Contoro Robotics

Sr. Robotics Engineer, Motion Planning

Austin, TX · Senior

Sponsorship not specifiedDetected 11 days ago

PythonC++NLPSupply ChainLogisticsRoboticsElectrical EngineeringLeadershipCommunicationProblem Solving

About the role

Your focus is reducing cycle time while maintaining safety and payload stability, using strong fundamentals in kinematics, dynamics, constrained optimization, and hardware-backed performance validation.

Own trajectory generation and time parameterization: turn planned paths into time-optimal, dynamically feasible trajectories that minimize cycle time while respecting velocity, acceleration, jerk, and torque limits of the arm and payload.
Drive the next generation of our motion performance through advanced time parameterization, optimization-based motion (optimal control, QP/NLP), and payload-aware planning that meaningfully increases throughput.
Ensure smooth, jerk-limited motion that maintains payload stability and hardware safety, and robustly handle near-singularity and joint-limit edge cases without stalls or unsafe motion.
Own geometric path planning for a high-DOF manipulator moving boxes through cluttered, partially occluded container environments.
Evaluate and evolve the planning architecture and toolchain (e.g., MoveIt, OMPL, CHOMP/TrajOpt), making the build, adopt, and extend decisions for the planning stack.
Define motion-performance metrics, benchmark alternative approaches, and validate gains both in simulation and on real hardware.
Use physics-based and kinematic simulation to develop and de-risk changes before they reach the fleet.
Set technical direction for motion planning and drive multi-quarter improvements in cycle time and reliability.

Education: B.S. or M.S. in Robotics, Computer Science, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent industry experience).

Background in optimization-based motion (optimal control, QP/NLP-based trajectory optimization).
Deep proficiency in C++ (modern standards), Python, and ROS 1 or ROS 2.
Experience validating cycle-time and reliability improvements on real hardware, backed by simulation.
Soft Skills:
Strong problem-solving and data-driven decision-making
Excellent communication - able to present complex technical concepts clearly to cross-functional teams and mentor other engineers.
Hands-on expertise with MoveIt and motion planning frameworks (OMPL, RRT/RRT-Connect/PRM, CHOMP/TrajOpt).
Experience with industrial manipulators (e.g., KUKA) and real-time joint control.
Experience planning for multi-object or multi-pick manipulation.
Experience optimizing for throughput or cycle time in a production robotics or logistics setting.
Experience with GPU-accelerated or learning-based motion planning in addition to classical methods.
Experience with physics-based or kinematic simulation for planning validation (Isaac Sim, Gazebo, MuJoCo, Bullet).

At Contoro Robotics, we're on a mission to solve labor challenges through advanced robotic solutions.
Headquartered in Austin, TX, our fast-growing startup is transforming the supply chain industry with our flagship warehouse automation technology.
Our team is made up of top-tier experts in robotics, AI, and logistics, working together to push the boundaries of automation.
We're looking for talented and ambitious individuals to join us on this journey-helping shape the future of robotics while growing alongside a world-class team.
If you're passionate about innovation, problem-solving, and making a real-world impact, we want to hear from you!
Contoro Robotics is an Austin-based company building autonomous truck-unloading robots for warehouse operations.
We deploy reliable, high-throughput robotic systems that handle heavy, unstructured freight in real logistics settings every day.
We are looking for a Senior Robotics Engineer to lead the next phase of motion-performance improvement for our robot arm.

This listing is sourced directly from Contoro Robotics's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.