Robotics Design Engineer

AES•Arlington, VA

About The Position

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Robotics Design Engineer to join our team. In this role, you will be responsible for building and maintaining our simulation-first development and validation workflow. You will leverage your deep expertise in robotics and simulation systems to drive innovation and solve complex challenges while designing, developing, and implementing robotics systems for Maximo. You will be a key player in defining how Maximo’s software architecture is structured, integrated, and validated before they are deployed to production robots in the field. You will work closely with engineers across Maximo team to design, develop, implement and test robotics solutions that power Maximo. In this role, you will translate product-level requirements into a coherent software and systems architecture for a rugged outdoor robotic platform. A successful candidate is strongly motivated and passionate about solving robotics problems and pushing the boundaries of what is possible today and will be an entrepreneurial, mission-driven individual responsible for actively progressing, developing, and executing the technical roadmap of our solar module installation robotic system. This individual will take on the responsibility of defining, designing, developing, validating and implementing all the robotics solutions and integrating them into our core robotic system, ensuring the system meets requirements and performance targets. In addition, will be responsible for defining, designing and maintaining Maximo’s system architecture while improving documentation and keeping development practices. A good candidate has a strong technical understanding of robotics system architecture and development practices, combined with hands-on experience building and integrating robotics stacks (ROS 2, C++, real-time communication, mobility, and sensor fusion) for autonomous mobile systems. As a specialist in the Maximo business, this position will work collaboratively across the Maximo, external industry partners across the value chain, and AES teams, including engineering, business development, construction, finance, supply chain, and strategy.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field.
5+ years of work experience in robotics system.
Strong theoretical foundation in robotics software and system architecture.
Strong programming skills in languages such as C++, Python
Proficiency in ROS2 and experience with ROS hardware integration
Experience with robotics simulation and digital twins.
Experience with middleware and networking considerations (DDS, QoS, latency/jitter, time synchronization) in distributed robotic systems.
Proven track record of successfully delivering complex robotics systems to market
Knowledge of robotics platforms and sensor systems.
Founder’s mentality: Entrepreneurial passion for getting things done and a “make it happen” attitude with an intellectual curiosity to seek new opportunities.
Capability to work dynamically and collaboratively across multiple teams in a fast-paced and technical business environment with minimal supervision.
Excellent communication skills.
Results-oriented, “can-do” attitude, and “get things done” mentality; comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity; no compromise on attention to quality and details.
Technology fluency: Demonstrated ability to understand solar engineering and technology concepts, question assumptions, and make informed product and technology decisions.
English required

Nice To Haves

Technical understanding of automation, robotics, computer vision, machine learning and/or artificial intelligence, is a plus.

Responsibilities

Define the robotics system architecture for Maximo, including subsystem decomposition, interfaces, and integration strategy.
Own simulation workflows for architecture validation, scenario development, and regression testing.
Build and maintain simulation assets (USD/URDF imports, sensor models, coordinate frames) and keep them consistent with physical robot configurations.
Build scenario libraries (terrain/slope, occlusions, lighting, sensor noise) + acceptance metrics
Simulation-to-field correlation (validate sensor models vs real logs)
Support transition from simulation to real-world testing by creating test procedures, instrumentation, and debugging workflows; help close gaps between simulation and field
Establish verification and validation practices: architecture reviews, test plans, performance benchmarks, and traceability from requirements to tests.
Design, develop, and implement robotics systems for various components, including robotics, servomotors, variety of automation sensors, vision systems, battery management and safety components.
Ensure seamless integration of robotic systems with other components and systems.
Develop and maintain robotic system architecture, ensuring continuous improvement and innovation.
Design, develop and implement advanced algorithms for real-time tasks such as trajectory generation, motion control, robotics motion, and system optimization.
Conduct rigorous testing and validation of robotics systems to meet performance and safety requirements
Research, develop, implement, and test new capabilities for industrial robotics
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure the successful integration of robotics solutions into complex systems.