Forward Deployed Engineer - AI Partnerships (Teradyne Robotics, San Jose, CA)

Universal Robots; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 125,700 - 201,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement savings plans

Tuition assistance programs

Job summary

Universal Robots, part of Teradyne Inc., is looking for a Forward Deployed Engineer in San Jose, California. In this role, you will be working directly with strategic partners to integrate robotics applications and ensure successful deployments.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in robotics systems and strong communication skills. This position offers a competitive salary and benefits, focusing on innovative robotics platforms and collaboration with AI startup partners.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in robotics engineering or systems integration roles.
• Strong hands-on experience with ROS2 and Linux-based robotics systems.
• Ability to troubleshoot across hardware/software/system boundaries in real deployments.

Responsibilities

• Work hands-on with strategic partners to integrate their applications onto UR and MiR platforms.
• Debug and resolve issues across software, control, and system integration layers.
• Develop and maintain reference implementations and tooling for partners.

Skills

ROS2

Python development

Robot control

Kinematics

Motion planning

Education

BS/MS in Robotics, Mechatronics, Computer Science, or related field

Tools

Linux-based systems

Robot APIs

Job description

At Universal Robots , part of Teradyne Inc., Our vision is to create a world where people work with robots, not like robots. And as the market leader with 75,000+ collaborative robots (cobots) already installed worldwide, we’re well on the way to achieving it. We employ 1000+ people in offices across North America, South America, Europe and Asia and we’re growing all the time. Our team is made up smart, creative people working at the forefront of automation. Together we find innovative solutions to some of the most important manufacturing issues facing businesses today. We dare to do what others find impossible- working with advanced technologies to change in the way businesses operate, So if you’re looking to build your career with a ground-breaking technology company in dynamic environment with career advancement UR is the place for you.

Our Purpose

TERADYNE, where experience meets innovation and driving excellence in every connection. We are fueled by creativity and diversity of thought and in our workforce. Our employees are supported to innovate and learn something new every day. We cultivate a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences enable us to be a better team – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation and delivers better business results. Opportunity

Overview

We are seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) to join our AI Partnerships team in the San Francisco Bay Area. This role sits at the intersection of robotics platforms, partner integration, and physical AI deployment. You will work directly with leading AI model builders, robotics startups, and strategic partners to help them build, validate, and deploy applications on Teradyne’s robotics platforms, including Universal Robots (UR) and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR). Unlike traditional robotics or AI roles, this position is deeply partner-facing and deployment-oriented. Your primary responsibility is to ensure partners can successfully leverage our robotics platform stack (control, motion, interfaces, Polyscope integration) to bring their products to life in real-world environments. While you will collaborate closely with AI/ML teams, your focus will be on robotics systems, interfaces, and performance in production environments.

What You’ll Do

Partner-Facing Deployment & Integration

• Work hands-on with strategic partners to integrate their applications onto UR and MiR platforms
• Serve as the technical bridge between partner engineering teams and internal robotics/product teams
• Debug and resolve issues across software, control, and system integration layers in real-world deployments
• Support partner teams onsite when needed during critical development and validation phases

Robotics Platform Engineering

• Enable partner success across key platform layers:
  • Motion planning and optimization
  • Control interfaces and trajectory execution
  • Polyscope and URCap integration
  • Robot APIs, SDKs, and communication interfaces
• Develop and maintain reference implementations, integration examples, and tooling for partners
• Contribute feedback to internal product teams based on real-world partner usage patterns

Software Development & Systems Integration

• Build and adapt software components using Python, ROS2, and Linux-based systems
• Integrate partner software stacks with robot systems using standard and custom interfaces
• Support debugging of latency, control loops, and system-level performance issues
• Assist with simulation, testing, and deployment pipelines where relevant

AI & Physical AI Collaboration (Supportive)

• Work alongside AI/ML teams to ensure models interface effectively with robotic systems
• Understand and support integration of perception, VLA, or learning-based components into robot workflows
• Help bridge sim-to-real gaps from a robotics execution standpoint (e.g., control, timing, actuation)

All About You

We seek individuals who share our passion and determination. Our commitment to customer success drives us to go the extra mile. If you’re ready to join us in this mission, take a closer look at the minimum criteria for the position.

Required Qualifications

• BS/MS in Robotics, Mechatronics, Computer Science, or related field
• 4+ years of experience in robotics engineering or systems integration roles
• Strong hands-on experience with:
  • ROS2 and Linux-based robotics systems
  • Python development (production-level codebases)
  • Robot control, kinematics, motion planning, and system integration
• Experience working directly with robot hardware (integration, debugging, bring-up)
• Ability to troubleshoot across hardware/software/system boundaries in real deployments
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work directly with external partners/customers

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with industrial robot platforms (UR preferred) or similar systems
• Familiarity with:
  • Robot programming environments (e.g., URScript, PLCs)
  • Real-time control systems and motion optimization
  • Perception pipelines and sensor integration (RGBD, LiDAR, etc.)
• Exposure to physical AI concepts (imitation learning, RL, or VLA models)
• Experience with simulation environments (e.g., NVIDIA Isaac Sim)
• Background working in startup, partner-facing, or customer-facing engineering roles

Who You Are

• A systems thinker who can move fluidly between software, control, and hardware
• Highly hands-on, comfortable working on robots in real-world environments
• Comfortable in ambiguous, fast-moving partner environments
• Strong bias toward execution and problem-solving in production contexts
• Able to translate between research, product, and deployment constraints

Why This Role

• Work directly with the most advanced AI model builders and robotics startups globally
• Play a critical role in shaping how physical AI systems get deployed in the real world
• Influence both partner success and the evolution of our robotics platform stack
• Operate at the cutting edge of robotics + AI commercialization

Compensation

The base salary range for this role is $125,700 - $201,200. This range is a good faith estimate, and the amount of base salary will correspond with experience and skill set. This range can also fluctuate depending on demand and location.

Incentive Plan

This job is eligible for discretionary bonus(es) based on financial performance.

Benefits

Teradyne offers a variety of robust health and well-being benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance, paid vacation & holidays, tuition assistance programs, and more. Please click here to see details.