Senior Robotics Motion Planning Engineer

About the job

A fast-growing robotics company in the Boston area is reinventing automotive service through cutting-edge robotics and automation. Their technology combines ROS 2, MoveIt 2, multi-axis robotic systems, motion planning, collision avoidance, and advanced trajectory control to automate tire changing and wheel balancing. This is a unique opportunity for a Senior Robotics Engineer to become the technical owner of motion planning for a robotic platform unlike anything you’ve worked on before. You’ll be working directly with physical robots—not just simulations—solving challenging problems around multi-axis motion, kinematics, collision avoidance, and real-time trajectory execution. The team is small, highly technical, and hands-on, giving you the opportunity to have a major influence on architecture and technical direction while taking your robotics expertise from development all the way into real-world production and field deployment. Required Skills & Experience · 2+ years of hands-on experience with MoveIt or MoveIt 2 in production or near-production systems · Deep expertise in motion planning algorithms including RRT, RRT*, PRM, CHOMP, STOMP, or TrajOpt · Strong C++ and/or Python experience within the ROS 2 ecosystem · Strong understanding of forward and inverse kinematics · Experience with kinematic solvers such as KDL, TRAC-IK, or equivalent · Experience with collision avoidance and safety-aware motion planning · Experience configuring URDF/SRDF models and planning scenes · Experience working with robotic hardware and actuator constraints · Strong understanding of velocity, acceleration, and joint limits · Experience developing production-grade robotics software · Experience with robotic simulation environments Desired Skills & Experience · BS/MS/PhD in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field · Experience with industrial automation, automotive equipment, or complex mechatronic systems · Experience with multi-manipulator or non-traditional robotic platforms · Experience with real-time trajectory execution or hardware-in-the-loop testing · Experience with safety-rated motion control · Experience with motor control, drive systems, HAL, or low-level firmware · Experience with LiDAR, depth cameras, IMUs, PCL, Open3D, SLAM, or point cloud processing · Experience with perception-driven or reactive motion planning What You Will Be Doing Tech Breakdown · 40% C++ / Python / ROS 2 / MoveIt 2 · 25% Motion Planning / Kinematics / Trajectory Optimization · 20% Robotics Hardware Integration & Testing · 15% Simulation / Debugging / System Development Daily Responsibilities · 50% Hands On · 0% Management Duties · 50% Team Collaboration The Offer · Competitive Base Salary · Bonus eligible You will receive the following benefits: · Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance · Vacation Time · Stock Options Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the US on a full-time basis now and in the future.