Demo

LEAD ENGINEER - PRINCIPAL ENGINEER - Motion Planning Expert - Robotics

Southwest Research Institute
San Antonio, TX Full Time
POSTED ON 5/5/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 6/2/2026
Who We Are:

The Intelligent Systems Division develops automated solutions for commercial and government clients in multiple domains including transportation (traffic management, connected automated vehicle), manufacturing robotics, medical prognostics and communication standards.

Objectives of this Role:

  • Join the Robotics Department to contribute to building advanced capabilities, technologies and solutions in the field of industrial robotics and automation that solve real-world challenges faced by our customers.
  • Support novel application development with optimization-based/graph-based path planning with integration of 3D perception and surface reconstruction.
  • Business development for new applications, industries, and clients for novel automation capabilities.
  • Technical leadership and project management of cutting edge robotics applications
  • Visit https://robotics.swri.org to learn about some of the work we do.

Daily and Monthly Responsibilities:

  • Communicate effectively with internal team, external clients, and industry partners.
  • Design, build, debug and implement robotic and automation solutions primarily using software skills.
  • Coordinate individual performance goals and objectives set by the organization as well as lead project teams to realize organizational objectives.
  • Prepare proposals and cost estimates. Interact with customers to promote new business and develop technical requirements.
  • Has a special focus on software design for motion planning and perception of robotic manipulators.

Requirements:

  • Requires a Bachelors, Masters or a PhD in Robotics, Mechatronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, or other robotics-related engineering degree.
  • 10-15 years: Candidates must have relevant industry experience in robotic motion planning; The company could be a manufacturer, robotics company, robotics integrator, etc.
  • 10-15 years: Strong software skills; C or Python required
  • 10-15 years: Strong communication skills
  • 2-5 years: Robot Operating System (ROS) experience required.
  • A valid/clear driver's license is required.

Special Requirements:

Applicant selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen.

Job Locations: San Antonio, Texas

Salary.com Estimation for LEAD ENGINEER - PRINCIPAL ENGINEER - Motion Planning Expert - Robotics in San Antonio, TX
$81,129 to $95,407
If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Southwest Research Institute

  • Southwest Research Institute San Antonio, TX
  • Who We Are: We solve complex fluids problems to help society gain access to energy and water. Mutual respect and collaboration define our culture, where th... more
  • 6 Days Ago

  • Southwest Research Institute San Antonio, TX
  • Who We Are With almost 70 years of experience as an independent research, development, and evaluation laboratory for fuels and lubricants, we are well qual... more
  • 9 Days Ago

  • Southwest Research Institute San Antonio, TX
  • Who We Are We are the Petroleum Products Research Department in the Fuels and Lubricants Division! We perform laboratory testing on an assortment of fuels ... more
  • 9 Days Ago

  • Southwest Research Institute San Antonio, TX
  • Who We Are: The Marine Structures & Engineering Section provides engineering R&D services for commercial and government customers. We design, analyze, fabr... more
  • 10 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other LEAD ENGINEER - PRINCIPAL ENGINEER - Motion Planning Expert - Robotics jobs in the San Antonio, TX area that may be a better fit.

  • ARA Brand San Antonio, TX
  • ARA is seeking a highly skilled and innovative principal robotics engineer to join our team. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in C develop... more
  • 28 Days Ago

  • Marathon Petroleum Corporation San Antonio, TX
  • An exciting career awaits you At MPC, we’re committed to being a great place to work – one that welcomes new ideas, encourages diverse perspectives, develo... more
  • 21 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!