Principal Robotics Lead - Data Center Automation

Google Inc.; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 275,000 - 382,000; Full time

Job summary

Google Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA, seeks a Principal Engineer, Hardware, Data Centers Robotics, to define the strategic and technical direction for PIE Robotics roadmap and drive the development of data center robotics systems.

You will lead internal and external teams to deliver robotics automation solutions enabling scalable hardware deployment, repair operations, and decommissioning for AI2. This role requires deep expertise in robotics and systems engineering, with a focus on advancing robotics

Qualifications

• PhD degree in Robotics or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 15 years of experience in robotics systems engineering or architecture, and experience with technical innovation.
• Experience in the robotics industry, leading robotics applications development and turning Research and Development (R&D) into deployed, real world systems.
• Experience in robotic control, planning, kinematics, and mechatronic systems.
• Experience with embedded systems (e.g., RTOS, microcontrollers, FPGA), sensor fusion, and actuator control.
• Experience implementing foundational vision-language-action (VLA) models, imitation learning, and reinforcement learning (RL) pipelines to teach robots dynamic object manipulation.
• Experience executing low-latency teleoperation infrastructure, haptic feedback integration, and human-in-the-loop systems for complex, remote hardware interventions and data collection.
• Familiarity with motion control systems and robotics programming languages (e.g. Robot Operating System) or similar frameworks.
• Practical understanding of recent advancements in the robotics field, specifically the application of general-purpose bipedal/wheeled humanoid platforms for flexible, human-centric data center tasks.

Responsibilities

• Scope and develop advanced robotics automation technical solutions for data center hardware required for AI2 business transformation.
• Collaborate closely with executive leadership, internal and external, regarding AI2's data Center Robotics strategy and ecosystem development.
• Source and ensure AI2 captures the latest Robotics and AI technologies and solutions from the ecosystem, and rapidly deploy within AI2, to meet the business needs.
• Lead engineering execution and provide technical leadership for product features and delivery. Oversee the end-to-end deployment of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and multi-axis robotic arms for handling delicate data center hardware.

Job description

Google Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA, seeks a Principal Engineer, Hardware, Data Centers Robotics, to define the strategic and technical direction for PIE Robotics roadmap and drive the development of data center robotics systems.

You will lead internal and external teams to deliver robotics automation solutions enabling scalable hardware deployment, repair operations, and decommissioning for AI2. This role requires deep expertise in robotics and systems engineering, with a focus on advancing robotics