skills

Robotics

ROS/ROS 2

C++

Python

Sensors & Actuators

Control systems

Robotic perception

Presentation skills

Multilingual (EN/DE/FR)

Multilingual (EN/DE/FR)

Education

Master’s or PhD in robotics

Tools

ROS/ROS 2

Sensors interfacing

Actuator control hardware

Job description

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EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is one of the most dynamic university campuses in Europe and ranks among the top 20 universities worldwide. The EPFL employs more than 6,500 people supporting the three main missions of the institutions: education, research and innovation. The EPFL campus offers an exceptional working environment at the heart of a community of more than 18,500 people, including over 14,000 students and 4,000 researchers from more than 120 different countries.

Short Description

Are you a robotics engineer who enjoys explaining technology, engaging with industry and helping researchers develop meaningful collaborations? The EPFL Robotics Center seeks a professional with a solid robotics background, hands-on engineering experience and strong presentation skills to act as the technical bridge between its laboratories and industrial partners.

Your technical expertise will underpin the role: understanding laboratory capabilities, assessing industrial challenges, preparing and presenting robotics demonstrations, and supporting the development of relevant research opportunities. You will combine practical engineering with the ability to communicate clearly and confidently with researchers, industrial partners and visitors.

Mission

Your mission is to apply your robotics expertise to make the Center's laboratory capabilities visible, accessible and ready for collaboration — and to help translate industrial needs into relevant research opportunities. Working closely with laboratory teams, you will develop and maintain a thorough technical map of their expertise. You will prepare and run live demonstrations during visits, workshops and events, prepare audience-adapted technical materials with the lab teams, and help scope technical follow-up.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Develop, adapt, and improve prototypes and demonstrators to showcase robotics technologies and maintain technical documentation, software configurations, setup procedures, and operating instructions to ensure systems can be operated reliably.
• Integrate lab demonstrators into event and visit setups, including on-site installation, interfacing, calibration and troubleshooting.
• Build and maintain detailed hands-on knowledge of the participating laboratories’ robotic platforms, software stacks, prototypes and experimental setups.
• Keep an up-to-date technical map of lab capabilities, including technology readiness levels, available demonstrators, equipment and key contacts among PhD students and postdocs.
• Work with lab engineers and researchers to keep demonstrators operational, transportable and ready to show.
• Act as the technical contact for industry requests: clarify the need, check feasibility and identify the matching labs.
• Write short technical pre-assessments and involve professors only when there is a clear research fit.
• Set up and run live demonstrations during visits, workshops and events, and explain what the systems can and cannot do.
• Prepare technical materials with the lab teams, adapted to each audience.
• Help scope technical follow-up, such as feasibility studies, tests and proposal content, and coordinate practical next steps with labs, companies and EPFL services.

Profile

• Master’s or PhD degree in robotics or a closely related engineering field, with a demonstrated specialisation in robotics.
• Demonstrated hands-on engineering experience in robotics, including the integration, programming, testing, and troubleshooting of robotic systems.
• Strong practical skills in robotics software and hardware, with experience in areas such as ROS/ROS 2, C++ or Python, sensors, actuators, control systems, robotic perception.
• Ability to understand research contributions, discuss industrial requirements and assess the fit between technical challenges and laboratory expertise.
• Strong speaking and presentation skills, with the ability to demonstrate technologies and explain complex concepts accurately to different audiences.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to work autonomously within agreed priorities.
• Familiarity with Swiss and European research and innovation ecosystems is an asset.
• Excellent command of English, German and French.

Please note that only applications meeting the criteria of the advertisement will be considered.

We offer

At EPFL, we believe that people achieve great results when they feel supported, respected and enabled to succeed. By joining our community, you will help shape the future of society through education, research and innovation.

We offer an inspiring, international and collaborative environment where your work has real impact and your ideas are valued. Combined with flexible ways of working and attractive employment conditions, we aim to create an environment where everyone can contribute, grow and make a difference.

Beyond work, ourcampuses host a vibrantcommunity and unique environment, enriched by initiatives promoting equality, inclusion, diversity, well-being and sustainability as well as an engaging program of cultural, sports and community activities throughout the year.