Senior Robotics Engineer / Motion Planning

About the job

Senior Robotics Engineer – Motion Planning An innovative robotics company is seeking a Senior Robotics Engineer with deep expertise in motion planning to help develop next-generation robotic systems transforming the automotive service industry. This full-time opportunity focuses on designing and implementing advanced motion planning and control capabilities for a unique, multi-axis robotic platform used in automated tire changing and wheel balancing. You'll work with cutting-edge technologies including ROS 2, MoveIt 2, C++, Python, OMPL, RRT, PRM, CHOMP, STOMP, and robotic kinematics to develop intelligent, collision-aware motion planning solutions.

This is an exciting opportunity for a robotics engineer who wants to take technical ownership of challenging, real-world robotics problems. You'll be the primary technical driver behind motion planning architecture, working directly with custom robotic hardware rather than developing software in isolation. You'll have significant influence over technical direction, direct access to the robots, and the opportunity to solve complex challenges involving multiple manipulators, confined workspaces, dynamic obstacles, and precision motion control. This is a hands-on engineering role with a small, highly talented team that is moving quickly from prototype to production. If you're passionate about advanced robotics, enjoy developing sophisticated algorithms, and want to see your software controlling real-world machines, this is an opportunity to build something truly unique.

Required Skills & Experience

• Deep expertise in robotic motion planning algorithms, including sampling-based methods such as RRT, RRT*, RRT-Connect, and Probabilistic Roadmaps (PRM).
• Experience with trajectory optimization techniques such as CHOMP, STOMP, or TrajOpt.
• Strong preference for 2+ years of hands-on experience with MoveIt or MoveIt 2 in production or near-production robotic systems.
• Strong proficiency in C++ and/or Python within the ROS 2 ecosystem.
• Experience configuring robotic kinematic models, planning scenes, and planner interfaces.
• Strong understanding of forward and inverse kinematics for serial and parallel manipulators.
• Hands-on experience with kinematic solvers such as KDL, TRAC-IK, or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of collision detection, collision avoidance, occupancy representations, and safety-aware motion planning.
• Experience developing reliable, high-performance trajectory planning solutions under real-world constraints.
• Ability to diagnose complex hardware-software integration issues, from trajectory planning failures to low-level actuator limitations.
• Understanding of real-time software performance, memory management, and software design patterns.
• Experience working with robotic simulation environments for development and validation.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
• Experience with multi-axis robotic systems, multiple manipulators, or complex mechatronic platforms.
• Background in automotive service equipment, industrial automation, or specialized robotic systems beyond traditional industrial robot arms.
• Experience with real-time trajectory execution and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Familiarity with safety-rated motion control and robotic safety interlocks.
• Full-stack robotics experience spanning motor control, drive systems, hardware abstraction layers (HAL), and low-level firmware interfaces.
• Experience integrating sensors such as LiDAR, depth cameras, and IMUs.
• Familiarity with point cloud processing tools such as PCL or Open3D.
• Exposure to SLAM, object detection, and perception-driven or reactive motion planning.
• Experience deploying, debugging, and optimizing robotic systems in real-world customer environments.

What You Will Be Doing Tech Breakdown

• ROS 2 / MoveIt 2
• Motion Planning: OMPL, RRT, RRT*, RRT-Connect, PRM
• Trajectory Optimization: CHOMP, STOMP, TrajOpt
• Industrial Motion Planning: Pilz Industrial Motion Planner
• Robotics Programming: C++ / Python
• Kinematics: URDF, SRDF, KDL, TRAC-IK
• Collision Avoidance & Planning Scenes
• Occupancy Mapping: OctoMap, Voxel Grids
• Real-Time Motion Control & Trajectory Execution
• Robotic Simulation & Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing
• Sensor Integration: LiDAR, Depth Cameras, IMUs
• Point Cloud Processing: PCL, Open3D

Daily Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of motion planning and control capabilities for a custom multi-axis robotic platform.
• Define and integrate robotic software systems, including URDF/SRDF models, planner selection, planner tuning, axis grouping, and joint-specific motion profiles.
• Develop fast, efficient, collision-aware trajectory planning solutions that account for environmental obstacles and internal kinematic constraints.
• Implement and optimize motion planning algorithms using OMPL, including RRT, RRT-Connect, and PRM.
• Evaluate and integrate deterministic planning alternatives, including the Pilz Industrial Motion Planner, for repeatable and production-ready trajectories.
• Configure and adapt MoveIt 2 planning scenes, kinematic models, and planner interfaces to support ATI's unique robotic hardware.
• Develop and maintain ROS 2 nodes for actuator state feedback, joint state publishing, and trajectory execution.
• Collaborate with motion, perception, systems, and hardware engineering teams to define kinematic constraints, velocity and acceleration limits, and safety interlocks.
• Troubleshoot and optimize motion planning performance, including complex hardware-software integration issues.
• Develop and validate robotic motion solutions through simulation and real-world hardware testing.
• Support field deployments by diagnosing and resolving motion performance issues directly on deployed robotic systems.
• Write clean, maintainable, and testable code while documenting architecture decisions and technical designs.
• Help establish engineering best practices and contribute to the long-term scalability and reliability of ATI's robotics platform.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the US on a full-time basis now and in the future.