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SR. RESEARCH ENGINEER - LEAD COMPUTER SCIENTIST - LEAD ENGINEER - Manipulation & Motion Planning

Southwest Research Institute
San Antonio, TX Full Time
POSTED ON 7/12/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 8/26/2026
Who We Are:

The Robotics Department develops industrial robotic, automated, and autonomous solutions for government and commercial clients across a wide range of industries.

Objectives of this Role:

  • Contribute to working with our clients and solving real-world challenges by building advanced capabilities, technologies, and solutions in the field of industrial robotics and automation.
  • Support novel development of optimization-based path planning, perception systems, surface reconstruction, hardware integration, and testing on industrial robots, mobile manipulators, and custom automation hardware.
  • Develop business for novel automation capabilities with new clients, industries, and applications.
  • Serve as a technical lead for motion planning/perception work and/or project manager of R&D robotics projects.
  • Ideate novel solutions and mentor junior robotics staff.
  • Visit https://robotics.swri.org to learn about some of the work we do.

Daily and Monthly Responsibilities:

  • Develop novel software solutions for robotic and automated systems and provide technical leadership to project teams.
  • Development tasks include: design, build, hardware integration, debug, and implementation at client facilities.
  • Prepare proposals and cost estimates.
  • Interact with customers to promote new business and develop technical requirements for new projects.
  • Communicate effectively with internal team, external clients, and industry partners.
  • Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to develop technical solutions, and coordinate technical tasks with project managers and other engineering staff.
  • Coordinate individual performance goals and objectives set by the organization as well as provide leadership to project teams to help realize organizational objectives.
  • Has a special focus on motion planning, industrial robotic manipulators, 3D perception, and/or surface reconstruction.

Requirements:

  • Requires a Bachelors, Masters or a PhD in Robotics, Mechatronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science or other robotics-related engineering degree. Those with graduate degrees may require less experience.
  • 5 years: Relevant industry experience with robotic motion planning and robotic systems at an organization such as a manufacturer, robotics company, robotics integrator, etc.
  • 4 years: Strong software skills; C or Python required.
  • 2 years: Robot Operating System (ROS) experience required.
  • Strong communication skills.
  • 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 SR. RESEARCH ENGINEER - LEAD COMPUTER SCIENTIST - LEAD ENGINEER - Manipulation & Motion Planning in San Antonio, TX
$98,251 to $117,813
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