Robotics Research Engineer

Emeryville, CA

Salary: $150K - $250K
Level: Mid
Work type: On-site · Emeryville

Not stated in the posting: visa.

Open. First seen 2 October 2026.

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About the role

Robotics Research Engineer

About Us

We are reimagining manufacturing through advanced robotics. Our mission is to rebuild the American manufacturing industry as an AI-first, assembly-focused, dual-use contract manufacturer. We aim to empower manufacturers with intelligent, efficient, and adaptable robotic systems that redefine productivity and quality. As a founding member of our engineering team, you will have a direct and significant impact on our product, culture, and ultimate success. This role is 100% in-person at our office in Emeryville, CA.

The Role

We are hiring a Robotics Research Engineer to design, implement, and deploy intelligent robotic systems for manufacturing.

This is not a purely academic role — and not a generic software role. You will work across:

ROS2-based system architecture
Manipulation and navigation
Perception and VLA-based control
Traditional controls fused with learned methods
On-site deployment in production manufacturing workcells

You should be equally comfortable reading robotics papers, tuning controllers, debugging sensor calibration, and pushing production code to robots running on a factory floor.

Key Responsibilities

Robotics Systems & Architecture

Design and implement distributed robotic systems in ROS2
Build modular autonomy stacks for manipulation and mobile platforms
Own system-level performance, latency, and reliability

Robotics Foundation Models (VLA)

Develop and integrate Vision–Language–Action models for robotic control
Design data collection pipelines and fine-tune foundation models for assembly tasks
Benchmark and evaluate real-world performance

Controls + Learning

Fuse traditional control with learned policies
Implement hybrid perception–planning–control architectures
Improve robustness, repeatability, and safety in physical systems

Manipulation, Navigation & Deployment

Develop algorithms for dexterous manipulation and industrial navigation
Ship systems from prototype to production
Debug real-world edge cases (lighting, calibration drift, wear, latency) and maintain deployed robotic cells

Foundry Robotics's standard text

What We're Looking For

Founder mentality: We love people who build like it’s their own company. You move fast, take ownership, and find a way through when the path isn’t obvious. You have the drive to make big things happen and the judgment to take smart risks along the way. If you prefer a clearly defined lane, a predictable pace, and all the answers before you start, there’s nothing wrong with that—but Foundry might not be the right fit.

Deployment Mentality

Experience shipping systems into real environments (not just lab demos)
Comfort debugging hardware–software integration issues
Ability to own systems end-to-end

Ownership

Thrives in high-velocity, ambiguous environments
Takes full technical ownership of complex systems
Willing to get into the weeds of mechanical, electrical, and software challenges

Nice to Have

PhD in Robotics or related field
Experience working on dual-use or DoD-related systems
Ability to obtain a government security clearance
Experience with safety-critical robotic systems

Growth Opportunities

Define the technical direction of robotics foundation model deployment in manufacturing
Build and lead the autonomy team
Shape the next generation of AI-driven assembly systems
Become a core technical interface with defense and industrial partners

Why Join Us?

Foundry Robotics's standard text

This is one of the only places where world-class manufacturing operators, mechanical engineers, robotics researchers, and software engineers sit in the same room — building production systems together.

We are committed to being deeply embedded in the U.S. industrial base. Our focus is simple: build adaptive robotic assembly systems that make American manufacturing scalable, resilient, and competitive again.

If you want to publish papers, this may not be the role.

If you want to build and deploy the systems those papers were meant to enable — this is it.

The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of Emeryville is:

$150,000—$250,000 USD

Compensation packages at Foundry Robotics for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position, determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Foundry Robotics employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval.

Foundry Robotics's standard text

You’ll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, and generous PTO.

Foundry Robotics is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.