Senior Simulation Engineer

Lab37; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 158,000 - 218,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) plan

HSA options

Paid time off

Life and disability insurance

Job summary

Lab37 Robotics is seeking a senior industrial engineer specializing in discrete-event simulation to optimize robotic food‑production systems. You will model end-to-end production flow across the Bowl Builder and broader kitchen, guiding capital and operational decisions with data-driven results.

You will own the technical direction for industrial-engineering simulation, set modeling standards, perform time studies, validate models with operating data, and collaborate with hardware, robotics, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Industrial Engineering or Operations Research.
• 3+ years of relevant experience in industrial engineering, operations research, manufacturing systems, or discrete-event simulation.
• Hands-on discrete-event simulation experience (AnyLogic, Simio, SimPy, Arena, or custom engines).
• Track record of models that drove equipment, process, facility, staffing, or operational decisions.
• Ability to model complex production systems end to end and validate with real-world data.
• Working proficiency in Python and SQL to build and maintain models.

Responsibilities

• Build discrete-event simulation models of Bowl Builder and kitchen systems, including equipment, labor, material flow, queues, buffers, and operating policies.
• Map production processes, conduct time studies, and characterize stochastic inputs from operational data.
• Extend models from a single robot to end-to-end multi-station kitchen flow.
• Evaluate platforms (AnyLogic, Simio, SimPy, Arena) and establish modeling standards.
• Validate models against operational results and telemetry to ensure decision-grade predictions.

Skills

Discrete-event simulation

AnyLogic/Simio/SimPy

Python

SQL

Industrial Engineering

Time studies

Queueing

Operations research

Education

Bachelor’s or advanced degree in IE/OR

Tools

AnyLogic

Simio

SimPy

Arena

Custom engines

Job description

Who we are

Lab37 Roboticsis a technology company focused on the development and deployment of robots designed specifically for direct-to-customer food production. Our mission is to revolutionize the food industry by creating innovative robotic solutions that enhance efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction. We are passionate about pushing the boundaries of technology to deliver cutting-edge products that meet the evolving needs of our industry.

About the role

Lab37 is hiring an industrial engineer specializing in discrete-event simulation to optimize robotic food-production systems. You will model end-to-end production flow (including equipment, labor, material movement, queues, capacity, and operating policies) to identify bottlenecks, evaluate system designs, and guide capital and operational decisions. Beginning with our Bowl Builder and expanding across the full kitchen, your models will help teams understand tradeoffs and make confident decisions about what to build next.

You will own the technical direction for industrial-engineering simulation at Lab37, including choosing tools, setting modeling standards, conducting time studies, characterizing empirical inputs, validating models against operating data, and integrating simulation into product and operations planning. Working closely with our hardware, robotics, and operations teams in Pittsburgh, you will turn complex physical systems into trusted decision-making tools. This is a senior/staff-level individual contributor role with the opportunity to establish a capability central to how Lab37 designs, tests, deploys, and operates its systems.

What you’ll do

Industrial engineering and simulation

• Build discrete-event simulation models of the Bowl Builder and broader kitchen systems, representing equipment, labor, material flow, queues, buffers, failures, and operating policies under realistic demand.
• Map production processes, conduct time studies, and characterize stochastic inputs—including order arrivals, cycle and setup times, failures and repairs, driver arrivals, demand, and labor variability—from operational data.
• Extend models from a single robot to end-to-end, multi-station kitchen flow, including prep, fulfillment, labor, material movement, queues, and buffers.
• Evaluate commercial platforms such as AnyLogic and Simio alongside SimPy, Arena, and in-house approaches; consolidate existing efforts and establish modeling standards.
• Validate models against operational results and telemetry, including known gaps in sensor fidelity, so predictions are accurate and trusted enough to guide decisions.

What-if analysis and decision support

• Conduct capacity planning, bottleneck analysis, line balancing, equipment sizing, and facility-layout studies.
• Evaluate workflow, staffing, shift, buffer, and operating-policy alternatives that are costly or risky to test live, and set performance requirements for proposed robots and modules.
• Quantify throughput, cycle time, work in process, utilization, yield, downtime, service level, and cost tradeoffs; use the results to recommend kitchen configurations and process improvements.

Cross-functional collaboration

• Partner closely with operations, manufacturing, hardware, and robotics engineering to ground models in how systems actually behave and feed results back into design and operating decisions.
• Translate simulation and industrial-engineering findings into clear, decision-ready recommendations.
• Communicate complex modeling to technical and non-technical stakeholders, with explicit assumptions, uncertainty, and operational implications.

What we are looking for

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Industrial Engineering or Operations Research is required; related quantitative degrees considered with substantial operations-simulation experience.
• 3+ years of relevant experience in industrial engineering, operations research, manufacturing systems, or discrete-event simulation.
• Hands-on discrete-event simulation experience (e.g., AnyLogic, Simio, SimPy, Arena, or custom engines), plus deep knowledge of production systems, process flow, queueing, capacity analysis, line balancing, time studies, and design of experiments. This is the core of the role.
• Track record of models that drove equipment, process, facility, staffing, or operational decisions.
• Ability to model complex, constraint-driven production systems end to end and validate them against imperfect real-world data.
• Working proficiency in Python and SQL sufficient to build, analyze, and maintain simulation models and tooling.
• Ability to partner directly with operations, manufacturing, hardware, and robotics engineers and communicate assumptions, uncertainty, and recommendations.

Desirable Skills

• Experience applying industrial-engineering methods in manufacturing, automation, fulfillment, food production, or other high-throughput operations.
• Experience building digital twins of physical production or manufacturing systems.
• Experience with facility layout, material handling, labor modeling, staffing, or ergonomic analysis.
• Experience working with real-time operational or telemetry data in production environments.
• Experience in food service, on-demand delivery, or just-in-time manufacturing systems.

Why join us

• Demand for online food delivery is growing really fast! In the last 5 years, just in the US, the overall market has expanded 10X from $10B to $100B, and could expand to $500bn- $1T by 2030.
• Changing the restaurant industry: You’ll be part of a team that helps restaurants succeed in online food delivery.
• Collaborative environment: You will receive support and guidance from experienced colleagues and managers, helping you to learn, grow and achieve your goals, and you’ll work closely with other teams to ensure our customer’s success.

What else you need to know

This role is based in our Pittsburghoffice. As a company driven by invention and continuous change - we are constantly reimagining our industries, building new products, and refining how we operate. We do our best work together. That’s why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week.

The base salary range for this role is $158,000 - $218,000 per year.

Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for equity awards and an annual performance-based bonus.

Benefits Summary (USA Full-Time Exempt Employees):

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (multiple plans, incl. HSA options).
• Company-paid life and disability insurance (short-and long-term).
• Voluntary insurance: accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity.
• Optional supplemental life insurance for self, spouse, and children.
• Pet insurance discount.
• 401(k).
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare, Dependent Care, Commuter)
• Time Off policies:
  • Discretionary vacation days
  • 8 paid holidays per year
  • Paid sick time
  • Paid Bereavement leave
  • Paid Parental Leave

Benefits are subject to change at the company's discretion.

Ready to join us as we serve those who serve others?

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