Staff Robotics Engineer- Spot Manipulation

Do you have a passion for applying state-of-the-art controls and kinematic planning to solve real-world manipulation problems? As a Staff Robotics Engineer on the Spot Manipulation team, you will play a pivotal role in tackling some of the most challenging physical interaction problems in mobile robotics. Your role will encompass a broad range of responsibilities across the manipulation stack, including low-level arm control, force dynamics, inverse kinematics, and path planning. Success in this position requires a blend of deep technical expertise, innovation, empathy for customer needs, and collaborative teamwork within a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment. **Day-to-Day Activities:** * Lead the development of novel control algorithms to enhance Spot’s arm manipulation, grasping, and physical interaction capabilities. * Conduct thorough hardware testing and debugging using our in-house Spot fleet. * Produce highly reliable, maintainable, and easily testable production C++ code. * Serve as a senior technical contributor, driving architectural decisions across the arm control stack. * Facilitate design reviews and foster collaborative problem-solving with cross-functional engineering teams. **We are looking for:** * Master's degree (or equivalent experience) in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. * 3+ years of experience deploying controls and manipulation software on real-world hardware systems. * High proficiency in C++ programming. * Deep expertise in rigid-body dynamics, inverse kinematics, and classical control systems (e.g., impedance/force control, operational space control). * Strong analytical, spatial reasoning, and hardware debugging skills. **Nice to Have:** * Experience with kinematic path planning and trajectory optimization. * Background in rigid-body simulation and Python. * Exposure to modern learning-based techniques for manipulation (e.g., RL, visual policy learning/VLAs). * PhD in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. _We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas for this position._ The base pay range for this position is between $140,000 to $180,000 annually. Base pay will depend on multiple individualized factors including, but not limited to internal equity, job related knowledge, skills and experience. This range represents a good faith estimate of compensation at the time of posting. Boston Dynamics offers a generous Benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401(k), paid time off and a annual bonus structure. Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer for employment.