Robotics Software Engineer, Manipulation

Sangha Partners; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Sangha Partners is seeking a senior Robotics Software Engineer to own the manipulation stack for humanoid platforms. You will drive from grasp planning to trajectory optimization, motion control and whole-body integration, merging classical robotics with modern ML.

You will build robust, production-grade implementations, using high-level control and advanced planning, while collaborating with ML and perception teams to deploy real-time systems.

Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of robotics experience focusing on high-level control and manipulation of robotic or humanoid arms.
• Strong background in motion planning, control theory, and optimization.
• Proven experience deploying manipulation algorithms (e.g., pick-and-place, bin picking, door opening) on real hardware at production scale.
• Experience with end-effectors or multi-fingered hands in real deployments.
• Proficiency in C++, Python, and robotics libraries (MoveIt!, cuMotion, Drake, OpenRAVE).
• Experience with trajectory optimization libraries (IPOPT, SNOPT, qpOASES).
• Experience with computer vision, sensors, point clouds, segmentation, and object detection.
• Familiarity with ROS, LCM, or other middleware for robotic systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize the full manipulation pipeline, integrating perception inputs through grasping, trajectory optimization, motion planning, and control.
• Implement robust high-level control strategies for precise manipulation including force/motion control and visual servoing.
• Integrate the manipulation pipeline with the humanoid robot's whole-body controller and contribute to loco-manipulation development.
• Develop digital twins of manipulation scenes for algorithm development using simulators such as MuJoCo and Isaac Sim.
• Conduct rigorous testing in both simulated and real-world environments.
• Work closely with the machine learning team to train and deploy models for advanced manipulation tasks.
• Stay informed about the latest research, leveraging both traditional methods and deep learning-based approaches.

Skills

Motion planning

Control theory

Optimization

Robotics libraries

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Robotics/CS

Tools

MoveIt!

cuMotion

Drake

OpenRAVE

IPOPT

SNOPT

qpOASES

ROS

LCM

Job description

We are looking for a senior Robotics Software Engineer to join our clients Manipulation team. In this role you will own and drive development across the full manipulation stack; from grasp planning through trajectory optimization, motion control, and whole-body integration. You will work at the intersection of classical robotics and modern machine learning, translating algorithmic research into reliable, production-ready systems on our clients humanoid platform. We are looking for someone with strong fundamentals across the modular components of a manipulation pipeline, paired with the engineering discipline and software skill to build robust, production-ready implementations.

This role is focused on manipulation specifically- deep experience in locomotion, multi-robot/fleet coordination, or human-robot interaction and intent-signaling is not a match for what we're hiring for, even if the underlying robotics background is strong.

Your Role:

• Develop and optimize the full manipulation pipeline, integrating perception inputs through grasping, trajectory optimization, motion planning, and control
• Implement robust high-level control strategies for precise manipulation including force/motion control and visual servoin
• Integrate the manipulation pipeline with the humanoid robot's whole-body controller and contribute to loco-manipulation development
• Develop digital twins of manipulation scenes for algorithm development using simulators such as MuJoCo and Isaac Sim
• Conduct rigorous testing in both simulated and real-world environment
• Work closely with the machine learning team to help train and deploy models for advanced manipulation task
• Stay informed about the latest research, leveraging both traditional methods and deep learning-based approaches

We're Looking For:

• BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in robotics with a strong emphasis on high-level control and manipulation of robotic or humanoid arms (this role sits above actuator-level control, which is owned by a separate team.)
• Strong background in motion planning, control theory, and optimization.
• Demonstrated expertise implementing manipulation algorithms for tasks such as pick-and-place, bin picking, door opening, and similar behaviors deployed and validated on real hardware, ideally at production scale.
• Experience with robotic end-effectors or multi-fingered hands in real-world deployment.
• Proficiency in C++, Python, and relevant robotics libraries (MoveIt!, cuMotion, Drake, OpenRAVE)
• Experience with trajectory optimization libraries (IPOPT, SNOPT, qpOASES).
• Experience with computer vision algorithms, sensors, point clouds, segmentation, and object detection
• Familiarity with ROS, LCM, or other middleware for robotic systems.

Bonus Qualification

• Experience developing algorithms for contact modeling and force/torque estimation
• Experience with machine learning for manipulation, including behavior cloning and reinforcement learning.
• Publications in top-tier robotics conferences focusing on manipulation systems.
• Experience in a humanoid robot startup environment.