Senior / Staff Robotics Engineer, Manipulation

RoboForce; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options/equity

Health, dental, vision insurance

Visa sponsorship

Meals provided

Job summary

RoboForce seeks a Senior/Staff Robotics Engineer, Manipulation, to own the arm autonomy stack. You will architect algorithms that enable reaching, grasping, and manipulating objects safely, bridging high-level planning with low-level control for precise and compliant interaction.

You will lead advanced motion planning, interaction control, and teleoperation work, collaborating with teams in a demanding industrial setting. In-office presence is required five days a week in Milpitas, CA.

Qualifications

• PhD in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, CS, or related field; or MS + 4+ years of industry experience.
• Deep understanding of rigid body kinematics, dynamics, and 3D geometry; fluent in linear algebra.
• Production-grade real-time C++ (C++17/20); experience with libraries like Eigen, KDL, Pinocchio.
• Experience with motion planning libraries (OMPL/MoveIt/TrajOpt).
• Experience implementing PID, impedance control, or MPC on real hardware.
• Five days/week in-office collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Architect advanced motion planning and trajectory generation for high-DOF arm motion in dynamic environments.
• Develop low-level interaction control strategies (impedance/admittance) for safe physical interaction.
• Build the math engine for teleoperation and human-robot interface to translate operator inputs into safe robot motions.

Skills

Advanced Motion Planning

Impedance/Control

Real-time C++

Robot Kinematics

Planning Frameworks (OMPL/MoveIt)

Team Collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in Robotics

MS in related field with 4+ years experience

Tools

Eigen

KDL

Pinocchio

OMPL

MoveIt

Job description

Why RoboForce is an AI robotics company developing Physical AI–powered Robo-Labor for dull, dirty, and dangerous work. The company’s robots are engineered for demanding industrial environments, with a focus on real‑world deployment and scalability.

We are seeking Senior / Staff Robotics Engineer, Manipulation to own the arm autonomy stack. You will architect the algorithms that allow our robot to reach, grasp, and manipulate objects safely and intelligently. You will bridge the gap between high‑level planning and low‑level control, ensuring our robot can interact with the world with both precision and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Advanced Motion Planning & Trajectory Generation: You will architect the algorithms that drive high‑DOF arm motion in dynamic environments. This involves implementing constrained motion planners that generate smooth, jerk‑limited trajectories in real‑time. You will also solve the "Whole Body" control problem, coordinating the mobile base and the manipulator arm simultaneously to extend the robot’s workspace and maintain stability during heavy lifting tasks.
• Interaction Control & Compliance: You will develop the low‑level control strategies that enable the robot to physically interact with the world safely. This includes designing and tuning impedance/admittance controllers that allow the robot to modulate stiffness based on force feedback—essential for tasks like opening heavy doors or plugging in connectors.
• Teleoperation & Human‑Robot Interface: You will build the mathematical engine behind our remote manipulation capabilities. You are responsible for the logic that translates human operator inputs into feasible, safe robot motions. You will design the control mapping and assistance layers that ensure remote manipulation feels intuitive and stable, managing the complex translation between human intent and the robot’s physical constraints without compromising safety.

Requirements

• Experience: Ph.D. in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field, OR an M.S. degree with 4+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Applied Mathematics: Deep understanding of rigid body kinematics, dynamics, and 3D geometry. You are fluent in linear algebra and Lie theory for representing robot state.
• Modern C++ Expertise: You write production‑grade, real‑time C++. You are comfortable with modern standards (C++17/20) and libraries like Eigen, KDL, or Pinocchio.
• Planning Frameworks: Experience with motion planning libraries (e.g., OMPL, MoveIt, TrajOpt, or similar).
• Control Theory: Practical experience implementing PID, Impedance Control, or Model Predictive Control (MPC) on real hardware.
• Team Collaboration: Requires 5 days/week in‑office collaboration with the teams.

Bonus Qualifications

• Physics Simulation: Experience tuning physics parameters in simulators like Isaac Sim, MuJoCo, or Gazebo to match real‑world dynamics.
• Optimization: Familiarity with solvers like OSQP, Ipopt, or Ceres for trajectory optimization.
• ML for Control: Interest or experience in Reinforcement Learning (RL) or Learning from Demonstration (LfD) for manipulation tasks.
• Real Actuators: Experience working with industrial communication buses (EtherCAT/CAN) and motor drives.

Benefits

• Competitive stock options/equity programs.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) plan.
• Visa sponsorship and green card support for qualified candidates.
• Lunches and dinners, a fully stocked kitchen, and regular team‑building events.