R&D Director

Maxwell Bond; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Maxwell Bond is seeking a Head of Robotics / Robotics R&D to define and drive the long-term roadmap for a premier robotics platform. You will oversee two multidisciplinary groups spanning hardware/mechatronics and software/AI, shaping architecture, standards and development processes to scale the organization.

You will translate ambitious research into an integrated system across actuators, sensing, firmware, controls, AI and data infrastructure, influencing both strategy and hands-on

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Robotics, CS, Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in advanced robotics, with legged or dynamic systems.
• At least 2 years of technical leadership experience.
• Leading multidisciplinary teams across hardware and software.
• Deep expertise in robotics software architecture and AI systems.
• Strong knowledge of learning-based approaches including reinforcement learning, imitation learning, large models and/or vision-language-action systems.
• Hands-on experience with real-time robotic systems and ROS/ROS2.
• Ability to make architectural decisions across multiple technical disciplines.
• Strong communication skills to translate complex concepts into direction for teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the long-term robotics R&D roadmap.
• Lead hardware/mechatronics and software/AI engineering teams.
• Set technical direction across mechanical, electrical, embedded, controls, planning, AI and data infrastructure.
• Drive innovation across manipulation, locomotion, loco-manipulation and autonomous behaviour.
• Oversee development of both low-level and high-level robotics control architecture.
• Guide work across state estimation, whole-body control, MPC and learning-based control approaches.
• Coordinate integration between hardware, firmware, controls, software and AI teams.
• Establish technical standards, system architecture principles and engineering processes.
• Balance longer-term R&D with practical deployment of reliable robotic systems.
• Mentor senior technical leaders and engineers while building a strong engineering culture.
• Shape research priorities into robust robotic capabilities.

Education

Master's or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Engineering or related field

Tools

ROS/ROS2

Robotics architecture

Job description

If you're a robotics leader who wants to spend the next few years sitting above the technical work rather than shaping it, this probably isn't for you.

This is an opportunity to lead a multidisciplinary robotics organisation developing advanced autonomous machines, while remaining close enough to the technology to influence architecture, research direction and engineering execution.

The opportunity

You'll define and execute the long-term R&D roadmap for a highly ambitious robotics platform, working across hardware, embedded systems, controls, perception, planning, AI and simulation.

The role sits at the intersection of technical leadership and deep robotics engineering. You'll lead two multidisciplinary engineering groups spanning hardware/mechatronics and software/AI, while helping establish the technical architecture, engineering standards and development processes that allow the organisation to scale.

You'll be responsible for turning ambitious robotics research into an integrated system — coordinating work across actuators, sensing, electronics, firmware, controls, planning, AI and data infrastructure.

The technical scope is broad, covering areas such as manipulation, locomotion, autonomy and intelligent control. You'll work with teams developing both model-based and learning-driven approaches, including state estimation, whole-body control, optimisation-based control and learned policies.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the long-term robotics R&D roadmap
• Lead and mentor multidisciplinary hardware/mechatronics and software/AI engineering teams
• Set technical direction across mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, embedded systems, controls, planning, perception, AI/ML and simulation
• Drive innovation across manipulation, locomotion, loco-manipulation and autonomous behaviour
• Oversee development of both low-level and high-level robotics control architecture
• Guide work across state estimation, whole-body control, MPC and learning-based control approaches
• Coordinate integration between hardware, firmware, controls, software and AI teams
• Establish technical standards, system architecture principles and engineering processes
• Balance longer-term R&D with the practical requirements of building and deploying reliable robotic systems
• Mentor senior technical leaders and engineers while building a strong engineering culture
• Help shape research priorities and translate promising approaches into robust robotic capabilities

Why this role

This is a Head of Robotics / Robotics R&D opportunity for someone who wants genuine influence over the direction of an entire robotics platform.

You'll have the breadth to work across the full stack rather than being confined to one technical discipline. One week might involve discussing the architecture of a control system; another could involve reviewing an AI approach, hardware capability or simulation strategy and determining how it fits into the wider system.

The scale of the technical challenge is significant. You'll be helping bring together technologies that traditionally sit within separate engineering disciplines and turning them into a coherent, intelligent physical system.

For an experienced robotics leader, that creates a rare combination of technical depth, organisational influence and long-term product impact.

You'll also have the opportunity to build and mentor multidisciplinary teams, establish engineering practices and shape the technical culture of a growing robotics organisation.

What we're looking for

We're looking for a Head of Robotics / Robotics R&D with a strong technical background in advanced robotics and proven experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.

You'll ideally have:

• A Master's or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Engineering or a closely related field
• 5+ years of experience working in advanced robotics, with significant experience in legged or highly dynamic robotic systems
• At least 2 years of technical or engineering leadership experience
• A track record of leading multidisciplinary teams across hardware and software
• Deep expertise in robotics software architecture and AI systems
• Strong knowledge of learning-based approaches including reinforcement learning, imitation learning, large behaviour models and/or vision-language-action systems
• Experience applying learning approaches to locomotion, manipulation or autonomous behaviour
• Hands-on experience with real-time robotic systems and ROS/ROS2 or comparable robotics middleware
• A strong understanding of the full robotics stack, from actuators, sensors and electronics through to controls, planning, AI and data infrastructure
• The ability to make architectural decisions across multiple technical disciplines
• Strong communication skills and the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear direction for engineering teams

Experience with model-based control, MPC, optimal control or LQR would be particularly valuable.

The environment

You'll be joining a technically ambitious robotics organisation working on advanced physical AI and autonomous systems.

The culture suits someone who is comfortable operating at both strategic and technical levels. You'll need to be able to define a multi-year vision while also understanding the engineering realities involved in turning that vision into working hardware and software.

The role offers significant autonomy and the opportunity to shape not only the technology, but also the teams, processes and engineering standards behind it.

For a robotics leader who wants to influence an entire R&D organisation rather than simply own one component of a system, this is a particularly broad opportunity.

Interested?