Staff Robotics Engineer: Manipulation Architect

GRAM; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation bonus

Health coverage

Equity

Job summary

GRAM is a self replication company creating populations of insectoids for the physical economy. This staff-level role focuses on building and owning the manipulation architecture, spanning task planning, sensing, and recovery, with hands-on C++ and Python on real hardware.

You will lead design reviews, mentor engineers, and ensure measurable success by repeated physical trials in Palo Alto, with on-site work and relocation options.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in robotics/CE/EE/CS
• Strong C++ and Python skills with robotics framework experience (ROS 2, MoveIt, Drake, Pinocchio)
• Experience deploying manipulation systems on physical robots and explaining architecture with measured results

Responsibilities

• Set the manipulation architecture and technical direction across planning, sensing, and execution
• Design manipulation behaviors for contact-rich tasks and constrained motion
• Integrate and evaluate learned manipulation policies through sensing, control, and recovery stack
• Implement production-quality planning and execution software in C++ and Python for real-time operation
• Lead cross-stack design reviews and resolve tradeoffs across sensing, control, actuation, and interfaces
• Build task-level monitors for loss of contact, geometric mismatch, and failures
• Define hardware experiments, metrics, and regression tests for performance and recovery
• Analyze unsuccessful trials and drive algorithm/mechanism changes based on physical results
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in robotics or related field
• Demonstrated ownership of architecture and technical direction for deployed manipulation system

Skills

C++

Python

ROS 2

MoveIt

Drake

Pinocchio

Education

Bachelor's degree in robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or related field

Tools

ROS 2

Drake

MoveIt

Pinocchio

Job description

GRAM is a self replication company creating populations of insectoids for the physical economy. This staff-level role focuses on building and owning the manipulation architecture, spanning task planning, sensing, and recovery, with hands-on C++ and Python on real hardware.

You will lead design reviews, mentor engineers, and ensure measurable success by repeated physical trials in Palo Alto, with on-site work and relocation options.