Senior Robotic Systems Engineer

Cohu, Inc.; San Diego, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Cohu, Inc. in San Diego is seeking a senior leader to drive system-level development of robotic mechatronic platforms for semiconductor backend equipment. You will guide cross-disciplinary teams and translate complex requirements into cohesive architectures.

The role emphasizes rigorous modeling, risk assessment, and certification readiness, with international travel up to 20% and a focus on technical excellence and mentorship.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechatronics, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering (MSc, MEng, etc. desired).
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in system-level leadership of complex robotic/mechatronic development, ideally in semiconductor backend equipment.
• Minimum of 5 years as a direct engineer in a discipline.
• Proven track record in system engineering, robotic machine concept development, and cross-discipline electro-mechanical leadership.
• Deep understanding of thermal systems, motion control, sensor integration, and machine intelligence.
• Experience with requirement engineering, risk management, and certification processes.
• Excellent English communication skills; German and/or French is a plus.
• Willingness to travel internationally up to 20%.

Responsibilities

• Translate customer and market requirements into robust system concepts balancing performance, reliability, usability, and cost of ownership.
• Drive system-level innovation by integrating mechanical, electrical, thermal, and software domains into cohesive machine platforms.
• Moderate cross-functional concept development workshops and guide teams through structured decision-making under uncertainty.
• Evaluate feasibility and risk of new concepts using first-principles physics and empirical modeling.
• Ensure system-level traceability from requirements to implementation and maintain architectural integrity throughout the development lifecycle.
• Act as a technical authority and mentor for interdisciplinary engineering teams during the development of complex mechatronic systems.
• Drive development schedules of module and platform development projects aligned to overall program and project dates to meet committed demonstration and ship dates.

Skills

Systems engineering

Robotics

Cross-functional leadership

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechatronics/mechanical/electrical engineering

Master’s degree (desired)

Tools

Modeling & simulation

Requirement engineering

Certification processes

Job description

• Translate complex customer and market requirements into robust system concepts that balance performance, reliability, usability, and cost of ownership.
• Drive system-level innovation by integrating mechanical, electrical, thermal, and software domains into cohesive machine platforms.
• Moderate cross-functional concept development workshops and guide teams through structured decision-making under uncertainty.
• Evaluate feasibility and risk of new concepts using first-principles physics and empirical modeling.
• Ensure system-level traceability from requirements to implementation and maintain architectural integrity throughout the development lifecycle.
• Act as a technical authority and mentor for interdisciplinary engineering teams during the development of complex mechatronic systems.
• Drive development schedules of module and platform development projects aligned to overall program and project dates to meet committed demonstration and ship dates.

2. RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct system-level requirement analysis and author technical specifications and design briefs for robotic platforms, machines, and modules.
• Lead the evaluation and selection of technical concepts in collaboration with domain experts, based on functional, economic, and risk criteria.
• Ensure architectural consistency and interface compatibility across subsystems and modules.
• Guide the development of subsystem concepts and validate their feasibility through analytical modeling and simulation.
• Facilitate design reviews and ensure that development progress aligns with system-level objectives.
• Drive risk assessments and initiate necessary pre-development or technology validation activities.
• Ensure compliance with certification requirements (e.g., CE, SEMI, RoHS) and support the preparation of documentation.
• Support patent applications and the protection of intellectual property arising from system innovations.
• Present technical solutions and resolve system-level issues in collaboration with customers and stakeholders.
• May provide full system “architecture(s)” for new concepts and/or customer driven ideations.

3. ESSENTIAL QUALITY EXPECTATIONS

• Strategic and robotic systems-level thinking with the ability to balance technical depth and cross-domain integration.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to make sound decisions under ambiguity using physical principles and engineering judgment.
• Excellent communication and moderation skills to lead interdisciplinary teams through complex trade-offs.
• Proactive mindset for identifying innovation opportunities and system improvements.
• Commitment to technical excellence, documentation, and knowledge transfer.
• Customer-oriented thinking and ability to represent the company in technical discussions.
• AUTHORITY
• Lead modules and system level development for TH team under the Director of Engineering

5. REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in mechatronics, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering. (MSc, MEng, etc. desired)
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in the system level leadership of the development of complex robotic, mechatronic systems, ideally in semiconductor backend equipment.
• Minimum of 5 years as a direct engineer in a discipline.
• Proven track record in system engineering, robotic machine concept development, and cross-discipline, electro-mechanical engineering leadership.
• Deep understanding of thermal systems, motion control, sensor integration, and machine intelligence.
• Experience with requirement engineering, risk management, and certification processes.
• Excellent English communication skills: German and/or French is a plus.
• Willingness to travel internationally up to 20%.