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Contract Robot Programming Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Pattern

Autonomous Robot Driver

Denver, CO · On-site

This role will be a part-time contract position on site at Denver International Airport, and may ... We strongly encourage engineers from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and traditionally underrepresented backgrounds ...

Rishabh RPO

(Paint Process Systems)

Auburn Hills, MI · On-site

Auburn Hills, MI Duration : Long term contract The Engineer (Paint Process Systems) will be responsible for the design, testing, and/or implementation of robotic painting solutions for automotive ...

Ameri-Force

Robot Weld Operator

Dexter, MI · On-site

$22 - $26/hr

... robot programming and demonstrate learned techniques (basic weld cell operation) Work with ... our contract employees. Leveraging our deep expertise in maritime, manufacturing, aerospace ...

GABLETEK

Weld Engineer

Sterling Heights, MI · On-site

$182 - $273/hr

Weld Engineer - FANUC Spot Welding (1-Week Contract) Company: GableTek Position: Weld Engineer ... robot programming, weld parameter development, process validation, and production-ready ...

Actalent

Robotics Engineer

San Diego, CA · Hybrid

$48.08 - $62.50/hr

... programming an autonomous industrial vehicle using the Robotics Operating System (ROS). The ... Develop and implement robot navigation algorithms that enable the vehicle to self-navigate under ...

Ameri-Force

Robot Weld Operator

Dexter, MI · On-site

$22 - $26/hr

... robot programming and demonstrate learned techniques (basic weld cell operation) Work with ... our contract employees. Leveraging our deep expertise in maritime, manufacturing, aerospace ...

GABLETEK

Weld Engineer

Sterling Heights, MI · On-site

$33.25 - $45.75/hr

Weld Engineer - FANUC Spot Welding (1-Week Contract) Company: GableTek Position: Weld Engineer ... robot programming, weld parameter development, process validation, and production-ready ...

GABLETEK

Weld Engineer

Sterling Heights, MI · On-site

$33.25 - $45.75/hr

Weld Engineer - FANUC Spot Welding (1-Week Contract) Company: GableTek Position: Weld Engineer ... robot programming, weld parameter development, process validation, and production-ready ...

E-Solutions, Inc.

Robotics Engineer

Delavan, WI · On-site

Contract - * Strong background in mechanical engineering principles combined with elite-level ... Conduct rigorous Robot Reachability studies and Payload Analysis (accounting for joint torque ...

New

ARIS Technology

Robotics Engineer

Hinckley, IL · On-site

S. citizenship is required for this position due to federal contract requirements, clientsite ... via hand-guided collaborative robot (cobot) programming, haptic sensing, or VR / AR. Our ...

ARIS Technology

Robotics Engineer

Hinckley, IL · On-site

S. citizenship is required for this position due to federal contract requirements, client-site ... via hand-guided collaborative robot (cobot) programming, haptic sensing, or VR / AR. Our ...

Alutiiq, LLC

Robotics Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$90K - $105K/yr

Proficiency in programming languages such as C++, C#, Python, or MATLAB. Afognak Native Corporation ... Positions covered by the McNamara O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), Davis-Bacon Act (DBA), or a ...

Std Iron

WI · On-site

$70 - $90/hr

... contract manufacturing and fabrication solutions. We pride ourselves on safety, quality, and ... Key Responsibilities Robotic Programming & Optimization * Program Systems: Program and clone paths ...

Standard Iron

WI · On-site

$80 - $100/hr

... contract manufacturing and fabrication solutions. We pride ourselves on safety, quality, and ... Key Responsibilities Robotic Programming & Optimization * Program Systems: Program and clone paths ...

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How much do contract robot programming jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 22, 2026, the average hourly pay for contract robot programming in the United States is $36.88, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $30.53 and $43.27 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is contract robot programming?

Contract robot programming refers to hiring specialized professionals or firms on a contractual basis to design, write, and implement software that controls robotic systems. These programmers typically work on industrial robots used in manufacturing, automation, or other specialized applications. They may be responsible for programming robots to perform specific tasks, optimizing performance, and ensuring safety standards are met. Contract work allows companies to access expert skills for short-term projects without committing to full-time hires.

What are some common challenges faced in contract robot programming projects?

Contract robot programming professionals often encounter challenges such as adapting to different clients' proprietary systems, quickly learning new programming environments, and troubleshooting unexpected integration issues on-site. Projects may involve working with various robot brands, each with unique programming languages and safety protocols, which requires flexibility and ongoing learning. Additionally, tight deadlines and the need to coordinate closely with engineering teams and operators can add complexity, making strong communication and problem-solving skills essential for success.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a contract robot programmer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Contract Robot Programmer, you need expertise in robotics programming languages (such as RAPID, KRL, or FANUC TP), automation systems, and a strong background in engineering or computer science. Familiarity with industrial robot controllers, PLCs, simulation software, and certifications like FANUC Certified Robot Operator or Siemens PLC are often required. Strong problem-solving skills, adaptability, and effective communication set standout programmers apart when collaborating with clients and troubleshooting in diverse environments. These skills ensure efficient, safe, and customized automation solutions that meet client specifications and industry standards.
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Contract Robot Programming jobs near you
Infographic showing various Contract Robot Programming job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 81% Full Time, 13% Part Time, 4% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 88% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $76,712 per year, or $36.9 per hour.

Robot Autonomy Engineer

Maven Robotics

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 4 days ago

Job description

Role Description
We are looking to recruit an exceptional Robot Autonomy Engineerto build the decision-making stack that turns a goal into coordinated, reliable robot behavior in real industrial applications - what the robot should do next, in what order, and how a fleet of them shares a workspace without getting in each other's way.
In this role you will:
  • Own the autonomy stack above the controller - task planning, behavior planning, path planning and trajectory planning - from the moment work arrives to the trajectories handed off to motion control.
  • Design the behavior architectures that structure long-horizon manipulation and navigation tasks, and that degrade into retry, recovery and operator handoff rather than into a stall.
  • Bring principled task planning to industrial workflows: goal and precedence reasoning, task allocation, and planning under uncertainty.
  • Plan and coordinate motion for multiple robots sharing an industrial facility - separation, reservation, deconfliction and deadlock-free repositioning - so that adding a robot adds throughput.
  • Integrate LLM and VLM reasoning into planning for task decomposition, subtask grounding and language-conditioned goals, together with the verification and fallbacks that make a model's output safe to execute on real hardware.
  • Define the contract between learned policies and classical planning: what the model may decide, what the planner must guarantee, and how the two hand off mid-task.
  • Interface with perception, intelligence, controls, simulation and platform software in designing functional architectures that hold up under real-world operation.
  • Hold the whole stack to measurable field performance - cycle time, success rate, intervention rate - through simulation, replay of recorded robot logs, and testing on real robots.
Qualifications
Must-have:
  • MS or PhD in robotics, engineering, mathematics, computer science or a related discipline.
  • Real-world experience in classical motion planning for one or more robots - search-based, sampling-based or optimization-based (A*, RRT/PRM, trajectory optimization, model predictive control) - carried onto hardware rather than left in simulation.
  • Real-world experience in behavior planning: finite state machines, behavior trees or comparable behavior architectures for long-horizon tasks, including failure detection and recovery.
  • Familiarity with task planning in the classical AI planning sense (STRIPS, PDDL, HTN) or decision-theoretic planning (MDP, POMDP), and the judgment to know when that machinery earns its complexity against a simpler reactive design.
  • Proficiency in Python and C++ programming, using up-to-date software development practices and tooling.
  • Self-starter attitude with strong ability to identify problems, prioritize them, then plan and execute working solutions.
  • Enthusiasm for working in a fast paced startup environment and eagerness to support the team on a variety of topics.

Nice-to-have:
  • Practical experience fine-tuning and integrating LLMs or VLMs for task planning, including grounding model output in executable, verifiable plans.
  • Multi-robot coordination at fleet scale: task allocation and assignment, traffic management, deconfliction, multi-agent path finding.
  • Experience with mobile manipulation - coordinating a mobile base and one or more arms toward a single task.
  • Familiarity with ROS 2, and with fleet interface standards such as VDA5050.
  • Familiarity with planning and kinematics libraries such as Drake, OMPL or MoveIt.
  • Experience evaluating planners in simulation and against replayed field logs, and the regression testing that keeps a planner honest as it changes.
  • A track record of carrying autonomy from working demo to sustained field operation.
  • Familiarity with functional safety (FuSa) concepts.

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