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Posted 19 days ago

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Tech Lead / Team Lead Robotics Software (AMR)

LisbonOn-site

AI Summary

About the RoleWe are looking for a hands-on Tech Lead to own the software “brain” of our Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). This is a Principal Engineer role with leadership responsibility — not a traditional management position.You will design and build systems that operate in real industrial environments, not just simulations — combining deep robotics engineering (ROS, SLAM, navigation) with system architecture and technical leadership.What You’ll DoOwn and evolve the robotics software architect

About this role

About the Role

We are looking for a hands-on Tech Lead to own the software “brain” of our Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). This is a Principal Engineer role with leadership responsibility — not a traditional management position.

You will design and build systems that operate in real industrial environments, not just simulations — combining deep robotics engineering (ROS, SLAM, navigation) with system architecture and technical leadership.

What You’ll Do

  • Own and evolve the robotics software architecture, including navigation, localization, and safety
  • Debug complex system issues hands-on, rather than delegating them
  • Drive R&D initiatives such as map handling, odometry, and multi-floor navigation
  • Lead and mentor the robotics team through technical authority
  • Work closely with real customer deployments in industrial environments

Requirements

What You Bring

A Strong Robotics Engineering Foundation

  • Hands-on experience in navigation, SLAM, or localization
  • Exposure to perception (object detection, sensor processing, environment understanding) is a plus
  • A track record of building production-grade systems, not just prototypes
  • Comfort with real-world problems such as localization drift, sensor noise, and navigation edge cases

Systems Thinking

  • An architect’s mindset — you think in systems, not just features
  • Strong understanding of distributed robotic systems
  • Experience with ROS1 ↔ ROS2 migration and bridging
  • Familiarity with containerized robotics stacks (Docker)
  • Ability to make architectural decisions and clearly explain trade-offs between performance, robustness, and maintainability

Technical Leadership

  • A natural ability to lead through technical authority rather than hierarchy
  • Skill in facilitating design discussions and aligning engineers on architecture
  • An aptitude for structuring and breaking down complex problems

A Hands-On Mindset

  • Active, ongoing coding in Python and C++
  • A genuine interest in debugging real, system-level issues
  • Around 60–70% of your time spent hands-on in engineering, not coordination

Must-Have Skills

Robotics / Core Tech

Programming

Systems

  • Strong experience with ROS1 and ROS2
  • Navigation stack (Nav2 / move_base)
  • SLAM / localization (e.g. LOAM, AMCL, LIO-SAM)
  • Sensor fusion (LiDAR + IMU at minimum)
  • Python (primary language)
  • C++ (mandatory)
  • Rust (ideal, not required)
  • Linux (Ubuntu, debugging)
  • Git workflows and CI/CD


Nice to Have

  • Experience with industrial AMRs
  • Knowledge of VDA 5050 and fleet manager integration
  • Multi-robot systems / fleet management
  • Safety and risk-prevention knowledge (e.g. ISO 3691-4)
  • Simulation experience (Gazebo / Ignition)
  • Docker / container-based robotics architectures

Where You Might Come From

  • AMR / AGV companies (e.g. KUKA, ABB, MiR, Fetch, Locus Robotics)
  • Robotics startups
  • Autonomous driving, if your navigation and systems focus is strong

Benefits

Why This Role

High Technical Impact: Your software directly controls robots operating in production environments.

End-to-End Ownership: From architecture through implementation, deployment, and real-world behavior.

High Complexity: SLAM, navigation, multi-robot coordination, and real-world constraints keep the work genuinely challenging.

Freedom to Shape Architecture: You will have strong influence over technical direction.

A True Hybrid Role: Deep technical work combined with real leadership impact.


Compensation Senior Level

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