Technical Support Specialist - School of Computer Science and College of Engineering - Robotics Innovation Center

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Innovation Center (RIC) is seeking a Technical Support Specialist to support the daily operation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and user support of its special-purpose research spaces. These include motion capture systems, drone research facilities, a wet laboratory, and water tank testing environments. The specialist provides direct technical support to faculty, researchers, students, and project teams, helping ensure reliable operation of research infrastructure and experimental equipment. The position also supports general RIC building operations. The role supports research in robotics, autonomy, aerial systems, and aquatic systems. It involves assisting users with experiments and facility setup, maintaining equipment and operational documentation, coordinating maintenance and facility readiness, and helping ensure safe and efficient use of specialized spaces. The position also supports research demonstrations, outreach events, facility tours, and project-use billing. The position is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is a regular, full-time staff position. It requires an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a related technical field, or comparable knowledge demonstrated through a combination of education and proven experience. Successful completion of a pre-employment background check is required. Work takes place frequently in laboratory, workshop, and experimental research environments, with occasional movement of equipment weighing up to 70 pounds.

Requirements

Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in Robotics, Engineering Technology, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical field; comparable knowledge demonstrated through a combination of education and proven experience may be considered.
Experience supporting research, laboratory, testing, or technical facilities.
Experience troubleshooting hardware, software, networking, and instrumentation systems.
Strong hands-on technical troubleshooting skills.
Ability to work independently while supporting multiple research groups and projects.
Strong organizational and communication skills.
Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.
Ability to occasionally lift and move equipment weighing up to 70 pounds.
Use of appropriate personal protective equipment as required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with motion capture systems such as Vicon, OptiTrack, Qualisys, or similar platforms.
Experience supporting UAV or drone research environments.
Knowledge of robotics platforms, sensors, embedded systems, and data acquisition systems.
Experience with laboratory operations and safety protocols.
Familiarity with Linux, ROS/ROS2, networking, and research computing environments.
Experience supporting aquatic robotics testing facilities.
Ability to quickly learn new systems and technologies.

Responsibilities

Provide daily operational support for optical motion capture systems and associated hardware and software.
Calibrate, configure, and maintain motion capture cameras, markers, tracking systems, and data acquisition equipment.
Troubleshoot motion capture hardware, software, networking, and synchronization issues.
Assist researchers with experiment setup, data collection, and motion capture system optimization.
Monitor system performance and coordinate preventative maintenance.
Maintain motion capture facility documentation, procedures, and user guides.
Support motion capture systems used for UAV and aerial robotics testing, including configuring and validating tracking performance.
Assist with flight-test preparation and operational activities, and verify system accuracy, coordinate frame alignment, and integration with flight-control and navigation systems.
Support safe operation of drone testing facilities and compliance with established safety procedures.
Troubleshoot communication, telemetry, tracking, and network issues related to aerial robotics research.
Provide technical support for robotics-related wet laboratory operations and equipment, including setup, instrumentation, and experimental configurations.
Monitor laboratory equipment and coordinate repairs and maintenance as needed.
Maintain laboratory inventory, supplies, and consumables, and support compliance with laboratory safety, chemical handling, and environmental requirements.
Support operation and maintenance of water tank testing facilities and assist with underwater, aquatic, and marine robot experiments.
Set up and maintain instrumentation, sensors, cameras, networking equipment, and data acquisition systems for water tank testing.
Respond to user support requests and resolve technical issues in a timely manner.
Coordinate facility scheduling and readiness for research testing activities.
Maintain equipment inventories, asset records, and maintenance logs.
Coordinate with engineering, IT, facilities, vendors, and external service providers.
Develop and maintain standard operating procedures and technical documentation.
Support research demonstrations, outreach events, and facility tours.
Recommend improvements to facility infrastructure, reliability, and operational efficiency.
Track laboratory use by project for billing purposes.
Assist with general building operations as assigned.