Senior Robotics Engineer

About Mbodi

Join Mbodi AI (YC X25), an AI robotics startup founded by two former Googlers committed to pushing the boundaries of physical intelligence. Mbodi is an embodied AI platform that makes robots learn and operate like humans. Anyone can teach robots new skills by talking to them — and execute those skills reliably in production within minutes.

We are pioneering the next wave of robotics, where AI agents meet physical-world applications. Backed by top investors and working with global industrial partners such as ABB, we’re redefining what’s possible in robotics and automation.

Role Overview

We’re looking for a Senior Robotics Engineer to join our core team.

You will build the robotics execution layer that turns AI-driven task plans and high-level intent into reliable, precise robot behavior on real hardware. Working at the intersection of AI agents and robotics, you'll bridge intelligent decision-making with real-time motion execution, feedback control, and physical-world constraints.

This spans motion execution, feedback control, OEM robot interfaces, hardware integration, calibration, and production deployment.

This is a hands-on role for someone comfortable working across robotics software, controls, hardware, and real-world system debugging.

What You’ll Do

• AI-to-Robot Execution: Build the execution layer connecting AI agents and perception systems to physical robots, translating high-level task decisions into safe, reliable robot actions with real-time feedback and error recovery.
• Motion & Control: Build and improve robot motion and feedback systems, including trajectory execution, feedback control, latency compensation, and real-time corrections.
• System Performance: Diagnose and improve tracking error, oscillation, latency, stability, motion quality, and robustness using strong first-principles intuition.
• OEM Robot Integration: Build motion execution around industrial robot controllers, accounting for joint limits, calibration, timing, motion constraints, and fault handling.
• Lead System Integration: Integrate our platform with industrial robots, sensors, network interfaces, safety I/O, and other hardware.
• Deploy and Commission: Own robot bring-up, validation, commissioning, and on-site issue resolution in production environments.
• Full-Stack Debugging: Debug failures across controls, robotics software, networking, calibration, and hardware.

What We’re Looking For

• Robotics Systems Expertise: 3+ years building and deploying robotics software on physical systems, with strong Python and C++ skills.
• Controls Fundamentals: Strong understanding of feedback control, system dynamics, stability, trajectory tracking, and real-time robotic systems. Experience with techniques such as PID, feedforward, state-space control, LQR, or MPC is a plus.
• Strong Systems Intuition: Ability to reason about robot behavior across software, controls, timing, calibration, and hardware.
• Hardware & Commissioning Experience: Hands-on experience integrating, tuning, and commissioning robotic systems in real-world environments.
• Startup DNA: High agency, strong bias toward action, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, execution-focused environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience programming or interfacing with industrial robots such as ABB, FANUC, KUKA, or UR.
• Strong experience building production-grade robotics systems in ROS2.
• Experience integrating AI-based perception, learned policies, or high-level task planning systems with robot motion and control.
• Advanced degree in Robotics, Controls, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.