Senior Robotics Engineer

Hivebotics Inc.; Queenstown; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Hivebotics Inc. in Queenstown invites applications for a Senior Robotics Engineer to lead development and deployment of autonomous robotic systems, with hands-on software across mobile robotics, manipulation, perception, motion planning, and control.

The role demands strong robotics engineering experience, practical software skills, and the ability to solve complex problems across software and hardware in real-world environments; you will work with cross-functional teams to deliver reliable

Qualifications

• Degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical field.
• Strong experience in robotics software development and autonomous systems.
• Practical ROS and/or ROS 2 experience.
• Proficiency in C++ and/or Python and software engineering practices.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and maintain robotics software for autonomous robotic platforms.
• Work on robotics modules involving navigation, manipulation, perception integration, motion planning, control systems, and task execution.
• Develop and maintain ROS / ROS 2-based robotics software for real-world deployment.
• Integrate robotics software with sensors, actuators, robotic arms, mobile bases, and other hardware components.
• Support robotic arm manipulation, motion planning, calibration, diagnostics, and system-level debugging.
• Conduct field testing, issue investigation, root-cause analysis, and performance optimisation.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, operations, and field teams to improve robot reliability, safety, and deployment readiness.
• Provide technical guidance to junior engineers where required.
• Prepare technical documentation, test plans, deployment notes, and engineering reports.
• Support continuous improvement of robotics development workflows, tools, and engineering processes.

Skills

ROS/ROS 2

C++/Python

Robotics software development

Autonomous systems

Mobile robotics

Perception

Motion planning

Control systems

Diagnostics

Education

Degree in Robotics or related field

Tools

MoveIt

Simulation tools

Version control

Job description

Hivebotics is looking for a Senior Robotics Engineer to lead the development, integration, testing, and deployment of autonomous robotic systems. The role will involve hands-on robotics software engineering across areas such as mobile robotics, manipulation, perception integration, motion planning, control, and real-world robot deployment.

The successful candidate should have strong robotics engineering experience, practical software development skills, and the ability to solve complex robotics problems across both software and hardware environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and maintain robotics software for autonomous robotic platforms.
• Work on robotics modules involving navigation, manipulation, perception integration, motion planning, control systems, and task execution.
• Develop and maintain ROS / ROS 2-based robotics software for real-world deployment.
• Integrate robotics software with sensors, actuators, robotic arms, mobile bases, and other hardware components.
• Support robotic arm manipulation, motion planning, calibration, diagnostics, and system-level debugging.
• Conduct field testing, issue investigation, root-cause analysis, and performance optimisation.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, operations, and field teams to improve robot reliability, safety, and deployment readiness.
• Provide technical guidance to junior engineers where required.
• Prepare technical documentation, test plans, deployment notes, and engineering reports.
• Support continuous improvement of robotics development workflows, tools, and engineering processes.

Requirements

• Degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical field.
• Strong relevant experience in robotics software development, autonomous systems, robotic manipulation, mobile robotics, perception, or control systems.
• Practical experience with ROS and/or ROS 2.
• Strong proficiency in C++ and/or Python.
• Experience with one or more of the following areas: motion planning, navigation, perception, SLAM, control systems, manipulation, sensor integration, robot diagnostics, or robot deployment.
• Ability to debug complex robotics systems involving software, hardware, sensors, actuators, and real-world operating environments.
• Good understanding of software engineering practices, version control, testing, documentation, and system integration.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently in a fast-paced technical environment.
• Good communication skills and ability to collaborate across technical and non-technical teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with MoveIt, robotic arms, autonomous mobile robots, or mobile manipulation systems.
• Experience with field robotics, industrial robotics, service robots, or robotics products deployed in real-world environments.
• Experience with simulation tools, behaviour trees, computer vision, embedded systems, diagnostics, calibration, or safety/fault-handling workflows.
• Prior experience mentoring junior engineers or leading technical workstreams.
• Experience working in a startup, product development, or deployment-focused robotics environment.