Principal Robotics Engineer

The Robotics Engineer IV is a senior team lead and hands-on engineering contributor who helps define, integrate, and deliver new hardware products involving robotics, electromechanical systems, and automated material handling. This role is focused on early discovery, architecture input, system design, rapid iteration, prototyping, and New Product Introduction (NPI).

The Robotics Engineer IV provides day-to-day technical leadership for assigned engineering workstreams across mechanical, electrical, firmware, controls, and systems, while engineers continue to solid-line report to their Functional Leads.

We’re looking for someone with a mechanical or electrical engineering background, strong systems thinking ability, and real-world experience leading portions of complex hardware products from concept to launch.

This role is purpose-built for a hands-on, high-judgment senior engineer and team lead who thrives in ambiguity, loves building new things, and excels at turning early ideas into manufacturable, reliable devices.

Key Responsibilities

1. NPI & Early-Phase Product Development

• Lead assigned early-phase engineering work: concept development, feasibility, architecture support, and prototyping.

• Translate product needs into engineering requirements and system-level designs.

• Help build and drive the technical execution plan through NPI and design transfer for assigned systems and workstreams.

• Drive fast learning cycles, risk retirement, and design iteration.

2. Technical Ownership & Systems Engineering

• Help define and maintain system architecture across mechanical, electrical, firmware, sensors, motion control, and integration points.
• Decompose system requirements into clear subsystem specifications.
• Lead system tradeoffs and support cross-functional decision-making for assigned areas.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks proactively.

3. Cross-Functional Technical Leadership

• Provide day-to-day technical direction and priorities for assigned workstreams, guiding engineers across disciplines as needed.
• Coordinate engineering activities across disciplines to ensure integration readiness and team alignment.
• Partner closely with Program Management, Functional Leads, and other technical leaders to build realistic and accountable plans.
• Work with Product, Quality, Operations, and Manufacturing Engineering to align on needs and tradeoffs.

4. Design Transfer & Verification

• Help lead the product through EVT, DVT, and PVT, with direct ownership for assigned systems and workstreams.
• Ensure the design meets manufacturability, reliability, testability, and regulatory requirements.
• Contribute to system-level verification strategy (performance, reliability, safety) and drive execution for assigned areas.

5. Communication & Influence

• Communicate technical status, risk, and recommendations clearly to leadership.
• Represent engineering for assigned systems, subsystems, or workstreams in cross-functional forums.
• Influence without authority across multiple engineering disciplines.

6. Performance Input

• Provide structured technical input to Functional Leads as requested for engineers working on the program.
• Role model engineering rigor, judgment, and systems thinking.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Robotics, Mechatronics, or related field.
• 8+ years experience developing electromechanical or robotics systems.
• Strong NPI experience: from concept through design transfer.
• Deep systems engineering mindset and ability to reason across ME/EE/FW/controls.
• Experience leading or coordinating complex multidisciplinary engineering efforts in a team lead capacity.
• Strong problem-solving, risk management, and communication skills.

Preferred

• Experience bringing robotic or automation-based products through design transfer.
• Familiarity with reliability engineering, hazard analysis, verification planning.

What Success Looks Like

• Clear team alignment around system architecture input and NPI execution plan for assigned areas
• Early risk retirement and fast-cycle prototyping
• Strong cross-disciplinary collaboration, technical direction, and integration discipline
• Smooth design transfer and high-quality manufacturing ramp
• Products that meet performance requirements and launches on schedule