Senior Robotics Engineer, Production

About the role

At Senra Systems, we're building a new model for complex manufacturing, starting with electrical wire harnesses. We're a real manufacturer, not a lab: we build harnesses on our own production lines for some of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the country. Long term, automating this work is how we help bring complex manufacturing back to the U.S.

We're looking for a Senior Robotics Engineer to own the technical implementation of robotics on our production lines, as part of our Automation Program. High-mix assembly is one of the hardest problems in manufacturing and has long resisted automation. You'll take it on with classical methods where they work and learning-based methods where they don't, building cells that sit on our production lines, take over one or more operations, and hand off to our industrial engineering team to run and scale, while you keep owning the software that runs them. Real hardware, on a real line, in real production.

This is a hands-on senior role on a small team with aggressive goals. You'll report to one of Senra's cofounders, our Head of AI & Robotics, who owns the technical vision for the program. You'll partner with the other senior engineers on the team to execute it, and help shape where it goes as we build. It's a lot of work, with a lot of ownership, and what you build goes onto the line fast.

You and our Senior Robotics Engineer, Robot Learning work as one loop. They take on the tasks fixtures and programming can't reach yet, and what they learn comes back to you: trained skills, perception and grasping models, and why a grasp or insertion fails. You fold it into the cells on the line, and your cells generate the production data that trains the next skills.

What you'll own:

Robotic line cells, from concept and rapid prototyping to a proven cell on the line: each one takes over one or more operations, with clear inputs and outputs

Handoff of proven cells to our industrial engineering team, and continued ownership of the software, firmware, and data that run them

System architectures that integrate hardware, motion planning, controls, sensing, and perception into reliable, maintainable cells

New capabilities such as perception, inspection, and machine tending, built in the Automation Program and rolled out to the line

Bringing learned skills and models from our robot learning work into your cells, and sending production data and failure cases back to train the next ones

Repeatable cell designs and rollout across lines and facilities, working with integrators where it speeds us up

Integration with our in-house factory software, so cells and the factory share work and data in real time

Fixture, gripper, end-effector, and tooling design

Scoping new automation projects, including the technical and business case for each

Engineering standards and best practices, and evaluation of vendors, partners, and new technologies, including learning-based approaches

Helping hire and mentor the engineers who join as the team grows

What you'll bring to the team:

Required:

Hands-on experience designing, building, and deploying robotic systems at a robotics company, automation integrator, or manufacturer running robotics in production, including systems where you were the technical lead

A track record of moving quickly: rapid prototyping, testing on real hardware, and iterating to reliable results

Experience programming industrial or collaborative robot arms (e.g., UR, FANUC, ABB, KUKA), including motion planning, calibration, and safety

Hands-on experience with perception and controls on real robots, from sensing and machine vision to closing the loop

Hands-on exposure to learning-based robotics (e.g., imitation learning, robot foundation models, sim-to-real), whether in production, research, or your own projects

Strong Python and C++, fluency with core robotics tools (e.g., ROS 2, motion planning, perception libraries, and simulation such as MuJoCo or Isaac Sim), and production software habits: tested code others can maintain and build on

Mechanical design skills: you can design fixtures and end effectors in CAD, get them built, and iterate quickly

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

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, robotics, or computer engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience

Must be a U.S. Person as defined under ITAR (see ITAR requirements below)

Preferred:

Experience shipping learning-based perception or manipulation into production

Experience bringing automation onto a running production line and handing it to the team that operates it

Taking a cell design from one unit to many, across lines or sites

Industrial engineering or process improvement background

Experience in wire harness, cable assembly, or other high-mix assembly

Knowledge of machine safety standards (e.g., ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066)

Aerospace, defense, or AS9100 manufacturing experience

Startup or high-growth company experience

Experience mentoring engineers or helping build a team

Success in This Role Looks Like (6–12 Months):

At least one robotic cell you built is running on our line and has been handed to our industrial engineering team: reliable, repeatable, stable software, documented

Your cells are removing measured labor hours from the line, tracked in our factory software

At least one learned capability from our robot learning work is running in one of your cells, and production data from your cells is feeding training

You've scoped the next cells and capabilities, with technical and business cases that inform where we invest next

You've helped shape the technical roadmap with our Head of AI & Robotics and helped hire the next engineers on the team

We're also hiring a Senior Robotics Engineer, Robot Learning, and a Senior Engineer, Data & Perception. If your background sits between roles, apply to any of them and tell us.

Compensation:

Pay depends on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors

Salary Range: $180,000–$220,000

Meaningful equity: as one of the first hires building this program from zero, the offer is weighted toward equity

This is an onsite role based at our Cypress, CA facility, with regular time at our Redondo Beach, CA facility

Benefits:

The chance to make a real impact with a friendly, mission-driven team

Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability coverage

Health and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSAs)

20 vacation days and 12 paid company holidays per year

401(k) retirement plan

A vinyl record of your choice added to the office collection

$50 monthly DoorDash credit

Up to $100 per month toward a gym membership

Stocked kitchen with snacks and drinks

Team events, team lunches, and occasional breakfast treats

Open office with shared spaces and free parking

Easy access to transit, freeways, and restaurants

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other status protected by law. For questions, contact jobs@senrasystems.us.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Pay range $180,000—$220,000 USD