Job Description

About the Role

We are looking for a hands-on Tech Lead to own the software “brain” of our Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). This is a Principal Engineer role with leadership responsibility — not a traditional management position.

You will design and build systems that operate in real industrial environments, not just simulations — combining deep robotics engineering (ROS, SLAM, navigation) with system architecture and technical leadership.

What You’ll Do

• Own and evolve the robotics software architecture, including navigation, localization, and safety
• Debug complex system issues hands-on, rather than delegating them
• Drive R&D initiatives such as map handling, odometry, and multi-floor navigation
• Lead and mentor the robotics team through technical authority
• Work closely with real customer deployments in industrial environments

Requirements

What You Bring

A Strong Robotics Engineering Foundation

• Hands-on experience in navigation, SLAM, or localization
• Exposure to perception (object detection, sensor processing, environment understanding) is a plus
• A track record of building production-grade systems, not just prototypes
• Comfort with real-world problems such as localization drift, sensor noise, and navigation edge cases

Systems Thinking

• An architect’s mindset — you think in systems, not just features
• Strong understanding of distributed robotic systems
• Experience with ROS1 ↔ ROS2 migration and bridging
• Familiarity with containerized robotics stacks (Docker)
• Ability to make architectural decisions and clearly explain trade-offs between performance, robustness, and maintainability

Technical Leadership

• A natural ability to lead through technical authority rather than hierarchy
• Skill in facilitating design discussions and aligning engineers on architecture
• An aptitude for structuring and breaking down complex problems

A Hands-On Mindset

• Active, ongoing coding in Python and C++
• A genuine interest in debugging real, system-level issues
• Around 60–70% of your time spent hands-on in engineering, not coordination

Must-Have Skills

Robotics / Core Tech

Programming

Systems

• Strong experience with ROS1 and ROS2
• Navigation stack (Nav2 / move_base)
• SLAM / localization (e.g. LOAM, AMCL, LIO-SAM)
• Sensor fusion (LiDAR + IMU at minimum)

• Python (primary language)
• C++ (mandatory)
• Rust (ideal, not required)

• Linux (Ubuntu, debugging)
• Git workflows and CI/CD

Nice to Have

• Experience with industrial AMRs
• Knowledge of VDA 5050 and fleet manager integration
• Multi-robot systems / fleet management
• Safety and risk-prevention knowledge (e.g. ISO 3691-4)
• Simulation experience (Gazebo / Ignition)
• Docker / container-based robotics architectures

Where You Might Come From

• AMR / AGV companies (e.g. KUKA, ABB, MiR, Fetch, Locus Robotics)
• Robotics startups
• Autonomous driving, if your navigation and systems focus is strong

Benefits

Why This Role

High Technical Impact: Your software directly controls robots operating in production environments.

End-to-End Ownership: From architecture through implementation, deployment, and real-world behavior.

High Complexity: SLAM, navigation, multi-robot coordination, and real-world constraints keep the work genuinely challenging.

Freedom to Shape Architecture: You will have strong influence over technical direction.

A True Hybrid Role: Deep technical work combined with real leadership impact.

Compensation Senior Level