About the Role
We're looking for a Senior Robotics Simulation Engineer to lead the development of high-fidelity simulation environments for industrial robotic manipulators. You'll architect simulation systems that validate robot motion planning, collision avoidance, and cycle time optimization before deployment to production manufacturing lines. This role bridges the gap between virtual validation and real-world industrial automation.
Responsibilities
- Architect and lead the design of complex simulation environments for robotic manipulators in Isaac Sim and other industry-standard platforms, with focus on accurate kinematics, dynamics, and gripper/end-effector interactions.
- Develop and validate motion planning algorithms, trajectory optimization, and path planning strategies for multi-axis industrial robots in simulated manufacturing cells.
- Own the simulation testing strategy design comprehensive experiment frameworks to validate manipulator behavior across varying payloads, reach envelopes, and cycle time requirements.
- Create digital twins of industrial workcells including robot arms, fixtures, conveyors, and sensors to enable virtual commissioning and offline programming.
- Drive automation initiatives build and maintain robust testing pipelines, integrate simulation seamlessly into CI/CD workflows, and establish best practices for the team.
- Establish documentation standards and create technical specifications that enable knowledge sharing across engineering teams.
Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional experience in robotics simulation, with specific focus on robotic manipulators and industrial automation.
- Hands-on experience programming and integrating industrial robots (KUKA, FANUC, ABB, Universal Robots, or similar) in production environments.
- Familiarity with industrial robot programming languages (KRL, RAPID, LS, URScript) and robot controller interfaces.
- Expert-level Python programming with proven ability to write maintainable, performant code for complex robotic systems.
- Deep expertise with ROS/ROS 2 architecture, including MoveIt for motion planning, custom node development, and system integration.
- Production experience with simulation platforms (Isaac Sim, Gazebo, or equivalent) for manipulator validation in real-world robotics projects.
- Strong theoretical foundation in manipulator kinematics (forward/inverse), dynamics, Jacobians, singularity analysis, and trajectory planning.
- Understanding of industrial automation concepts: PLC integration, safety systems, I/O protocols (EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, EtherCAT).
- Proven track record of technical leadership with ability to make architectural decisions and influence engineering direction.
- Experience working in fast-paced startup or product-driven environments.
Bonus Skills
- Advanced 3D modeling and CAD skills (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Blender) including URDF/SDF creation for robot arms and tooling.
- Machine learning integration in simulation reinforcement learning for manipulation tasks, sim-to-real transfer, or synthetic data generation for vision systems.
- Experience with force/torque control, compliant manipulation, or contact-rich assembly tasks.
- DevOps proficiency Docker, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions for simulation deployments.
- Experience with cloud-based simulation infrastructure (AWS RoboMaker, Isaac Sim on cloud GPUs) and distributed computing for parallel testing.
- Track record of open-source contributions to robotics/manipulation projects.
