Senior Robotics Engineer, Machine Tending

We are seeking a Senior Robotics Engineer, Machine Tending to join our team at Senra Systems. You will partner with pilots on robotic hands and models, working on our terms, with our data and results staying within the company.

You will help set a quarterly research plan with our Head of AI & Robotics, defining clear deliverables and go/no-go criteria for each task. Additionally, you will contribute to hiring and mentoring engineers as the team grows.

Responsibilities and Requirements:

• Hands-on experience with training and deploying learning-based manipulation on real robots, such as imitation learning, diffusion or transformer policies, and reinforcement learning
• Experience with building the data side, including teleoperation or demonstration collection, data pipelines, and evaluation on hardware
• Track record of working in a robotics research lab, a frontier robotics company, or a team shipping learned robotic systems
• Experience with contact-rich or deformable-object manipulation, such as cables, insertion, or cloth
• Ability to move quickly on real hardware, conducting experiments that answer questions in days, not months
• Strong Python skills and experience with a deep learning framework such as PyTorch or JAX; comfort with C++ and ROS 2 or similar on real robots
• Self-starter who takes ownership of a technical area end-to-end, partners well with other senior engineers, and communicates clearly with technicians, engineers, and leadership
• Master's or PhD in robotics, computer science, or mechanical, electrical, or computer engineering, or equivalent research or industry experience
• Must be a U.S. Person as defined under ITAR

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with learned skills shipped into a production or commercial setting
• Familiarity with dexterous hands, tactile sensing, or force-controlled manipulation
• Knowledge of sim-to-real transfer and simulation tools such as MuJoCo or Isaac Sim
• Publications or open-source work in robot learning
• Experience in wire harness, cable assembly, or other high-mix assembly
• Startup or high-growth company experience
• Experience mentoring engineers or helping build a research team

Success Metrics (6–12 Months):

• A learned machine-tending skill running on one of our wire machines alongside programmed tending, with a measured success rate on real jobs
• At least one learned capability folded into a production cell, with a measured improvement
• Attempting at least one dexterous or wire-manipulation task on real production harnesses, with partner hardware and a measured result
• Setting a quarterly research plan with clear deliverables and go/no-go criteria, and making a build-or-buy recommendation on models and hands
• Helping shape the technical roadmap with our Head of AI & Robotics and contributing to hiring the next engineers on the team

Compensation and Benefits:

• Salary Range: $200,000-$260,000
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability coverage
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Spending Account (DSA) for health-related expenses
• 20 vacation days per year and 12 company holidays
• 401(k) plan
• Equity participation
• $50/month DoorDash credit
• Up to $100/month reimbursement for gym memberships
• Fully stocked kitchen with snacks and beverages
• Regular team-building events, lunches, and the occasional breakfast burrito!