Manipulation Engineer - Real-World Robotic Arms

Ghost Robotics; Pennsylvania; On-site; USD 140,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity incentive package

Flexible time-off policy

Full benefits

Job summary

Roboticsconnected is seeking a Senior/Staff/Lead Manipulation Engineer to design and deploy manipulation algorithms for arms on dynamic legged robots. You will own end-to-end pipelines from planning to hardware testing, writing robust C++ and Python across simulation and real hardware.

Roles include seniority-based responsibilities and mentorship, with compensation aligned to level. Location is Philadelphia, PA with no remote candidates.

Qualifications

• Strong background in robotic manipulation with hands-on multi-DOF arms in real systems.
• Foundations in motion planning, control theory, optimization, dynamical systems.
• Deep understanding of coordinate transforms, IK, Jacobians, robot dynamics.
• Experience with motion planning tools (MoveIt, OMPL) or custom planners.
• Experience with multi-body dynamics and simulation (MuJoCo, Gazebo, Isaac, Bullet/PyBullet).
• Experience with ROS 2 and real-time middleware.
• Proficiency in modern C++ (C++17/20) and Python.
• Unix/Linux environment and software engineering best practices (VCS, CI/CD).
• Master's or PhD in related field; 3+ years in robotic manipulation.

Responsibilities

• Architect end-to-end manipulation frameworks from planning to perception and control.
• Develop trajectory planning, obstacle avoidance, and real-time motion generation.
• Implement grasping strategies using proprioception and vision for various objects.
• Use physics-based simulators to validate manipulation policies and transfer to hardware.
• Write clean C++ and Python and debug across simulation and hardware tests.
• Collaborate across mechanical, perception, embedded, and systems teams.
• Contribute to long-term architectural decisions.

Skills

Robotic manipulation

Motion planning

ROS 2

Modern C++

Python

Unix/Linux

MoveIt/OMPL

Multi-DOF arms

Real hardware testing

Real-time systems

Education

Master's or PhD in Robotics/Mechanical/Electrical/CSE

Equivalent industry experience

Tools

MuJoCo

Gazebo

Isaac

Bullet/PyBullet

Job description

Roboticsconnected is seeking a Senior/Staff/Lead Manipulation Engineer to design and deploy manipulation algorithms for arms on dynamic legged robots. You will own end-to-end pipelines from planning to hardware testing, writing robust C++ and Python across simulation and real hardware.

Roles include seniority-based responsibilities and mentorship, with compensation aligned to level. Location is Philadelphia, PA with no remote candidates.