Robotic Software Engineer - Manipulation

Ghost Robotics • Philadelphia, PA

2d

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Robotics Engineer to design, implement, and deploy manipulation algorithms for arms mounted on top of dynamic legged robotic systems in complex real-world environments. You will develop task and motion planning, grasping, perception and control pipelines, using real-time software and ensuring high-level performance on hardware. This role is ideal for engineers who thrive on high-velocity problem solving, deep technical ownership, and hands-on testing and validation.

Requirements

• Master’s or PhD in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience in robotic manipulation, specifically with multi-DOF (Degree of Freedom) arms.
• Strong foundations in motion planning, control theory and optimization, along with experience in dynamical systems.
• Deep understanding of coordinate transformations, forward/inverse kinematics, Jacobians, and robot dynamics.
• Experience with motion planning software tools (e.g., MoveIt, OMPL, or custom optimization-based planners).
• Experience with multi-body dynamics, modeling, and simulation (e.g., MuJoCo, Gazebo, Isaac, Bullet/PyBullet).
• Experience with ROS 2 and real-time middleware.
• Proficiency in modern C++ (C++17/20) and Python for development and tooling.
• Experience with Unix/Linux environments and software engineering best practices (version control, CI/CD).

Nice To Haves

• Experience with legged or humanoid robots.
• Experience applying Reinforcement Learning (RL), Vision Language Models (VLMs) or Vision-Language-Action Models (VLAs) for robotic decision-making and task planning.
• Familiarity with 3D perception, point cloud processing, and integrating vision-based feedback into manipulation loops.
• Background in whole-body control frameworks (operational space control, MPC, etc.).
• Experience with force-feedback control or “hand-eye” calibration techniques.
• Publications or significant open-source contributions in robotics or machine learning.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical efforts and mentor junior engineers.

Responsibilities

• Architect Manipulation Pipelines: Work on the design and implementation of end-to-end manipulation frameworks, from high-level task planning down to perception and low-level joint control.
• Motion Planning & Optimization: Develop algorithms for trajectory planning and obstacle avoidance, as well as motion generation in a real-time setting.
• Development of Grasping Algorithms: Implement grasping strategies using a variety of sensors (proprioception, vision) to handle rigid or deformable objects.
• Sim-to-Real Transfer: Utilize physics-based simulators to develop and validate manipulation policies, ensuring high-fidelity transfer to physical hardware.
• Software Development and Testing: Write clean and maintainable code in C++ and Python. Also debug and analyze system performance in both simulation and hardware using logs, visualization tools, hardware experiments, and fleet data.
• System Integration: Collaborate closely with mechanical, perception, embedded, and systems teams to ensure end-to-end performance and robustness.
• Mentorship: Mentor junior engineers and contribute to long-term architectural decisions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior