Robotics Engineering Lead

Location: Santa Rosa, California 
Employment Type: Full-Time 
Industry: Semiconductor / Advanced Manufacturing 
Experience: 3+ years of industrial automation or robotics experience 
Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher required 
Travel: None 
Relocation Assistance: Available 
Visa Sponsorship: Not available 
Benefits: Full benefits package 
Position Summary 
Our client is seeking a hands-on Robotics Engineering Lead to lead the automation of manufacturing processes from initial concept through successful production deployment. 
This individual will identify manufacturing operations that are strong candidates for automation, select the appropriate technologies, and personally design, program, integrate, test, and commission robotic systems. 
The role will focus heavily on collaborative robots (cobots), autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), machine vision, sensors, end-effectors, and material-handling automation within a live manufacturing environment. 
This is a technical leadership position rather than a traditional people-management role. The successful candidate will establish technical direction, lead projects, mentor engineers and technicians, and remain personally involved in programming, integration, troubleshooting, testing, and commissioning. 
Key Responsibilities 
Robotics & Automation Engineering 

• Identify and prioritize manufacturing processes that are strong candidates for automation. 
• Develop the technical and business case for automation initiatives. 
• Design, program, integrate, and commission collaborative robotic systems. 
• Develop cobot applications involving: 
• Assembly 
• Material handling 
• Machine tending 
• Inspection 
• Testing 
• Pick-and-place applications 
• Integrate robotic systems into existing factory equipment and production lines. 
• Select and integrate: 
• End-effectors 
• Grippers 
• Sensors 
• Machine vision 
• Force/torque systems 
• Related automation hardware 

Autonomous Mobile Robots 

• Deploy and integrate Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) within manufacturing environments. 
• Develop and optimize AMR routes. 
• Support fleet coordination and traffic management. 
• Integrate AMRs with production workstations and material-handling processes. 
• Configure material hand-offs between AMRs and manufacturing equipment. 
• Support integration with manufacturing or warehouse systems where applicable. 

End-to-End Project Ownership 
Own automation projects throughout the complete lifecycle, including: 

• Requirements gathering 
• Process evaluation 
• Concept development 
• System design 
• Simulation 
• Build 
• Programming 
• Integration 
• Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) 
• Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) 
• Validation 
• Commissioning 
• Production hand-off 

The successful candidate must be comfortable owning a project rather than only supporting one portion of the implementation.
Simulation & Offline Programming

• Use robotic simulation and offline programming tools to validate designs before physical deployment. 
• Evaluate:
• Robot reach 
• Cell layouts 
• Cycle times 
• Collision risks 
• Accessibility 
• Process feasibility 
• Optimize system designs prior to installation. 
• Utilize tools such as RoboDK, RobotStudio, or similar vendor platforms. 

Technical Leadership

• Serve as a hands-on technical lead for robotics and factory automation. 
• Establish technical standards and best practices. 
• Review designs and automation concepts. 
• Mentor engineers, technicians, and operators developing robotics capabilities. 
• Lead projects while remaining actively involved in engineering execution. 
• Communicate complex technical concepts to cross-functional stakeholders. 

Vendor & Technology Management 

• Evaluate robotics, cobot, AMR, vision, and automation vendors. 
• Assess new technologies for manufacturing applications. 
• Coordinate pilots and proof-of-concept deployments. 
• Determine which technologies should be scaled across manufacturing operations. 
• Work effectively with external system integrators and equipment vendors. 

Manufacturing Safety

• Partner with appropriate safety stakeholders throughout robotic-system development. 
• Conduct and support robotic-system risk assessments. 
• Ensure robotic and collaborative applications meet applicable machine-safety requirements before production deployment. 
• Apply knowledge of relevant safety standards such as: 
• ISO 10218 
• ISO/TS 15066 
• ISO 12100 
• ISO 13849 

Documentation & Training 

• Develop technical documentation for robotic deployments. 
• Create operating procedures and run books. 
• Document system configurations, troubleshooting procedures, and maintenance requirements. 
• Train production teams on the safe and effective operation of automation systems. 
• Ensure production teams can sustain deployments after engineering hand-off. 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in: 
• Robotics 
• Computer Science 
• Electrical Engineering 
• Mechanical Engineering 
• Or a closely related technical discipline 
• 3+ years of industrial automation or robotics experience 
• Demonstrated experience deploying automation or robotic systems in a live manufacturing or production environment 
• Strong combination of software and mechanical engineering capabilities 
• Hands-on experience programming and integrating collaborative robots 
• Experience integrating: 
• End-effectors 
• Grippers 
• Sensors 
• Machine vision 
• Hands-on experience with AMRs and material-handling automation 
• Experience deploying and integrating AMRs on a factory floor 
• Experience using robotic simulation and offline programming tools 
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects while remaining personally hands-on 
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities 
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ROS / ROS 2 
• Experience with robot simulation or digital-twin platforms 
• Experience with RoboDK, RobotStudio, or comparable tools 
• Experience with 2D or 3D machine vision 
• Experience with force/torque control 
• Pick-and-place automation experience 
• AMR fleet-management experience 
• Integration experience with manufacturing or warehouse execution systems 
• Electronics manufacturing experience 
• Semiconductor manufacturing experience 
• Precision manufacturing experience 
• High-mix / low-volume manufacturing experience 
• CAD experience using tools such as: 
• Creo 
• SolidWorks 
• AutoCAD 
• Relevant robot/cobot vendor certifications 
• Knowledge of robotic and collaborative-machine safety standards 

Ideal Candidate Profile
The strongest candidate will combine: Hands-on cobot programming + AMR deployment + live manufacturing automation + robotics simulation + mechanical/software engineering + full project ownership + technical leadership.
Our client is specifically looking for someone who has personally deployed robotic systems into production, not someone whose experience has been primarily theoretical, research-based, managerial, or limited to traditional PLC automation.
This individual should be comfortable moving between a computer, robot cell, production line, engineering team, technician group, and manufacturing floor as needed.