Robotics Hardware Engineer for Real-World Deployments

University of Texas at Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Center for Human and Robot Co-Adaptation (HRC) at the University of Texas at Austin is hiring a Robotics Hardware Engineer to develop, integrate, maintain, and deploy robots for HERO deployments and foundational research.

You will integrate sensors, compute and components with off‑the‑shelf robotics systems across multiple sites, and create common integration and field procedures to ensure safe, reliable operation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Two or more years of relevant professional, research, or field engineering experience involving robotic, autonomous, electromechanical, or similarly complex systems.
• Programming proficiency in Python and C++ or comparable languages used in robotics systems.
• Experience with ROS 2.
• Hands‑on experience integrating sensors, embedded computers, electrical components, communications hardware, and mechanical assemblies.
• Strong critical‑thinking, debugging, and root‑cause‑analysis skills.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the hardware and software integration, operational readiness, maintenance, and field deployment of mobile robotic platforms.
• Develop and maintain standardized platform configurations that can be replicated across HERO sites.
• Translate research and deployment needs into robot hardware, sensing, computing, communication, and integration requirements.
• Evaluate new robot platforms, sensors, compute systems, and other technologies and recommend upgrades as Center needs and the state of the art evolve.
• Coordinate with Center researchers and the Center Software Engineer to ensure platforms support the scientific goals of the Center.
• Maintain Center robots in a safe, reliable, maintainable, and continuously deployable state.
• Establish repeatable procedures for setup, calibration, configuration, inspection, transportation, deployment, recovery, maintenance, and repair.
• Develop health checks, monitoring, startup validation, fault detection, and other safeguards to identify failures before deployment and prevent recurring problems.
• Support and, when appropriate, lead technical field operations for HERO studies and demonstrations.
• Diagnose deployment failures and coordinate recovery or repair with local site personnel.
• Document reference platform configurations and support their replication and validation across HERO sites — including integration diagrams, BOMs, installation guides and reference manuals.
• Work with local facility personnel and researchers to troubleshoot site-specific hardware and deployment issues.
• Maintain configuration control across platforms, including hardware revisions, firmware, software compatibility, calibration, and spare-part requirements.
• Coordinate platform changes and upgrades across sites to minimize fragmentation and maintain interoperability.
• Work closely with the Center Software Engineer and research teams on problems that cross hardware/software boundaries.

Skills

Robotic systems experience

Python & C++

Sensor integration

Debugging & root-cause analysis

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE/CE/Mech/Robotics

Tools

ROS 2

Linux

CAD/CAM tools

Job description

The Center for Human and Robot Co-Adaptation (HRC) at the University of Texas at Austin is hiring a Robotics Hardware Engineer to develop, integrate, maintain, and deploy robots for HERO deployments and foundational research.

You will integrate sensors, compute and components with off‑the‑shelf robotics systems across multiple sites, and create common integration and field procedures to ensure safe, reliable operation.