Robotics Motion Planning & Contact Control Engineer

Flexiv Robotics; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Flexiv Robotics in San Jose, CA, is seeking a Robotics Control & Motion Planning Engineer to design, implement, and optimize motion planning and control for high-DOF manipulators in contact-rich environments. You will collaborate across perception, control, and hardware teams, benchmark planners, and contribute to core robotics platforms, documentation, and best practices.

Qualified candidates have a PhD or MS with 3+ years of hands-on experience and strong skills in C++/Python, force/torque

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field — or equivalent industry experience
• 3+ years of hands-on experience with robotic systems software engineering
• Experience with force/torque control and contact-rich manipulation
• Familiarity with Force/Impedance/Admittance control
• Proficiency in robotics control, motion planning, and trajectory optimization, including kinematics, dynamics, and feedback control
• Strong theoretical and practical understanding of motion planning for high-DOF manipulators, including planners that operate under contact and force constraints
• Proficiency in C++ and/or Python; demonstrated experience deploying motion planning software on real robots and simulators
• Familiarity with AI or machine learning techniques applied to robotics, as well as safety standards and best practices in industrial automation, is a plus

Responsibilities

• Design and deploy motion planning algorithms for high-DOF manipulators in contact-rich tasks.
• Co-own the interface between the motion planning stack and the whole body control module; define shared state representations and handoff protocols.
• Develop planners that reason over contact modes, sequencing, and force/torque constraints.
• Benchmark planners in simulation and on hardware; monitor reliability and task success.
• Integrate control algorithms into real-time software frameworks; run simulations and hardware tests.
• Collaborate with perception, control, and hardware teams to translate requirements into planning problems.
• Improve software quality through code reviews, tests, and best practices.
• Manage development schedules and milestones; contribute to documentation and platform improvements.

Skills

force/torque control

contact-rich manipulation

robotics control

motion planning

trajectory optimization

kinematics/dynamics

feedback control

AI/ML in robotics

Education

PhD or MS in Robotics/ME/CS

Tools

C++

Python

Job description

Flexiv Robotics in San Jose, CA, is seeking a Robotics Control & Motion Planning Engineer to design, implement, and optimize motion planning and control for high-DOF manipulators in contact-rich environments. You will collaborate across perception, control, and hardware teams, benchmark planners, and contribute to core robotics platforms, documentation, and best practices.

Qualified candidates have a PhD or MS with 3+ years of hands-on experience and strong skills in C++/Python, force/torque