Senior Robotics Manipulation Engineer (Equity)

Persona AI; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Persona AI is hiring an inaugural Robotics Software Engineer to shape the design of our humanoid robots and help set the company culture. You will lead advanced manipulation research, work across perception, planning, and control, and collaborate with ML and robotics teams to deploy real-world solutions.

The role demands experience in autonomy/robotics, publications in related fields, and a track record of shipped robotic systems. Houston-based, with ~10% travel, full-time role.

Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 7+ years of robotics experience with focus on control and manipulation of humanoid arms.
• Strong background in motion planning, control theory, and optimization.
• Proficiency in C++, Python, and robotics libraries (MoveIt!, Drake, OpenRAVE).
• Experience with trajectory optimization libraries (IPOPT, SNOPT, qpOASES).
• Proficiency with modern deep learning techniques for manipulation.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement advanced dexterous manipulation algorithms for humanoid robots with high DOF and multi-fingered hands.
• Develop and optimize the manipulation pipeline, including perception, grasping, trajectory optimization, motion planning, and control.
• Implement robust control strategies for precise manipulation, including force/motion control and visual/tactile servoing.
• Integrate the manipulation pipeline with the robot’s whole-body controller and contribute to loco-manipulation development.
• Develop digital twins of manipulation scenes for algorithm development using MuJoCo and Isaac Sim.
• Conduct rigorous testing in simulated and real-world environments.
• Collaborate with the ML team to train and deploy models for manipulation tasks.
• Stay informed about latest research in manipulation, including deep learning approaches.

Skills

C++

Python

MoveIt!/Drake/OpenRAVE

Trajectory optimization

Motion planning

Control theory

ROS/LCM

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Robotics, CS or related

Tools

ROS

MoveIt!

Drake

OpenRAVE

LCM

Job description

Persona AI is hiring an inaugural Robotics Software Engineer to shape the design of our humanoid robots and help set the company culture. You will lead advanced manipulation research, work across perception, planning, and control, and collaborate with ML and robotics teams to deploy real-world solutions.

The role demands experience in autonomy/robotics, publications in related fields, and a track record of shipped robotic systems. Houston-based, with ~10% travel, full-time role.